Carcassonne is without exaggeration the most important game release of the 21st century. It has already been published in twenty different languages, and worldwide its sales numbers are already several million copies. Even in Finland, the game won the local Game of the Year award immediately after its release (2004) and has been a favorite of Finns ever since.
After more than ten years, Carcassonne was renewed in 2015. With this new facility, both the packaging and the content have changed a bit, and the instruction manual has been polished even better for adoption.
Carcassonne has earned its place in every game collection. There are many add-ons and different sister games available for the game. Add-ons require ownership of the original Carcassonne.
The game is played with square tiles that depict the meadows surrounding the city of Carcassonne and their features: roads, fields, monasteries and city walls. During the game, tiles are laid out on the table in such a way that they form unified structures.
However, tiles alone are not enough. Another important part is the pieces, which in English are called meeples. Each player has a group of loyal followers, Meeples, who are played on the tiles to collect points.
Meeple's role depends on what it is played for. On the road he becomes a highwayman, in the fields a farmer, in the city a knight and in the monastery a monk. Each different type has its own rules for collecting points.
A checker can only be played on the tile that you just put into play and only if there is no inhabitant in the same structure. When the structure is finished (the road has two ends, the city is completely surrounded by a wall or the monastery is surrounded by tiles), the piece can be put back into use and points are accumulated in the account.
Farmers stay on the board throughout the game, but can produce a lot of points.
When two structures are connected, the pieces in each remain on the board. In this way, you can wedge yourself into structures started by another player. In the event of a tie, both get the same amount of points, so cooperation is beneficial to both - two players finish the structure faster. However, the other player can try to usurp the structure for himself by superior force.
Laying tiles is a simple task: anyone can immediately understand how different tiles fit together. You learn how to score quickly, and even the tactical subtleties of the game become clear with quite a bit of playing.
The game is still fun to play in the long run. The randomness of the tiles and the unexpected brainstorming of the players make every game a slightly different experience.
Carcassonne is a huge success that suits very different people. It's suitable for the whole family: even smaller children can play the game, especially if the farmers are left out. (in this new facility, farmers are actually no longer part of the beginner rules) You can even think about the best layout of the tiles together. On the other hand, Carcassonne can be played with a more competitive attitude, conquering and destroying other people's structures. For more experienced players, the game works well as a quick intermediate game.
Carcassonne also really exists, the city is located in the south of France. It is known for its fortresses, which were selected in 1997 for the UNESCO World Heritage List. The place is certainly worth a visit, especially if the trip goes to the region in question anyway.
Contents:
- Instruction booklet in Finnish
- 72 game tiles
- 12-tile "River" mini add-on
- "Abbot" mini add-on
- 40 followers, i.e. "meeple"
- 1 scoreboard
- Number of players: 2-5.
- Game time: 30-40 min.
- Age recommendation 7+ years.
