Saturday, July 21, 2018
Carcassonne: pastoral simplicity on the outside, cutthroat brainburner on the inside
Posted By Nate Warren on Sat, Jul 21, 2018 at 1:00 AM
See that guy at the left in the foreground? That's my buddy Mike.
Mike just realized how deep shit gets in the mechanically simple, but strategically elegant, game of Carcassonne.
The premise is simple and cuddly: Each player takes turns adding new tiles to the growing medieval landscape. Once you legally place a tile, you have to decide whether you're going to use one of your limited supply of "meeples" (those little figures on the board) to lay claim to a pasture, monastery, section of city or length of road on the tile you just played. When and if the feature is completed, you score! When the tiles are out, the game's over!
Simple enough.
Except, wait ... someone just started a city section near mine, which means they'll horn in on the points if the castle is completed. And some other smartass had a tile which wasn't of much use to them, but they dropped it in a spot which makes the thing I was building nearly impossible to complete. And did somebody else just sneak a farmer onto a currently unconnected piece of pasture? If they link that farmer to the main pasture area before the end of the game, my farmers won't score any points.
Because of this perfect balance between light ruleset and heavy scheming, Carcassonne has proven a durable favorite and still heavily played in strategy gamer circles. The longer you play it, the more nuance you see in how you lay tiles and manage your supply of meeples.
But here's an extra layer of beauty: It's a cutthroat strategy game and a great family game at the same time. Why? Because younger players can have a great time just placing tiles and helping to complete the landscape — like waterbugs skimming carefree on the surface of a deep, dark pool — while the older predators contend with the nasty beast beneath.
We got this game more than six years ago and it's still found the table more often this year than any other game we own. It's pretty on the table and simple to learn...and damn tough once you get to know it a little better. I can't think of a game shelf on the world where this masterpiece doesn't belong.
Nate Warren is a Colorado Springs-based copywriter who offers both the veteran gamer and the uninitiated a local window into the burgeoning and wildly creative world of hobby and designer board games enjoyed by fanatics and connoisseurs — around the corner and and across the globe.
Mike just realized how deep shit gets in the mechanically simple, but strategically elegant, game of Carcassonne.
The premise is simple and cuddly: Each player takes turns adding new tiles to the growing medieval landscape. Once you legally place a tile, you have to decide whether you're going to use one of your limited supply of "meeples" (those little figures on the board) to lay claim to a pasture, monastery, section of city or length of road on the tile you just played. When and if the feature is completed, you score! When the tiles are out, the game's over!
Simple enough.
Except, wait ... someone just started a city section near mine, which means they'll horn in on the points if the castle is completed. And some other smartass had a tile which wasn't of much use to them, but they dropped it in a spot which makes the thing I was building nearly impossible to complete. And did somebody else just sneak a farmer onto a currently unconnected piece of pasture? If they link that farmer to the main pasture area before the end of the game, my farmers won't score any points.
Because of this perfect balance between light ruleset and heavy scheming, Carcassonne has proven a durable favorite and still heavily played in strategy gamer circles. The longer you play it, the more nuance you see in how you lay tiles and manage your supply of meeples.
But here's an extra layer of beauty: It's a cutthroat strategy game and a great family game at the same time. Why? Because younger players can have a great time just placing tiles and helping to complete the landscape — like waterbugs skimming carefree on the surface of a deep, dark pool — while the older predators contend with the nasty beast beneath.
We got this game more than six years ago and it's still found the table more often this year than any other game we own. It's pretty on the table and simple to learn...and damn tough once you get to know it a little better. I can't think of a game shelf on the world where this masterpiece doesn't belong.
Nate Warren is a Colorado Springs-based copywriter who offers both the veteran gamer and the uninitiated a local window into the burgeoning and wildly creative world of hobby and designer board games enjoyed by fanatics and connoisseurs — around the corner and and across the globe.
Speaking of...
-
Fish ’n chips and shrimp poboy excellent at Go Fish Food Truck
May 15, 2019 -
Kusina Caviteña highlights Filipino fare
May 15, 2019 -
Too much sugar in your musical diet?
May 15, 2019 -
Sandy’s defies roadhouse expectations with good, humble eats
May 15, 2019 -
Vampire Weekend, Filthy Friends, Big Thief with the new and noteworthy
May 15, 2019 -
Strain review: Virgin OG
May 15, 2019 - More »
Readers also liked…
-
The future of greenhouse production Promoted
- Jul 12, 2018
-
Is VDARE a white supremacy organization?
Publisher's Note
- Feb 14, 2018
-
Rampage Room offers a safe space to break stuff, and it's as much fun as it sounds
- Sep 12, 2018
More by Nate Warren
-
The Cave and other joys of laying tile
- Feb 22, 2019
-
Sheriff of Nottingham: A Breezy Cornucopia of Lying and Bluffing
- Oct 13, 2018
- More »
Game of Thrones finale banquet at Phantom Canyon
Powder day in May
Photography on the fly
Learning to see again
John Suthers and City Council swearing-in ceremony
The Fuji X100T is a great camera
Sample presets by ColorMade Labs
St. Patrick's Day Parade
Dr. Teresa Woods goes to Denver
Layer your landscapes for better compositions
Denver Teacher Strike
Improve your photography with practice
Manitou Springs Fruitcake Toss
Latest in IndyBlog
Contact
Colorado Springs Independent
- 235 S. Nevada Ave.
- Colorado Springs, CO 80903
- (719) 577-4545
The Paper
