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The Carcassonne List
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Carcassonne is fast becoming not just a game, but a sub-genre within tile placement games. Other game designers are publishing their own versions of Carcassonne, and to date we have no fewer than 6 separate Carcassonne games either currently released or due out within the year. That's not even mentioning the multitude of expansions to the original game. Here's a list of all of the Carcassonne games currently represented on BGG with some comments.
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Posted Sat Dec 31, 2005 2:11 am
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The original. A pleasant, simple to learn, fun game for 2-5 players.
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The early man version of Carcassonne, the second standalone game in the series. Many argue that the streamlined rules make this preferable over the original game, although I prefer the theme and artwork of the original over H&G. Both are excellent games, though.
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While it doesn't share the Carcassonne name, this Christian religion-themed take on the series is definitely a Carcassonne game. Ark adds, well, the Ark of the Covenant, the holy vessel that contains the remnants of the 10 commandments, as a game piece that players move around the map to score points.
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Reiner Knizia's entry into the Carcassonne category of games. The Castle is a 2-player version of Carcassonne that adds a new element in a static, pre-placed wall that acts as a frame for the tile placement (as well as a scoring track). Not my favorite version of Carcassonne, as I feel that any of the othr versions works perfectly fine with 2 players already, but a good game nonetheless, and an interesting twist to the Carcassonne formula.
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Packed in a solid wooden box, and including dozens of wooden wall pieces, this is definitely the most extravagant (and expensive) version of Carcassonne. I also feel that it has the most streamlined scoring system. The big addition to this version of Carcassonne is that players begin building a wall that will eventually surround the entire city. The wall limits tile placement option and opens some interesting new scoring opportunities.
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The first expansion to the original Carcassonne changed the way the game started. Instead of players working from a single starting tile, they took turns building a river made of 12 tiles and then built off of these tiles.
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An expansion for the original game. Added the ability to include up to 6 players, and the Inn and Cathedral tiles, which boosted the scores for completed roads and cities which included these new features.
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The second big expansion to the original Carcassonne, this one gives each player two new pieces - the builder and the pig, and it introduced tiles with goods on them. Players with the most of each type of good at the end of the game score extra points. The builder lets players take another turn after building onto the road or city occupied by the builder, while the pig boosts scoring of farms at the end of the game. This expansion also includes a nice cloth bag for holding all of the Carcassonne tiles.
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The first 'tiny' expansion to Carcassonne, King & Scout adds 7 new tiles to original Carcassonnne and 5 to Hunters & Gatherers. It's interesting to note that this seems to be the only Carcassonne expansion that adds to any game other than the original version. The original game gets the King tile and the Thief tile. These are given to the player who has completed the largest city and road, respectively, and add new scoring options at the end of the game. The expansion to the Hunters & Gatherers I've only player once; it adds some special tiles that have different effects on the game.
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Another 'tiny' expansion, this adds 12 tiles that form a new starting area (the city of Carcassonne), and a single new game piece - the Count of Carcassonne. During the game, the city of Carcassonne acts as a sort of bank for players to place followers after they place a tile that scores points for someone else. Later in the game, players can "cash in" these followers to share points when another player scores. The Count moves around the city, blocking players from scoring with their followers.
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Carcassonne gone fantasy themed? This expansion is pretty hefty, adding 24 new tiles as well as a wooden dragon piece and a new piece for all players - the princess. I haven't got a clue how all of this will work with the base game, it's due out in Germany in February 2005 and the U.S. roughly a month later.
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This super tiny expansion was included in the German magazine 'Spielbox' last year. It adds 4 new tiles to the game. These tiles show destroyed sections of city walls, and are used to halve the point value of the city. They also increase the points scored by adjacent farmers at the end of the game, and players are allowed to take followers out of a 'ruined' city if there's a monastary adjacent.
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This new standalone game is Leo Colovini's take on the Carcassonne formula. It looks to shake up the game much like Knizia's The Castle did - by loosely following the gameplay while adding unexpected new elements. This time, players are creating mountains, meadows and oceans, and they're limited to just 4 followers. However, players can choose to remove their followers from tiles at any time and score for them, even if they're incomplete. This game is due for release in the Fall of 2005.
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This small expansion can be used to replace the first River set. It adds tiles with elements from the various expansions after the original River, as well as a branching path for the river to take, making for a more interesting starting layout. This is an inexpensive add-on to the base Carcassone game that's well worth the purchase.
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This is an unofficial expansion to Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers that functions in the same manner as the River expansions for the original Carcassone. It gives players a wider range of options at the start of the game, adds tiles with game elements, extending the game and adding more scoring opportunities.
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I haven't a clue about this one, but the title sounds promising. A Carcassonne game that builds vertically? That's probably too much to hope for, but it sounds interesting. I'll update this entry when more information on this Q1 2006 release.
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Posted Tue Feb 8, 2005 12:04 pm
Carcassonne complete (?)
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...
The Truth about Carcassonne
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...
Carcassonne Mania
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...
Reasons why Carcasonne is a good buy
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...
Combining Carcassonnes
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...
Carcassonne expansions and their accompanying maladies
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...
Carcassonne Newbie
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...