Game: Carcassonne - The River II

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rober — 2008-08-12T12:33:48+00:00

Thread: Re: confused about Monasteries in rivers

Kaelistus — 2008-04-13T13:40:50+00:00

Thanks for the clarification everybody!

Thread: Re: confused about Monasteries in rivers

hymie — 2008-04-12T18:46:13+00:00

Kaelistus wrote:
Because I was using the River I rules (No meeple placing there)

You're still mistaken. You can play meeples on river tiles. Just not in the river.

Thread: Re: confused about Monasteries in rivers

ColtsFan76 — 2008-04-12T18:44:49+00:00

Kaelistus wrote:
Because I was using the River I rules (No meeple placing there) with the River II. Oops.. Thanks for letting me know that there's a difference.
The rules are the same for both River sets (in english as well).

The only rule is that the River itself is not a feature so you can't try drowning your meeples. However, you can still place it elsewhere on the tile - the field, a road, a city, etc.

Sounds like you have been playing that wrong as well!

Thread: Re: confused about Monasteries in rivers

RockLobster — 2008-04-12T18:44:08+00:00

Kaelistus wrote:
Because I was using the River I rules (No meeple placing there) with the River II.
You still haven't quite got it.

The rule you're thinking of says that no meeple may be placed in the river. Even in River I, you could still play meeples as knights, monks, robbers and farmers on river tiles.

Everything except fishermen, which don't exist in Carc. Yet.

Thread: Re: confused about Monasteries in rivers

Werbaer — 2008-04-12T18:27:25+00:00

Kaelistus wrote:
Because I was using the River I rules (No meeple placing there) with the River II.
In the original german River I rules, you could place a meeple. Is it really different in the english edition?

Thread: Re: confused about Monasteries in rivers

Kaelistus — 2008-04-12T18:08:49+00:00

Because I was using the River I rules (No meeple placing there) with the River II. Oops.. Thanks for letting me know that there's a difference.

Thread: Re: confused about Monasteries in rivers

ras2124 — 2008-04-12T18:07:01+00:00

Yeah, you should be placing meeples as you lay tiles. This question reminds me of that monastery in Towers were it shares the tile with a tower place. It's probably the worst tile ever made for this game.

Thread: Re: confused about Monasteries in rivers

ColtsFan76 — 2008-04-12T17:54:50+00:00

Huh? Who said you can't place meeples while setting up the river? Placing meeples is a key part of set-up of the river.

Thread: confused about Monasteries in rivers

Kaelistus — 2008-04-12T17:41:12+00:00

If we can't place meeples in river tiles as we set it up per the rules, how are these monasteries ever scored?

Thread: Re: Variable Length River

Rygel — 2008-04-03T23:05:00+00:00

That is what do too. Only, we start with all 3 springs then draw tiles. Players can place the tiles anywhere on any river. Makes for variable rivers. One river splits into too most of the time so I grabbed an extra river end.

Thread: Variable Length River

malletman — 2008-04-03T12:16:41+00:00

When we play we start with a spring, then mix all the other river tiles including the lakes and other spring. Keep drawing until all rivers on the board are closed with lakes. the remaining river pieces are then discarded and play continues normally.

this might result in very short river, one long river or two or even tree rivers. You never quite know.

Note: If using the spring/road with the mini-expansion there are more potential starts than finishes. If three "start" tiles are in play (either springs or the fork) any subsequent start tile is discarded.

Just adds some variety to the start of the game.

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Hammerite — 2008-03-26T18:31:19+00:00

Tiles from the River expansions, The River and The River II

Thread: Re: How many bits of farmland on the bridge tile?

Germarish — 2008-03-13T13:56:59+00:00

The bridge tile makes 4 farms.
Answer here on the Carcassonne FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions and Further Clarifications
http://www.modernjive.com/carcassonne/carcassonnefaq.htm#_So...

Thread: Take me to the River II

rantinronrevue — 2008-02-04T20:51:47+00:00

Carcassonne: The River II is probably one of the most unnecessary expansions that anyone could possibly think of. There has already been a River Expansion released a few years ago. In fact, it was even included in the basic set when I bought it (and probably still is). With that being said, an objective look at this expansion is sort of difficult. But here goes.

You can, of course, expect the usual Carcassonne tile quality – nice and thick, colorful, and well laid out. And for the list price of $6.00, that comes out to about fifty cents per tile, so it’s not a bad bargain. Still, I hemmed and hawed for a while, and decided not to get it. But I DID get it for Christmas, heh heh! The truth is that this expansion is not half bad. Instead of just giving us a new river, the designers have given a us a few small caveats that at least shows that they didn’t just throw a set of river tiles together. One key piece splits the river to go into 2 directions, so it comes in from one side of the tile, and leaves on two sides. One start tile is provided along with two distinct end tiles (lakes). Another tile has a land bridge over the river that joins together a city from each side of it. This set is also designed to interact with other expansions. There’s an inn-on-the-lake, a volcano, and a small herd of pigs, each recognizable to owners of the expansions they represent.

As far as their value to the game, it’s fairly negligible. You can include it with the original river expansion, you can form two separate rivers. You can remove the rivers altogether and use a start tile instead. My personal favorite method is to use the river split as the starting tile, merging all the river (I and II) tiles together and allowing the river to be built in all three directions until one river start and two lakes (or vice versa) are placed.

The sole downside that I see is simply that with all these additional tiles with one expansion after another coming out is that it will lead to longer and longer games. Some will love the additional game length; others will be less than enthralled by it. Whether or not you should add Carcassonne: The River II to your collection might very well depend on which side of that argument you’re on.

Which begs the question: How much Carcassonne is too much? With the two river expansions, Inns and Cathedrals, and Builders and Traders, my current configuration is approximately twice the size of the original base game. Add to that the additional rules and tweaks that each expansion has, and that really adds up to a very large and very different game than the original. I figured I’d draw the line here for now and not worry about Princesses, dragons, mayors, abbeys, or towers (and whatever else is added).

To muddy things up further, there are also stand-alone games like Hunters and Gatherers, the Discovery, and the City. Someone who is fond of Carcassonne and wants to own all the expansions and stand alone games could probably list Rio Grande as a dependent on their tax return. As for me, I think I’ll stand pat with the expansions I have now, and spend my game money on other games instead.

Thread: Take me to the River II

rantinronrevue — 2008-02-04T20:46:12+00:00

Thread: Re: Starting with the Fork

Khabbi — 2008-01-02T14:47:10+00:00

We also start with the fork and take the spring and the lake out of the mix (we leave the river into city piece in). Players can play on any of the three branches. When the river into city piece is played, there are two branches.

When all the river pieces have been played, we play the spring and then the volcano.

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55cards — 2007-12-09T00:06:06+00:00

A river runs through it.

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Phil Christs — 2007-11-23T14:36:56+00:00

The River II Tileset

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Urtur — 2007-08-22T09:04:06+00:00

Beginning of a game featuring tiles from The Count, The River II and the Mini Expansion (the volcano replaced by the road-source tile usied as the starting one).

Thread: The River II - A Fun but Optional Expansion

ScottB — 2007-07-30T03:12:03+00:00

I recently picked up The River II to play with my kids. I have the Big Box, so we've been playing with the original recipe version for a while now, and I thought I'd try this one for a bit of a change of pace.

The expansion consists of twelve tiles, including a source tile and two lake tiles, one ending at a city section and the other at a volcano. Also included is a tile which separates the river into two sections (hence the two lake tiles). The remaining eight tiles are river sections, including a cloister, a unique city tile with a bridge spanning the river, a tile with an inn, and a pig farm. The tiles represent a nice variety of formations and work well with other expansions. The inn can be used with Inns and Cathedrals and plays exactly like the inn tiles from that expansion. The pig farm can be used to add one to the score for farms, just like the pig from Traders and Builders (the bonus is in addition to the bonus from the actual pig piece). The volcano provides a place from the start of the game for the dragon to spawn, if the Princess and Dragon expansion is being used. And the pieces can be combined with most of the pieces from the original River expansion, so you can create a rather long river if you so desire.

The river is used in place of the starting tile from the base set. The source tile is placed first, and then the branch tile. The lake with the volcano is set aside to be placed last. The rest of the tiles are drawn and played until all available tiles have been placed. Followers can be played on these tiles as normal. The last player then places the volcano tile, and then plays a tile from the regular set (as a follower cannot be played on the volcano tile). Play then continues as normal.

So how does it play? I enjoy the expansion quite a bit. It's a great set to use when playing with kids, as it provides a lot of options once the regular tiles are begun. It creates a larger, more spread-out map than what will sometimes be created when using the normal starting tile. One problem that can arise is that large farms can be created by wrapping around the source tile. The mini expansion from Games Quarterly fixes this issue nicely by providing a new source tile that contains a road.

We like to change up the rules a bit to add some variety. We shuffle all tiles, including both lake tiles and the branch tile, into the stack. When all open ends of the river have a lake tile, then the river is done and we move on to the regular tile set. This means that, at times, we won't have a branch and the length of the river varies from game to game. It's another way to use the set that allows for something different.

Some have noted that using the river can make a game less competitive. I can see how this might happen, as the game begins with several formations already in play. However, what I've seen so far is that multiple conflict areas will instead be created, as players compete for several different formations right from the start.

In all, I think this is a fun expansion that provides a solid beginning to a game of Carcassonne. It's an excellent expansion to use when playing with kids. It can also benefit players who want to use certain expansions, in particular The Princess and the Dragon. However, I don't think that it is by any means a necessary expansion like Inns and Cathedrals or Traders and Builders. It's a fun option that can be used to supplement or provide a nice change of pace.

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Artax — 2007-05-04T10:29:49+00:00

Macro

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fehrmeister — 2007-04-22T00:28:25+00:00

The River 2 Tiles All Laid Out To Start A 4-Player Game

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rcreveli — 2007-04-21T02:00:11+00:00

The River 2 Box

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Krisjohn — 2007-03-28T10:29:24+00:00

Most of the river pieces available in the various expansions, shown in a finished game.

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Krisjohn — 2007-03-28T10:28:20+00:00

River I and II plus mini expansion, shown in a finished game.

Thread: Carcassonne- The River II: Bring your Boogy Boards!!

quentin1 — 2007-02-25T06:10:52+00:00

Carcassonne- The River II

Game Overview

The River II is an expansion to use with the main Carcassonne game set and can be played using the other Carcassonne expansions including 'The River'.

The River II creates a branch in the river. Which side to choose; the sunny, tropical side or the sinister, rainy and cloudy side; only you can decide!

The River II is begun by removing the branch in the river, the lake volcano and the spring. The remaining tiles are shuffled and placed face down (stack or random pile is your choice). The spring is the starting position. The first player begins by placing the branch in the river then players alternate in clockwise order. After all river tiles have been placed, the volcano lake tile is placed and normal play begins.

When placing river tiles just as in 'The River' expansion, the river cannot 'U' turn. In the River II, the branches may not join.

Players may also play a follower on a river tile, but not in the river. There is no swimming in Carcassonne so that the tiles don't get soggy. It would be neat however if there was fishing, place a follower as a fisherman, kind of like placing a farmer. Now I am way off track.

If The River II is played with other expansions there are tiles to be used in conjunction with those expansions. Other wise they can be ignored.

The Volcano Lake Tile

Used with the Princess & Dragon expansion. The player who places this tile completing the river cannot play a follower on this tile. That player places a second tile immediately and may place a follower on it.

The Inn on the Lake Tile

Used with the Inns & Cathedrals expansion.

The Pig Herd Tile

If a player has claimed the territory with a farmer, this tile earns 1 additional point per city he feeds. If playing with the Traders & Builders expansion, this bonus is in addition to the normal pig bonus.

Game Components

The River II includes 12 new river tiles including the branch, volcano lake, a spring, inn on the lake and a pig herd

The tiles are of the same material other Carcassonne sets are produced with. They have the same style of artwork.

The Instructions

The instructions are simple and on a small 4 page insert.

Game Play

Carcassonne is listed to play in 30-45 minutes. The River II does not seem to later this.

My Rating

I really enjoy The River II. It seems to add separation and diversity to the game once territories are created. It also can pose a strategic advantage to hamper other player’s efforts when they build cities, roads and farms near the river. A well placed tile can stop players from completing projects and trap a follower.

I think The River II is an 8/10. For me it adds some depth and variation to the game.

Thanks for reading my review and enjoy the game.

Thread: Re: Useless Rivers!!

malex — 2007-02-05T22:10:45+00:00

Would it be at all reasonable to treat the lake (or lakes) as a city for farmers? Like 4 or more extra "fishing" points for whomever has possession of that farm.

Perhaps that's counter productive if the whole purpose is to discourage mega-farms, but at least it gives the river a function. And if the lake/s are shuffled randomly in the starting stack, that makes it less predictable and players may compete early on for where they expect the lake to come up.

.. Then again, perhaps it's a dismal idea. I'll have to do some experimentation.

Thread: Re: Useless Rivers!!

Hustle Kong — 2007-01-23T22:06:57+00:00

That's why I love the new GQ mini-expansion... no more "house rules", thanks to that road on the spring tile.

Thread: Re: Useless Rivers!!

tppytel — 2007-01-23T22:06:09+00:00

The river spreads out the initial development considerably, giving players more of a choice as to whether they want to build their own little subdivision or start fighting over another player's area instead. This may not quite be a "gameplay" function in the manner you describe, but it definitely does change the game. So the value of the River expansion really depends on how you play. With two players, I find the River rather pointless. But with three or more, I'll usually use it unless we're all gunning for a down-and-dirty fighting game (in which case we probably wouldn't be playing Carc anyway).

Thread: Re: Useless Rivers!!

DougOrleans — 2007-01-23T21:54:10+00:00

AnakinOU wrote:
The River serves a very important purpose...breaking up the mega-farms.

Whenever I've played, the mega-farms still form around the ends of the river.

Thread: Re: Useless Rivers!!

AnakinOU — 2007-01-23T02:20:51+00:00

The River serves a very important purpose...breaking up the mega-farms.

Thread: Useless Rivers!!

photocurio — 2007-01-23T02:00:48+00:00

I love Carcassonne. But I have a problem with the River and River II expansions: the river is not used. Every other element - cities, farms, roads, cloisters, even the goofy dragon - has a function in the game. They can be occupied and scored. They cross and interact. But the river does nothing. In the original version it simply forms an ugly wall across the board. Ugly in terms of game theory. Graphically it is pretty, but that is all you can say for it. In the River II, at least there are bridges over the river. But the river itself is useless.

In all true geographical locales rivers are very important elements that shape development of nations and commerce. They are used for transportaion and trade and fishing. Industries ranging from breweries to nuclear plants have located on rivers to access the fresh water. I am not suggesting Carcassonne should encorporate civ-style technological developement. I am just saying there shouldn't be useless elements in the game just to look pretty.

The whole point of Carcassonne is that it creates a simplistic metaphor of an amusingly random landscape, and not unlike the delightful country in the south of France. What makes it fun is that it is consistent in it's union of theme to mechanics. If you add a major geographical element (river) and then don't incorporate it in any way into the gameplay, the sweetness and grace is lost. You have a game that no longer lives up to its intention.

Maybe someone can come up with a variant that actually uses the river in gameplay? That would really be an improvement.

Thread: Re: How many bits of farmland on the bridge tile?

tstapp1026 — 2006-10-18T00:16:06+00:00

Heh, funny enough...this very exact question has just been asked in the Carcassonne main game forums

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/130829

They, as well as I, believe there are 4 farms on this tile. The city is 1 unit therefore disecting the farm in one direction and the river disecting the other direction.

I'm interested in seeing any official ruling on this if anyone finds one.

Thanks,
Shane

Thread: Re: How many bits of farmland on the bridge tile?

Tomba — 2006-08-18T07:15:04+00:00

Thanks for the quick response.

Tomba

Thread: Re: How many bits of farmland on the bridge tile?

Ponton — 2006-08-13T23:59:23+00:00

An official answer you will probably find in one of the expansion sets. I think there was also a tile with a brigde an farmland under it (without the river of course) and the rules say explicitely that this tile's grassland counts as one farm.

Thread: Re: How many bits of farmland on the bridge tile?

fastfingers — 2006-08-13T22:11:23+00:00

The simple and direct answer is that the bridge has no bearing on farmland for this tile. The river divides the land in half.

The more complex answer is dependent on neighboring tiles. For example, it could all be one farm depending on the other tiles. So, it's either two farm pieces or one farm, depending on neighboring tiles.

Thread: How many bits of farmland on the bridge tile?

Tomba — 2006-08-13T20:59:14+00:00

The topic says it all really.

On this tile:

]]>

Are there two or four pieces of farmland?

In other words, does the bridge break up the farmland or not?

Any official ruling? Or opinions?

Thanks in advance,

Tomba

Thread: Re: Starting with the Fork

ColtsFan76 — 2006-08-01T11:35:09+00:00

We'vw tried a couple things. The most common is to leave the fork in the mix of all the other river tiles. One less tile to sort at the beginning and give a little more randomness to the river.

The other is placing the two springs back to back so that two rivers are going simultaneously. We like to use every last tile if possible.

Thread: Chris' first game with Carcassonne

hseldon — 2006-06-25T17:56:00+00:00

Well we got to this game at the end of game night. Csigs, my wife and myself were the players. Chris had never played before and I had only played a few times. Forgot how much I liked this game. The river expansion was nice and simple and seemed to make sense as a way to increase farmers. We were playing at a somewhat even pace until Csigs kept drawing Cloisters and was able to get four of them going. Meanwhile, I built a sweet city for 24 points and had a couple others going. Chris got bogged down on some roads and unfinished cities. She had a huge farm going that was going to snag her 24 points at the end, but Csigs bullied his way onto it and he wound up with all her hard work. And he lapped her on the point track on his way to a good sized victory! Next time, maybe Chris and I will gang up on him.

Update: Csigs just told me that we played The River Expansion with Inns and Cathedrals, not the River II. Sorry folks!

Thread: Re: Request: River II Tile Distribution Sheet, will tip GG

Yargo — 2006-06-05T20:32:22+00:00

As promised (sorry I was so slow, I didn't notice the update to that thread for a while), I sent over a BGG tip for the tile distribution sheet for River II

Thread: Re: Starting with the Fork

Hopalong — 2006-05-15T19:52:43+00:00

We have also been starting with the fork tile, instead of the spring.

Then we shuffle together all the rest of the river tiles, including the 2 springs and the 3 lakes.

Then, we build one branch until it ends, then the next until it ends, and then the final branch.

This of course completely varies how long the river will be. If we get three lakes then the fork tile becomes the spring! (Not very realistic, but fun ). Or we get two springs and one lake. We have had very short rivers and very long rivers, but as we have all the expansions, it makes for some quite interesting games. A bit too random for some, perhaps, but we like it.

Thread: Re: City Bridge Question

slowpokeiv — 2006-05-13T18:22:08+00:00

Fiar enough Thanks for the research, I stand (farm?) corrected.

Thread: Re: City Bridge Question

mjharper — 2006-05-13T17:36:52+00:00

So, here's the ruling from HiG, available on John Sweeney's site: http://www.modernjive.com/carcassonne/carcassonnefaq.htm#_So.... The question was asked in relation to the tile being discussed here.

HiG wrote:
Q: Looks like I can walk under this bridge, so it is two farms or four?
A: Four. All bridges, whether road bridges or city bridges, act as boundaries for farms."
I wrote to John to check that this was actually from HiG, and he confirmed that it was; apparently HiG actually said that "Bridges are considered to be roads."

Oh well. I'll find somewhere to add this to my site…

Thread: Re: City Bridge Question

slowpokeiv — 2006-05-12T17:46:47+00:00

-xXx- wrote:
If you think about it, they've included that water bridge exactly for this reason: to reduce the number of farms when starting with the river. Something which was a problem with the old river.
Well, I'd actually disagree with that interperetation. One could say that they've included the water bridge for variety purposes, and that a water, city, water, city tile had never been done... What their initial reasons were, that was up to them.

-xXx- wrote:
In my version of king & scout there's nothing written about the farms being separated or not. It only talks about the city. I dont know where you've gotten that idea.You're right, it says nothing about the farms. Nor did I mention anything about the farms in the King tile. (And for that matter, who would want those farms?)

My main question: Is there a difference (in spatial terms, not points) between cities and farms?

I claim that for this purpose, there is not, and as such, the same spatial rules should apply to both. To expound, a bridge style that does not split a city in two (the King tile) should plausibly not split a farm in two. (River II tile)

Again, HiG created/owns/rules the game, and any final clarification should belong to them, but I would say the loophole was inserted when the created the bridge style in King (2003) and then decided to use the bridge style again in River II. (2005) Whether this was un-intentional, or just to match the previous city bridge style, well, that is a different story, but the fact that we have such, umm, exacting players begs clarification for this.

Also, as JeffyJeff said, what matters more is that all playing the game at that specific time agree one way or the other before the game starts. I think the key word there is "game". (as much as I forget that...)

Thread: Re: Request: River II Tile Distribution Sheet, will tip GG

slowpokeiv — 2006-05-12T13:28:42+00:00

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/fileinfo.php?fileid=16647

Thread: Re: City Bridge Question

-xXx- — 2006-05-12T11:30:36+00:00

Just as the road bridge separates farms, so should the water bridge.

If you think about it, they've included that water bridge exactly for this reason: to reduce the number of farms when starting with the river. Something which was a problem with the old river.

(slowpokeiv)
Profile Message Add slowpokeiv to your GeekBuddy list flag
Avatar My final conclusion (subject to the ruling of HiG) is that it counts as 2, not 4 seperate farms. My proof of concept: In King and Scout, there is a bridge with the same style of arches that connects E to W, but is explicitly stated not to seperate N from S. (pictured below)

In my version of king & scout there's nothing written about the farms being separated or not. It only talks about the city. I dont know where you've gotten that idea.

Thread: Re: The River: Part Duex

-xXx- — 2006-05-12T11:27:33+00:00

We only set aside the source and mix all the other tiles. That way the fork comes later in play and the river is of variable length.

Thread: Re: The River: Part Duex

mjharper — 2006-05-12T07:49:53+00:00

I personally would recommend The River II over the original River without hesitation, especially to people who own Princess and Dragon. The volcano tile brings the dragon into play at the very beginning of play, so that potential dragon movement covers the whole game. Without The River II, a volcano tile must be drawn from the pack in order to bring the dragon into the game; the later that happens, the more concentrated dragon movement becomes. We had played games where the first half of the game was dragon-free, and the second half utterly dominated by the dragon. The River II provides a much more balanced, even relaxed, dragon.

Thread: The River: Part Duex

sp00ne — 2006-05-11T21:09:35+00:00

The new river is not much different than the old river. While it is a "must have" for fanatics like me, I wouldn't recommend it to others who already have the first River expansion (which comes with the base game nowadays). Although, the new river does have expansion friendly tiles such as: an inn on a road, a field of pigs, and a volcano.

It works just like the old river, but for those of you who don't know, here's how it works:

You set aside the spring, fork and lake (with volcano) tiles. Shuffle the remaining tiles. Place the spring in the middle of the table and the first player places the branch tile next to the spring (places a follower if he/she wishes). The next player draws a tile from the stack and places it as normal. This continues until there is only the lake tile (with the volcano) left. the last player places this tile, AND they get to place the first normal tile (because followers are not allowed to be placed on volcano tiles).

Personally, I like the new river better than the old river because my group usually plays with one large expansion, and this river has tiles that play into the large expansions. However, the one thing that I do not like is the fact that the fork is placed next to the spring. This does not give you a "forked" river. It gives you a bend in the river with a "bump" sticking out. I would much rather play with the fork being played as the fifth or sixth tile. That would give you a better river fork effect.

Thread: Request: River II Tile Distribution Sheet, will tip GG

Yargo — 2006-04-08T17:27:26+00:00

I'm requesting a Tile Distribution Sheet for the River II Carcassonne expansion in the style of the others, Example:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/fileinfo.php?fileid=15737
I prefer a PDF like the above, but a decent quality image upload in that style will do as well.
I'll tip GG for this.
PM me once you post for quicker delivery of your GG

Thread: Re: Off-Color River II tiles.

mfischer — 2006-04-05T03:53:18+00:00

I think it might be pretty hard to tell based on photos posted on here. It is my understanding that there are slight variations in color in the expansions and that is certainly true of mine. I remember reading somewhere that this was the reason the draw bag was included in Traders and Builders (or was it Inns and Cathedrals?). Tiles can be drawn without seeing the backs. It's much easier anyway.

Nice to see another Coloradan on here. (I'm in Lakewood.)

Thread: Re: Starting with the Fork

mbrna — 2006-04-05T03:47:32+00:00

Our variation is similar.

We remove the lake, and the volcano
(we have T&B and I&C only).

We start with the fork tile first.

We leave two springs and the lake-against-city tile off to the side.

We place all of the remaining river/river II tiles, and the original start tile.

Then we place the three up-cards (2 springs, and lake-against-city)
in any order which completes all three legs of the river. This also
allows the river to flow from two points into a combined river such
as it would in nature (rivers don't usually separate).

Now we move onto the regular tiles.

We like this because it tends to break-up the farms a
bit more and not allow one big farm to cover all cities.

mikey.

Thread: Off-Color River II tiles.

mbrna — 2006-04-05T03:36:33+00:00

The tiles that came with our River II expansion have a
bit different shade of grey on their backs, as well as
a bit darker shade of green in the grasses on their fronts.

I was wondering if I could post a picture here showing
the contrasts between my original set of Carc tiles and
the new river II tiles.
Then I'd ask or a trade with someone who might have original
Carc tiles that match my River II expansion tiles, and vice versa.

How likely is it that I will be able to make such a discovery and trade?

mikey.

Thread: Re: City Bridge Question

slowpokeiv — 2006-03-08T22:19:18+00:00

My final conclusion (subject to the ruling of HiG) is that it counts as 2, not 4 seperate farms. My proof of concept: In King and Scout, there is a bridge with the same style of arches that connects E to W, but is explicitly stated not to seperate N from S. (pictured below)

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Therefore, as the RiverII tile has the same style arch, and the King tile does not seperate the N-S city, then the RiverII tile does not split the farms. The river does, but the bridge does not.

[Edit to include the city tile in question:]

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Thread: Re: City Bridge Question

slowpokeiv — 2006-03-07T21:12:25+00:00

Does anyone know the proper channel to contact Hans-im-Gluck? I for one do not speak German but would still like something a bit more definitive than "whatever everyone else agrees to". The Carcassonne FAQ doesn't seem to have covered it, and as such, I'm clueless. I'd like to say that yes, it's two field segments, not four, and I played it as such, but what does the manufacturer say?

Thread: Re: Dragon Question

Aldaron — 2006-02-15T15:18:52+00:00

tomfisher wrote:
[C]an a meeple be placed on the same square as the dragon if the warp portal is played?
A very good question, for which there is, as of yet, no official clarification.

Those of us who spend too much of our time thinking about the rules to Carcassonne assume you cannot, but HiG has been known to surprise us.

(See http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/785410#785410)

Thread: Dragon Question

tomfisher — 2006-02-15T14:43:44+00:00

Question about the dragon piece. Once it finishes it 6 square movement, can a meeple be placed on the same square as the dragon if the warp portal is played? The rules state that the dragon only removes the meeple when moving onto the same sqaure, hence the next time the dragon moves, it is moving off of the meeples sqaure.

Thread: Starting with the Fork

groening — 2006-02-13T20:41:50+00:00

Thought i'd share how we have been playing the River II. I don't think i've seen this variation mentioned yet.

We place the FORK first (no Spring). The volcanoe is set aside (remove one spring and lake if combining). Players may play a piece on any of the three options. The last piece played is the volcano (which completes the last open river route).

GOOD:
This creates more variety in river layout.
Volcano is played last (as per written rules).
No need to sort or set aside tiles (except volcano).

BAD:
Players must 'play nice' to avoid collisions/logjams.
May allow farmer on the Spring.
Sometimes difficult to fill in gaps.

Cheers!

Thread: Re: New Rules?

dankrisj — 2006-02-04T20:14:49+00:00

Well, being of the "gee, let's make our own rules! and we do have all those dice...." contingent, we decided that placing the fork right away made for a boring river. We mix both the rivers, putting the fork aside (face up) and all the river endings aside (face down). After placing the spring, 2 4-sided dice are rolled. The fork is then played as that tile number (i.e., if the dice roll = 6, the fork is the 6th river tile played). Then, either side of the fork is played as desired until all tiles are laid. Then the ends are drawn and placed as desired. Then the starting tile from the original set is laid (since the back is different, it is obvious in the draw pile and it just didn't seem right laying there OR to not use it).