An overview of Carcassonne board games
An overview of Carcassonne board games
The beautiful medieval walled city of Carcassonne is imbued with culture and history. What better way to remember this than in a board game?
It stands on a high hill in France since the Romans planted the city walls, but is it playing on the board of urban justice?
We step through the door and find out. Check out our full overview of Carcassonne board games below.
- STRATEGY GAME - PLAN YOUR WAY FOR VICTORY: Develop the landscape ...
- ONE STEP IN TIME PLAYING ON THE TILE: Players complete ...
- JACK OF ALL TRADES: Followers can take on many different roles ...
A brief overview of Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a board-playing board game in which players take turns placing tiles on a larger pitch. They then have the option of placing one of their meeples on a tile element that they have just laid as a road, field, or city.
When the feature containing the meeple is completed (i.e. the road does not drain from the tile alone), the meeple is returned to the owner and the points are calculated based on the number of tiles the element connects.
For whatever reason, this game seems to be more and more complicated and intimidating than it is. It is very easy to learn and is considered one of the better transition games for newer players.
Variations and extensions
For Carcassonne, there are a bunch and width of extensions. Everyone adds new ways to get results, but there’s a lot that drastically changes the gameplay. It is even available for playing Steam .
Some have a traveling dragon complete with a girl in distress. There, a circus arrives in the city, and acrobatic men fold into human pyramids. They even add ways you can directly attack other players, which is in contrast to the original Roots of the European-style Game if your players are a bit more competitive.
There are also some really weird ones like Catapult Expansion, which is equipped with an improvised catapult to toss things around the room.
The expansions from there get a little weird.
If you’re looking for some tips on the world of extensions and my best choices, check out our Carcassonne Extension Guide here .
Unpacking Carcassonne
What's in the box?
- 12 river tiles
- 72 ordinary tiles
- 40 people (8 colors)
- 5 abbots (1 for each color)
- 1 traffic light
- 1 policy
The newer edition is essentially the same as the older versions of the game. Another difference is the publisher, The Z-Man Games . The components have been slightly upgraded, making them feel more solid. In addition, they are exactly the same and compatible with all other versions.
So if you manage to find a really cheap used version that is somewhere in another box, he knows it’s basically the same game. It probably won’t come with River or Abbot extensions because older versions are hard to find. Most of the time when you see the base game, a newer version will be included.
How to play Carcassonne
The policy for Carcassonne is very well written. This is very easy to learn and reference when looking for different scoring methods. In doing so, I will touch on just a few basics to show you how the game works.
Basics
One initial tile with a darker base is mixed into the pile. This is the starting tile. The first thing you need to do is place the tile to start in the middle of the play area. This is the beginning of your Carcassonne map.
The first player draws a tile and places it somewhere connected to the launcher, which must match the different properties. You can’t let the road in the middle of a field stop suddenly. Each feature of the tiles is designed to fit the rest somehow. If you ever get to the point where the tile doesn’t fit anywhere, remove it from the game and draw another one.
Once the tile is set, the player can then decide to place the person on the tile element he or she just placed. That's how you score points. Features may include monasteries, roads, fields, and cities. You cannot place more people on a position already held by another player.
Finally, you see if the installed tile has completed any adjacent features. They get points and the owners get their meeples back.
It's not too hard, is it?
- Draw a tile
- Place the tile
- Place a muscle on the tile (optional)
- The result
Boom! 4 easy steps.
Scoring
There are quite a few ways to score in Carcassonne. It seems a little intimidating at first, but I assure you it makes sense.
The rules even break down the different scoring methods by basic and supplementary. For your first game, I warmly recommend that you use only the basic rules to get the ground. This will be much easier to follow.
In Carcassonne, you can score points by placing cloths on different parts of the tiles. When a certain part is finished with the surrounding tiles, the mip is removed from the board, its points are added up and returned to the owner.
The different characteristics of tiles or dots that you can place are:
- Cities
- Roads
- Monasteries
This is for the basic game setup. With basic play, there are actually a few more ways to score goals and places where you can determine your people.
Estimation of places according to the final size of the completed city. You can start with a tiny little crescent on a tile and end it up in a giant metropolis of points.
Roads are calculated based on the complete start and end point. Longer values are worth more points.
Monasteries are judged by the number of tiles that surround them. If there are only 8 tiles surrounding the monastery, it is considered complete and can be assessed.
Note that they are worth full points only if the features are completed. They are worth significantly less if they stay hung in the wind.
Winning and final game
The final game is triggered when the last tile is placed. Don't move the table yet. There are still points left.
Anything left unfinished is still paid out in points, but there will be fewer points. There are other bonuses in the supplementary rules and other extensions that can score a significant amount of points, but only at the end of the game.
Everyone will have to add up their final score and the winner will be determined.
Yay!
Your first Carcassonne game
Don't be fooled by this happy little game of tiles and emails. There’s a very ... opportunistic approach to the game that can kind of provoke anger or end up sleeping on the couch.
Beginner's mistakes
One of the main aspects of the game is the “bet” on whether you will be able to complete the features on the tile. An easy way to score points is to steal half of the completed items from your opponents. If someone is building a big city, place your part of the city nearby and try to connect it.
You can’t put your scoring points on a function requested by someone else, but there’s nothing to say that you can’t build them nearby and connect them later. In fact, it is encouraged.
Pros and cons
Advantages:
- Portable
- Elimination of zero player
- Great transition game
Weaknesses:
- Quiet (not a ton of social interaction)
Because quiet play isn’t necessarily bad, I look at board games as a social experience, and Carcassonne is a pretty quiet thing in the end. Most players end up spending a lot of time watching the board, and players spend most of their time looking for different opportunities on the tiles.
TL; DR
Carcassonne is a simple tile-laying game where you find yourself playing round after round. It’s one of those games we never get for just one game.
It's easy to learn and fun to redirect.
Conclusion: a verdict?
My introduction is a bit misleading. The actually walled city of Carcassonne and the play don’t really have much in common other than the inspiration for the artwork.
The real question is, "Is it worth keeping a spot on your gaming shelf?"
That is a resounding yes. Carcassonne will definitely hit the game table more often. The perfect game is to get out and start playing when you have 15 or 20 minutes to wait for pizza or it’s a great appetizer for something bigger.
Another fantastic aspect is the portability of the game itself. If you’re skilled, you can make a bag out of a fabric that fits everything into a small little bag on the go and has a double duty as a tow bag. Some later extensions come with an official Carcassonne fabric bag that works just as well.
We took our copy with us while traveling and flying, so it’s perfect to find a quiet place to play the game at the airport.
There is a lot of variety in the basic sets and quite a large number of extensions. Carcassonne will keep you entertained for years to come.
- STRATEGY GAME - PLAN YOUR WAY FOR VICTORY: Develop the landscape ...
- ONE STEP IN TIME PLAYING ON THE TILE: Players complete ...
- JACK OF ALL TRADES: Followers can take on many different roles ...
What do you think of Carcassonne? We would love to hear from you.
Leave a comment below.
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