Game: Caylus Magna Carta

Thread: Re: Play CMC online

NeilGordon — 2008-07-14T11:31:23+00:00

Any chance of a password option like Jamaica and Metropolys??

Very good implementation of the game, with the english option I am really enjoying CMC here (and the other games here), fantastic!!

Thread: Re: 2 libraries?

dsr15 — 2008-07-03T04:46:45+00:00

I have the extra card too. Wonder why it's there?

Thread: Player Aid - Score Sheet?

gamesbook — 2008-06-29T08:43:55+00:00

I am very surprised that some enterprising Geek has not yet created a score sheet for this great game ... any volunteers?!

Thread: Re: Caylus: Over thinking again

kilroy_locke — 2008-06-25T12:41:19+00:00

That's how [gameid=21441] is; the last player only gets one additional turn.

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af7hqs — 2008-06-24T13:11:55+00:00

First attempt to create box tiles

Thread: Re: Getting ready for CMC... 2 or 4?

bnordeng — 2008-06-12T04:39:29+00:00

I played my first game tonight (6/11) with my wife... so there were just 2 of us. The game took about an hour, a bit longer if you include the explanation of the game rules. Neither of us have ever played Caylus before so there was a learning curve to get familiar with just how the game works.

Overall, I'd call it a success. As usual, I liked the game a lot. I could see the tough decisions growing as the game progresses. My wife was less impressed and after the game was over she said she felt like she didn't totally "get it." Still, she thought it was okay. One factor for sure was thought I bought a prestige building (10 pts) toward the end and ended the game before she was able to get one. So, I won 43-31.

We've been introducing a good number of fairly heavy (for us anyway) games to our 4-player group so it might be a bit before I try this with four. Once in a while, I play with three players against my parents so I could try again with them... 3 sounds like it would be the sweet spot (like I think it is for San Juan).

Thread: Re: Getting ready for CMC... 2 or 4?

quartex — 2008-06-11T01:36:11+00:00

So how was your first game?

The available resources are a bit sparse with 2 players, the game runs a bit long with 4, I'd say 3 is the sweet spot.

Thread: Re: Getting ready for CMC... 2 or 4?

quartex — 2008-06-11T01:19:32+00:00

So how was your first game?

The available resources are a bit sparse with 2 players, the game runs a bit long with 4, I'd say 3 is the sweet spot.

Thread: Re: An extra bit?

ytter — 2008-06-10T01:55:06+00:00

I just got CMC also, and haven't opened the shrink yet. Now I'm excited for a little extra sumpin!

:D

Thread: Re: An extra bit?

noddingoff — 2008-06-10T00:49:29+00:00

My copy of Caylus has an extra stone building tile....

Thread: Re: An extra bit?

vappel — 2008-06-10T00:02:34+00:00

I also have the piece you described. I use it for HEADS/TAILS to determine first player in a 2P game :D

Thread: Re: 2 libraries?

kowalskie — 2008-06-08T21:23:15+00:00

i would guess you just use 1...

i only got the 'promo' type one with the different back... nice to know you got an extra i guess.

then again, play using 2 some time to mix things up a little...

Thread: 2 libraries?

saburn — 2008-06-08T12:55:13+00:00

My sealed deck already had a library prestige card. With the loose one that was in the box I now have two (albeit the backs are different). I only use one in the game, right? If so, I'll just use the one with the back that matches the other prestige cards and ignore the additional one.

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Rokkr — 2008-06-05T18:25:12+00:00

hi res cover scan, US/Rio Grande edition

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Rokkr — 2008-06-05T18:21:12+00:00

prestige point tiles, front and back

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Rokkr — 2008-06-05T18:20:20+00:00

rule book cover (includes inventory of parts)

Thread: Re: An extra bit?

Rygel — 2008-05-21T16:41:00+00:00

I do not have that piece either.

Thread: Re: An extra bit?

mr_lunch — 2008-05-21T15:24:54+00:00

Hey, I might not be a doofus... cool :)
All other parts are present and accounted for -- it was unpunched in shrink, fresh from a store. I'm guessing it was a laminating error and sombody caught it just in time for only a single piece to fall out of the sheet and in to my box.

Thread: Re: Getting ready for CMC... 2 or 4?

the1jugg — 2008-05-21T14:02:37+00:00

bnordeng wrote:
My wife and I could play it as a two-player, but I don't want to get too familiar with it before I introduce it to our four-player group if it is going to be more fun with four.
q]

I say, play it with 2 and enjoy it. Then, play it with 4 and enjoy it some more. There's no reason you cant play both.

Thread: Re: Getting ready for CMC... 2 or 4?

BrenoK — 2008-05-21T13:51:18+00:00
I've never played a CMC game that went over an hour.

Thread: Re: An extra bit?

johnrgordon — 2008-05-21T13:48:18+00:00
I have the game but do not have a piece as you describe. I think you do have an extra bit - not that it will be any use.
There should be 8 tokens with a castle wall, but they have 3 PP (prestige points) on the reverse side. Check your stock in accordance with page one of the rules. You will not need anything else.

Thread: Re: Getting ready for CMC... 2 or 4?

kabutor — 2008-05-21T13:39:10+00:00
3 is great.

Thread: Re: Getting ready for CMC... 2 or 4?

Mike A — 2008-05-21T13:24:50+00:00
It's definitely faster with 2, so if you are running through a first game to get familiar with it, I would go with 2. It could speed up your first 4 player game a bit.

My first play with 4 players was over 2 hours (and 3 of us had played Caylus before). It really should be much shorter than that.

Thread: An extra bit?

mr_lunch — 2008-05-21T09:43:05+00:00
I know I'm at the risk of sounding like a doofus because I missed something in the rules, but I'm gonna post anyway.

I've just got my hands on CMC (I know, I took my time) and I was going though the components and the rules when I found what appears to be an extra token. It has a denier printed on one side and a castle wall on the other.

Can somebody enlighten me here?

Thread: Re: Getting ready for CMC... 2 or 4?

BrenoK — 2008-05-21T01:21:02+00:00
4 players make the provost more interesting. It's a better number of players for this one.

Thread: Getting ready for CMC... 2 or 4?

bnordeng — 2008-05-21T01:17:36+00:00
Along with several other games, I received Caylus Magna Carta for Christmas. I haven't played it yet... and it is the only game in my collection that is unplayed (except for Once Upon a Time which my wife bought a year ago and we'll probably play with the kids someday).

Anyway, I'm wondering what will be the better experience with Caylus Magna Carta... 2 players or 4 players? My wife and I could play it as a two-player, but I don't want to get too familiar with it before I introduce it to our four-player group if it is going to be more fun with four.

Any advice on how to proceed?

Thread: 5 Player CMC?

gamesbook — 2008-05-18T14:05:28+00:00
Wondering if anyone has tried this - i.e. created a new set of cards for a 5th player - and, if so, what the experience was like?

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henk.rolleman — 2008-05-17T18:53:47+00:00
Promo Card

Thread: Re: Video: Caylus Magna Carta - a brief overview

Professor Plum — 2008-05-08T13:15:17+00:00

Tim, these reviews are clear, concise and wonderful! Keep up the good work.

Thread: Re: Effects of the buildings question?

edfrew — 2008-04-24T08:24:38+00:00
Yes - the block might be useful - But it also happens fairly often that someone miscalculates - hoping to say pick up dernier at a later stage to use with the church they can find themselves not able to do so thanks to the other player's movements (perhaps this might be a result of an opposing player's block :devil: )

Thread: Re: Effects of the buildings question?

kowalskie — 2008-04-24T08:10:09+00:00
related:

why would anyone ever place a builder [and pay the cost...] and then not use the primary effect...

just to block someone else?

Thread: Re: Elementary musings on the Provost

Bartas — 2008-04-20T13:42:34+00:00
What I didn’t appreciate at the time was a particular shortage of deniers. Here I propose a house rule. That the Provost indeed is moved to the start of the road, is subsequently bribed, but income per turn is three deniers, and four deniers for the two player game?

Not a good idea IMHO. Just build one or two markets just in the beginning of the road and you will see yourself bathing in money and, potentially, in a cutthroat fight using provost just like I did yesterday. We had plenty of money provost moved sometimes even 5-7 spaces each round up and down the road.

It was funny to see that any of us was able to fund some batches of a castle only in the end game while we were so much busy fighting with each other.

A great game it is. Each play may look totally different.
The feel strongly depends on which buildings will be built first.

Thread: Re: Provost movement

akuba — 2008-04-20T09:54:16+00:00
no he just sits there he moves 2 spaces forward evey turn but can be moved backwards or forwards by "players" after the action phase by paying up to 3 deniers(1 per card)

Thread: Provost movement

Toasty — 2008-04-20T07:42:07+00:00
Not played the standard game yet, but have a provost query before our first try. When the Provost reaches the end of the road, does he turn round and continue back down the road until he is at the beginning again?

Thread: Re: My strategy tips... and yours?

Milarky — 2008-04-14T21:26:50+00:00
you dont play you workers on yoru own buidlings wheres the point in that... my theroy is if i build a good building soon, people will put workers on it getting me a benfit and i can focus else where, its a really cleaver game..

blance between buidling cards, getting castle and trying for prestigue is a must, ive not yet played advanced either! but that sounds awsome once every one knows the cards.

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felo — 2008-04-12T12:24:34+00:00
Julio thinking or sleeping? But it`s OK, I won the game :-)

Thread: Elementary musings on the Provost

wanderm — 2008-03-31T02:09:03+00:00
In sum of the player reviews on the Geek, Caylus is highly regarded, and rightfully so. It promises the player an opportunity to shine through adjusting strategy according to circumstances rather than memory. However it is also not suitable as a gateway, which is where our gaming group is at. Hence CMC gave us an opportunity to explore some of Caylus’s mechanics, gradually, in order to appreciate the parent. However a misunderstanding of the Provost rule has perhaps raised new opportunities.

Getting started with three newbies is always difficult – the rules are no substitute for experience. Blue had provided the game, but had only glanced at the rules. Yellow was asked to set up the board and provide a basic introduction, by way of following the setup section in the rules. We started well enough with the pink buildings, but initially were reluctant to place workers as deniers (the game currency) seemingly were in short supply. However the play quickly became clear – play liberally the building cards, generate resources, collect batches and grab VPs. The first attempt was aborted, but the second was played to conclusion.

Of some consequence was the outcome of the game – Blue defeated Yellow and Red by employing a grab of castle tokens, procured with ease by the gold cube bonus. Of more interest was our misunderstanding of the Provost move rule. The rules state that the Provost moves two spaces to the end of the road, helping the players. Blue stated he was certain the Provost moved two spaces to the start of the road, and a large part of play was investing in the Provost to provide any benefit to the players! In sum Blue thought the Provost was a vehicle to be “bribed”.

I thought, as Blue, that bribing the Provost provided some interesting choices – whether the player could encourage an all-in investment in helping oneself by helping all, or by screwing everybody and ramming home a resource advantage. The latter was my strategy for our broken session. What I didn’t appreciate at the time was a particular shortage of deniers. Here I propose a house rule. That the Provost indeed is moved to the start of the road, is subsequently bribed, but income per turn is three deniers, and four deniers for the two player game?

Of course after one play I make no claim to being an expert!

Thread: Re: Effects of the buildings question?

the_spy — 2008-03-07T21:44:17+00:00
If there is no worker on the card then the owner does not take the secondary effect.

Thread: Effects of the buildings question?

Fardog — 2008-03-07T21:39:06+00:00
I was looking at tgbruiser CMC Player Aid and it said, speaking of the standard game:

Phase 4--Activate Buildings

"Activation is optional, except owner gains secondary effect regardless."

But the rulebook on page 2 says "Finally, the secondary effect of the building is indicated at the box at the bottom of the card. This effect will benefit the owner of the building if another player places a worker on this card."

Now I realize that the worker may choose not to use the primary effect and the owner will still get the secondary effect, but this is different--where no one has activated the building.

Can someone clarify this. btw-the Player Aid is great-thanks!

Thread: Re: 2 quick questions--

tool — 2008-03-07T04:48:01+00:00
In the beginner's game, the rules explicitly say a prestige building is not placed at the end of the road, so it just goes in front of you. This works differently in the standard game.

Thread: Re: 2 quick questions--

ccmonter — 2008-03-07T04:31:17+00:00
an abbreviation for nota bene, a Latin expression meaning "note well"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NB

Basically, it just says "NOTE:"

Thread: 2 quick questions--

Roxboro — 2008-03-07T04:17:38+00:00
NB---I see it alot in rulebook, but I don't think it is defined.

Also:

In the beginner's game---

If a player constructs a prestige building does it just sit in front of the player and does not become part of the road? Is that correct?

Thanks

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Fantas — 2008-03-05T17:40:14+00:00
The finnish edition - Back of the box

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Artax — 2008-02-10T09:01:29+00:00
Game In Progress

Thread: Re: Caylus: Over thinking again

generalpf — 2008-01-15T14:46:28+00:00
jeffk wrote:
generalpf wrote:
Moviebuffs wrote:
However, the round continues as long as one player still hasn't passed - that player takes consecutive actions until he chooses to pass, at which point the round ends.
I'm pretty sure that once the first guy passes, the other players are only allowed one more turn. At least, that's how it works in the 2-player game. Maybe it's once everyone but one guy passes, the last guy is only allowed one more turn.
Actually, a player can take as many turns as he wants until he passes. If everyone but one player passes, that last player can take 2, 3, or more consecutive turns until he decides to pass. It makes no difference how many players are in the game.
Ahhh, I must be thinking of a different game that I learned in or around the same time.

Thread: Re: Caylus: Over thinking again

jeffk — 2008-01-15T14:41:18+00:00
generalpf wrote:
Moviebuffs wrote:
However, the round continues as long as one player still hasn't passed - that player takes consecutive actions until he chooses to pass, at which point the round ends.
I'm pretty sure that once the first guy passes, the other players are only allowed one more turn. At least, that's how it works in the 2-player game. Maybe it's once everyone but one guy passes, the last guy is only allowed one more turn.

Actually, a player can take as many turns as he wants until he passes. If everyone but one player passes, that last player can take 2, 3, or more consecutive turns until he decides to pass. It makes no difference how many players are in the game.

Thread: Re: Caylus: Over thinking again

generalpf — 2008-01-15T14:12:48+00:00
Moviebuffs wrote:
However, the round continues as long as one player still hasn't passed - that player takes consecutive actions until he chooses to pass, at which point the round ends.
I'm pretty sure that once the first guy passes, the other players are only allowed one more turn. At least, that's how it works in the 2-player game. Maybe it's once everyone but one guy passes, the last guy is only allowed one more turn.

Thread: Re: Caylus: Over thinking again

quatsch — 2008-01-15T14:02:11+00:00
Thanks that makes sense.

Thread: Re: Caylus: Over thinking again

Moviebuffs — 2008-01-15T08:16:10+00:00
I just got Caylus Magna Carta the other day and while reading the rules noticed this sentence; "Placing a worker on a residential building or prestige building is forbidden." I understand what a prestige building is but what is a residential building? By the way, this is from the Beginner Rules. It can't be a farm since you get stuff from a farm, or can you? I am slightly confused...:what:

A residential building is a green one.

And while I'm thinking about it, the rules says that the round is over when everyone passes. If you can do only one action and passing is one of them, then if I pick the action to place a worker and don't pass does the round continue or what? Again...overthinking...

Once you pass, you are out of the round.

However, the round continues as long as one player still hasn't passed - that player takes consecutive actions until he chooses to pass, at which point the round ends.

N.

Thread: Re: Caylus: Over thinking again

rocketkiwi — 2008-01-15T05:45:02+00:00
Someone else may know better than me, but my understanding is a residence is the green building that's facilitated by the lawyer, and it just gives you extra income at the beginning of the turn (which is why you can't place on it).

Thread: Re: Caylus: Over thinking again

quatsch — 2008-01-15T05:09:42+00:00
And while I'm thinking about it, the rules says that the round is over when everyone passes. If you can do only one action and passing is one of them, then if I pick the action to place a worker and don't pass does the round continue or what? Again...overthinking...

Thread: Caylus: Over thinking again

quatsch — 2008-01-15T04:59:08+00:00
I just got Caylus Magna Carta the other day and while reading the rules noticed this sentence; "Placing a worker on a residential building or prestige building is forbidden." I understand what a prestige building is but what is a residential building? By the way, this is from the Beginner Rules. It can't be a farm since you get stuff from a farm, or can you? I am slightly confused...:what:

Thread: Caylus Magna Carta vs. Pillars of the Earth

TimothyP — 2008-01-14T21:40:55+00:00
I recently wrote a post on my blog comparing CMC to Pillars of the Earth.

To view the article, go here: [url=http://gamesonthetable.blogspot.com/2008/01/caylus-magna-carta-vs-pillars-of-earth.html]Caylus Magna Carta vs. Pillars of the Earth - who wins?

If you'd rather just read it here, here's the text from the article, minus images and links:

If you've been following board gaming for the last year or two, you have certainly heard the word "Caylus" from time to time. And if you were paying attention during last year's Essen fair, you could not have missed all the talk about Pillars of the Earth. And, if you listened carefully enough, you would have heard one or more comparisons between Caylus and Pillars of the Earth. Then, in 2007, Caylus Magna Carta came onto the scene. It was rumored to be a shorter, simpler, card-based version of Caylus.

Before I go on, let me mention that I have never played the original Caylus. I have avoided it because I have heard that it tends to take hours to play. I've heard it said that it can take 3 hours. This kind of game would never get played at home or in my gaming group at work. That said, I have played both Caylus Magna Carta (which I own), and Pillars of the Earth (which my friend owns). My purpose here is to compare the two games, sharing with you why I think one of them is a better game overall.

I'll start with a brief summary of each game.

Caylus Magna Carta (CMC)

As master builders, each player will construct buildings on the road winding up to the king's castle. Each player will also have a chance to contribute work to the castle itself, gaining prestige for doing so. A provost will travel up and down the road examining your work. If he doesn't come by your buildings, you don't gain any benefit from those buildings. Once the castle is completely built, players tally up their victory points to see who wins.

Pillars of the Earth

Pillars is based on a fiction novel of the same name. Players are essentially project managers overseeing the building of a cathedral. You will have to manage the gathering of resources, trading resources for money and victory points, and utilizing various abilities to be the most successful project manager.

So, why compare the two games? Here are the similar features found in each game:

- community building project
- workers you control
- utilization of raw materials such as wood and stone
- careful management of limited resources
- game rounds are played out in a number of phases
- the use of abilities which are available for any player to take

While I haven't played it, I understand that the original Caylus is similar as well.

First off, let me describe what I think are the strong points in CMC:

1. Players decide what abilities are available by the buildings they place. Each building has an ability, and this ability is available to every player. There is also a benefit for the building's owner if someone else uses their building.

2. There is a pretty good variety of building types. I would I have liked to have even more choices, but as it is, there is a reasonable selection to choose from.

3. The game is card based and so the cards serve multiple functions, which is always a cool feature. The cards contain buildings, they contain abilities, they contain victory points, they can be flipped to at as a prestige building, and they make up your game "board" as you play.

4. The game has a relatively short play time at 60 minutes or less, which typically earns high points in my book.

Now, I'm going to look at Pillars of the Earth in terms of what it does better than CMC.

1. Art and production: CMC is published by Rio Grande Games, who typically has some of the highest quality productions out there. In this case, they seem to have used Ystari's original design. The tokens, wooden bits, card stock are high quality. I would say the artwork is good. The color choices may not have been the best, but the buildings on the cards look pretty cool.

2. Pillars of the Earth is published by Mayfair Games and has art by my favorite game artist, Michael Menzel. I can say with confidence, Pillars has the most beautiful board I've ever seen in a game, in real life or in pictures. The game is almost worth playing just to look at the board. The art is actually the primary reason my friend Jack purchased this game. Menzel is a master of using light and shadows, as well as painting the tiny goings-on of the people all over the region depicted on the board. The weakest components are the cards. The stock is not great, but it's good. The wooden bits are nice, and the worker meeples have a very cool shape, as opposed to the plain cylinders used in CMC.

3. While theme is pretty dry and unexciting in CMC, the theme is rich in Pillars. As I mentioned before, Pillars is based on a book, and you see characters and events from that book throughout the game. In CMC, you have to imagine that you are a builder - the only visuals are the buildings on the cards and a card depicting the castle. In Pillars, you have carved wooden pieces which, through the game, actual build a 3D cathedral in the center of the board. Your cards depict craftsmen working hard at their trade. You can also gain character cards depicting some unique figure from the story. The 13 different stations on the board offer a way to interact with the world, as you place workers in the quarry or the forest, or as you buy and sell at the market, or hire workers from the castle.

4. CMC rounds are played out in 6 short phases, while Pillars rounds are played out in 3 long phases. The result of CMC's method is that the game ends up feeling "fiddly". What I mean is, you begin to feel like you're constantly moving bits here and taking them from there, all for little gain. In Pillars, the timing seems more smoothly paced, and the moving around of bits doesn't feel quite so awkward.

5. While I like the short length of CMC, it is the rare case in which I actually wish I had more time. This game feels like it ends too quickly. If no one buys a castle token, two castle tokens automatically go back into the box. Before you know it, the game is done and you've hardly accomplished anything. Resources are difficult to acquire and without resources you can't build much. So, you'll build a few buildings, always struggling to gain more resources, and WHAM! - the game is ended - count up your few meager points.

Pillars is a game that is likely to always go over an hour. My guess is that two experienced players could finish in an hour. 3 experienced players could probably finish in an hour and 20 minutes. Usually, I don't like games to go over an hour - I just don't have many large time chunks in my schedule to allow for that. But, Pillars is a game that wants to be played until the end. It wants a full 6 rounds. When we play at work, we always have to cut the game short after 3 or 4 rounds, which leaves us really wanting to play to the end. So, just as CMC is an exception to my normal game length rules, so is Pillars, in a positive way. It doesn't drag on like some games (as is my unfortunate experience with Settlers of Catan).

6. As I mentioned above, everything you do in CMC involves gaining or spending resources - food, wood, stone, and gold. It takes a long time to accumulate very many resources. Then, when you have a few, you must choose to spend them on adding another building to the road, or to contribute to the building of the castle (which earns you victory points). Sometimes I like tough decisions in games, when they feel meaningful. In the case of CMC, this isn't an enjoyably tough decision. Good game designs allow you to feel like you are accomplishing something, always progressing. CMC makes it feel like an upward climb on a hot day - "Am I ever going to feel like my work is paying off?" The tough decisions don't feel enjoyable or stimulating to me. Add in the Provost, who can rob you of your benefits, and the game becomes even more restricting.

Pillars, on the other hand, guarantees that every player can gain an adequate number of resources each round. Rather than forcing you to agonize over where and how to place your workers, you get to choose how to distribute 10 or more worker meeples. Where you gather your resources is determined by a card draft. You might not get exactly what you want, but you will always get something. Any unused workers can even be utilized to gain you more money! Neither game allows you to easily stockpile resources, but Pillars sure takes away the pointless headache of resource collection found in CMC.

7. I am always a fan of abilities in games. These can be offered in any number of ways. In CMC, they are offered as the benefit of a certain type of building, as in games like San Juan. In Pillars, you gain abilities from your craftsmen (which can change during the game), through various character cards, and through the 13 stations on the board. In CMC, the abilities are utilitarian and somewhat limited, but work fine with the game's mechanics. In Pillars, you have so many useful options to choose from, and they present a wide variety of advantages. In terms of abilities, Pillars is much more intriguing and varied, often based on some aspect of the story.

As you can see, having played both CMC and Pillars of the Earth a few times, I prefer Pillars by a long shot. Pillars seems to do everything better. The two potential downsides of playing Pillars are that it will take a bit longer, and it is likely to feel heavier for new players. There are a lot of options and things to track in Pillars. But, once you have played 2 or 3 times, you should feel comfortable with the workings of the game.

I finally ordered a copy of Pillars for myself. With Mayfair's new restrictions on pricing, I was very hesitant to buy it. Also, I was wary of ordering since my wife hasn't yet played the game. As I thought about Pillars more and more, in relation to CMC, I realized how much I enjoyed the game. Because some sellers were still offering deals beyond Mayfair's 20% restriction, I faced a gamer's dilemma: if I didn't buy now, and decided to grab this great game later, I'd have to pay too high a price, which I wasn't willing to do. So, there it is. Pillars is on the way, and I'm looking forward to teaching my wife.

On the other hand, my wife and I both decided early on that we were ready to trade away CMC. There are too many more enjoyable games in our collection to waste time playing CMC as a 2-player game.

Now, certainly CMC will have many fans, and I must admit that I have only played the 2-player version of CMC. I imagine that the game would improve with every added player. This way you would have more options of abilities to use, but you would also be more threatened by the provost. I do much of my gaming with my wife, so I prefer all of our games to work well in 2-player format. I might have a great time with 4-player CMC, but the likelihood of that happening is not high enough to hang onto the game. As much as some players love CMC, I just can't get into it. As a test, I'm playing in a 4-player game of CMC on Des Jeux Sur un Plateau. We'll see how that affects my perspective.

If you haven't played Pillars, and you're willing to learn a slightly heavier game, I must recommend you give it a try. If you buy it and don't like it after a few plays, just frame the game board and hang it on your wall!

Thread: Re: Can it Be Played Solitaire?

GaryP — 2008-01-10T20:54:51+00:00
From Jeff's post, I played with it solo a bit, too. I haven't settled on a configuration, but the last couple tries were fun. I played with 1 random pink building plus the peddler, and fifteen castle pieces (4-5-6). I did not give myself a coin for "passing first", nor a gold cube for "building the most castle pieces". However, I only discarded one castle chip per turn if I did not build the castle. That limited the game to 15 turns (possibly less, if I used the church).

This gave a decent balance of time pressure from the game clock, but the also possibility of getting a blue building. In the mid-game, the big limit was having only four workers. Without the resources gained from others using your buildings, it is tough to maintain an adequate supply of money and resources. Planning is essential. You spend a turn gathering all the resources for your next building. Next turn, you build the building, but if you don't have enough coins to place a worker on it and move the provost, it will take a third turn before you can use it.

It's been a fun diversion, but I don't think it would hold up as a great solo game.

Thread: Re: What's in a Name?

amadan — 2008-01-09T15:24:13+00:00
BergBROG wrote:
E.g., "The War of the Roses" is about a nasty divorce battle between a couple named Rose.

I agree with Octavian and the others in the "simple pun" camp completely. Whether or not there are historical documents to be signed in this game is just as relevant as having Lancasters and Yorks or not in the Adler's marital disaster novel. If you accept The War of the Roses on account of the Rose family, you logically must accept Caylus Magna Carta on account of it being a card game.

It's a good name, I think. There is a long tradition of titular punnery. [GAMEID=11] has nothing to do with mining. I've never played [GAMEID=4218], but I would be extremely surprised if it had any operatic tie-ins.

[GAMEID=18866] is more consistent in that it relates to a well-known idiom, and Um Ru(h)m und Ehre ([GAMEID=19948]) does indeed speak of both rum and fame. I recognise such relevant puns are better - but I like puns, so even an irrelevant pun is better than no pun at all. :)

Of course it's marketing. But it works. It gives the product that little bit of depth, or recognisability, even if it is false. As soon as I saw it was a Caylus cardgame, I realised it couldn't be about the MC Libertatum, and had to chuckle at the pun. (And immediately resolved to get it. It's in the mail now. :D )

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Odoren — 2008-01-03T21:03:48+00:00
Cards of neutral and prestige buildings

Thread: Re: How to sign up for online play?

spearjr — 2008-01-03T17:52:57+00:00
http://www.jsp-mag.com/inscription_ND.php

You register there.

Just pick a username, password and enter your email. The site will not send you a confirmation email, so just login right away. Then it sends you to the page to click a language and then it sends you to where you can see all the games available to play online and you get either join a game or start a new one.

Hope that helps.

Thread: Re: Online game looking for players

spearjr — 2008-01-03T17:50:57+00:00
I've been playing over there recently, it is a tad hard to get a full compliment of players or even sign up, but otherwise is a very nice interface.

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spearjr — 2008-01-02T23:10:14+00:00
Online Interface on www.jsp-mag.com

Thread: Re: Help : a question about one of the Prestige Building...

Skadar — 2007-12-31T19:23:12+00:00
Moviebuffs wrote:
I'm pretty sure the benefit is that you get to draw a card during the Income phase.

If that's true, then the iconography is quite poor. It definitely looks to me that this card allows a player to take an architect action during their turn without having to place a worker on the architect card.