Easy to learn, hard to master (Rio Grande Games Carcassonne)

Member Name: Linnyg

Product:	Rio Grande Games Carcassonne
Date:	13/07/09 (19 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A unique game every time

Disadvantages: None

Carcassonne is quick and easy to learn as there are few concepts to get the hang of, but it is difficult to master. We have played dozens of games, mainly two player. It works very well with two players which is quite rare as many games that claim to work with two are much better with more players. Carcassonne, however, has slightly different tactics when played with different numbers of players, but is equally good with any number.

Two player games can be very cut-throat, attempting to steal one anothers cities and farms, and block one anothers pieces on the board. With more players you often get two players teaming up to add to and share points for a feature.

The game consists of lots of square tiles that must be placed one at a time to build up an area of cities, roads, farms and cloisters. The tiles can be placed anywhere as long as the sides match up, for example city section to city section. Points are gained when you finish a road or city you control or surround a cloister with other tiles. Farms are the tricky bit to get the hang of and are the reason most new players will not win their first game as they underestimate their importance. There are two sets of rules for scoring farmers, which change the tactics somewhat. Check out www.boardgamegeek.com for more info.

I have played scores of games and it is still one of our favouite two player games. As the tiles come out in a different order you always end up with a different game and the best decision is not always obvious. The basic games plays quite quickly (around 30 mins) but we also play with the 'Traders and Builders' and 'Inns and Cathedrals' expansions. These add to the number and variety of tiles and make for a longer more interesting game. We have also tried 'Princess and the Dragon' and 'The Tower' but didn't like these; they introduced too much of a random element.

Summary: Available online or in specialist games shops