Settlers of Catan was the gateway game that got me from playing more traditional games to the rich and vibrant world of games that we all know and love. But if I'd never played Settlers, it would have been Carcassonne, because that was the game I was exposed to next.
I love Carcassonne. I took it on a train trip from Los Angeles to New York city, and taught it across the country on the train. Recently, I've taught it on three continents. It's always magical to see people go 'huh, that's interesting'
Holy crap thank you for this review. I finally checked out Carcassonne and it is like an old ninja master. Such a good game that I've slept on for years.
I grew up playing Risk, Stratego, Monopoly, Life, Clue, and a few others. Once I played Carcassonne, I was utterly hooked and it opened the door to so many games I had no idea about. And I also have been scoring the game wrong, apparently, the entire time; no points for partials, I come from a sadistic family I guess). I still bring it to board game nights and gladly share with new players. Will be bringing it by the family's house for my neices at NYE tonight.
I found this boardgame through your channel! Since then, it’s been my go-to game whenever I play boardgames! It’s so much fun, there’s always so many ways the game could go and there’s so much passive aggressiveness and chaos that the game gets more fun the more you play it! It’s a wonderful board game
I would really like to see a review of the expansions and maybe an updated buying guide (there's a LOT to sort through for a newbie, and buying the wrong expansions/mega-sets can get expensive). Thanks for this review from the ~future~
love this game, playing the app a couple times now, it's fun and always different every time. So bought recently the real thing, and man this game is addictive, my friend and I just couldn't stop playing, we love this game, by the way, you have a good sense of humor with the sunburn meter :)
Heh, like in Australia. May be windy, may even be cold but you'll get a sunburn if you are out in the sun for a lengthy period. Used to play this on my ipad before the screen broke. Less fiddly.
Thank you for posting this video. I just happened to see this on sale and bought it on a whim. Never heard of it before, but now I am super psyched to try it!
Yeah, Carcassonne was also a gate opener for me. Before it there was only Monopoly, Scrabble and Ludo after it Agricola, Arkham Horror and so many many more
I feel that dominion is better, and has more variety, but it comes at a cost. carcassonne is ridiculously simple and easy to pick up. It's gameplay to complexity ratio is fantastic.
littleratblue I don't really even see how you can compare those games. They scratch completely different itches. I also don't see why I've couldn't have all of them; they're all basic staples.
people are always so down on Catan. i think its great. there is an element of luck and randomness to it that seems to put people off but to me it means that it levels out. i like a game that a beginner can win.
I think this was the first game in my board game renaissance. As a teenager I played various 'proper' board games with my group of friends, one of whom had a decent collection (anyone remember Wabbit Wampage?). When I moved away I was stuck with the Milton Bradley style games for years, until I found a copy of Carcasonne (with the river expansion) in a thrift shop for $4! I now have too many board games and need to thin my collection to make room for more.
I'm reasonably new to board games, I think I own around ten now, but Carcassonne is the one game I can't say anything bad about and am always down to play.
I just played by first game last night and my instantly be my favorite. The simplicity but satisfying challenge. I think your review captured it perfectly.
I got super confused about Farmer scoring because the original manual says 3 points and newer ones say 4 points. The online game scores 4. So does anyone have any insight into this?
I thought that I could just go and play the digital version and be happy about it. No need to go and buy the physical game and a big pile of expansions, no sir. Not at all, not ever. Then the big box with eleven expansions went on sale.
This is one of the best games I play with my kids who are 5 and 8. I really enjoy it. Great review. Does SUSD recommend any of the expansions? I would love to know.
"Traders and Builders" is critical. never play without it. "the river" is a small expansion that people want to use every time The best expansion for flavor to use just sometimes, and not with new players, is "Princess and the Dragon".
One thing not mentioned in the review (or at least I did not hear it), is that you can play with multiple expansions together and the game works, as they are compatible. Note that adding multiple expansions can make the game last very very long (more than 3 hours even). As per the expansions: The Princess and the Dragon is my favourite. Inns and Cathedrals is a must have. Traders and Builders also is very good. The Tower is nice, however (personal choice) I would play it only with the base game and not adding other expansions. The Abbey and the Mayor (personal taste) is a bit of a hit and miss, still good but to me only a part of the expansion is actually very good. Bridges, Castles and Bazaars I've never played, so cannot give any suggestion. Better to avoid: The Catapult, a completely different type of expansion that does not capture the spirit of the game (throwing tokens at Meeples... why?). Wheel of Fortune, to me it's just a no. I don't like it, but cannot explain exactly why. Cheers!
Best expansion is the Princess and the Dragon, kids love the Dragon and makes the game more dynamic. I personally don't like Traders and Builders and the other ones are pretty irrelevant and complicate rules. I would at least play with one expansion since the original game was pretty limited in terms of tile variety so after playing a few times you know what to expect.
We never play without Inns & Cathedrals, and Traders and Builders. The Princess and the Dragon changes the game a lot. We play with it time to time, but not everybody likes it because the game changes considerably.
Actually "Inns & Cathedrals" is critical. Even though it doesn't seem to add much at first, it actually invigorates the game in subtle and deep ways, especially if you like to play more aggressively (kids especially tend to enjoy pulling off a "hostile takeover" with a giant meeple). I personally dislike "Traders and Builders" since it tends to draw out the game. Builder is especially harmful since its "double turn" power means the next player cannot draw a tile in advance and start planning, and this usually doubles the gameplay time.
Good Review, although I'm surprised he mentioned players passive aggressively begging for help (twice) and not the cutthroat fight to steal or block big cities. Maybe you've never played it against very competitive people? For me that was the most impactful part of the game. You're not placing tiles to help people or to share points, you "accidentally" place nearby cities to steal points.
I spent a whole day under the tropical sun watching an equestrian sport. The next day I had to wear a coat to both hide my lobster arms and keep anything from touching me.
It was also my go to game for years until I met the gorgeous Carcassonne the City with it's lil wood walls and wood box, so I gave Carcassonne to a friend and proceeded to a new romance of markets and wall building.
Kyle Jones Wait you mean you went to the city? cus the city has massive stone walls, and cus it's France you can piss about on them with was awsome as a kid
Thanks again for a good video i have never played carcassonne but have many times thought of getting it, I think you have made me want to get it now thank you. I know you like doing new game but an game I would love to see you all do is Settlers of Catan.
Bought it 8years ago, one of first 10 board games, played it five time and newer took out again... if you have or planing to buy more than 10games, carcasone becomes obsolete werry fast. "Isle in the sky" that game has a bit more meat to it and gives kinda same 3xpierence.
Nope. On each turn you place a tile, optionally place a follower, and then score any completed features, in that order. Since the follower returns to you as part of the scoring step, it's too late at that point to place it back on the map.
I owned Carcassonne for a couple of years than sold it as it never made it to the table. Than we downloaded the app a couple of days ago with my wife and we are playing it cons-tant-ly. This is such an elegant design. I am happy that the hobby is still providing me with surprises without having to invest hundreds of dollars on miniatures. Thank you Paul and hope to watch some of your content somewhere again.
Got Carcasonne free from the Epic Store a while ago, and every time I see the icon on my desktop, there's a very high chance I'll think "okay, just one game". And it's always good (except when that bleeping yellow player connects to my field and ruins my lead and I just hate him SO much)
Lopata991 there is a variant in which you always have a "hand" of three tiles and get to pick which one you play...I found this helps with the random factor. I don't play without this variant. It may help make the game more enjoyable for you :)
Of course, there is SOME strategy, and important decisions that are meaningful, but you are correct that luck is a major component. But luck isn't a bad thing, every good game has some. It makes the game more accessible to new players, because they stand a realistic chance at winning their first games. Randomness can be fun, and lead to memorable moments. Granted, that makes the game less fun to gamers like you and me (of which there are many), but a big part of its popularity is its accessibility. If I were you, i wouldn't buy it and try to fix it. I'd buy games that are more your style. I keep contemplating buying the game, not because I'd love to play it, but because it's the kind of game that I can pull out for a group of non-gamers, and know that they'll have a good time, and everyone that wants to share gaming needs that sort of game.
Poor Paul. I guess being from England he's never seen the sun before. It's a whole new beast for him.
He lives in Vancouver, Canada these days, which has probably increased his sun exposure... slightly.
@@Electroporcupine I've lived in both places, the weather is only marginally better in Vancouver. It's quite impressive he got sunburnt in Raincouver.
Never underestimate the Englishman’s weakness to the Killing Yellow Eye
Settlers of Catan was the gateway game that got me from playing more traditional games to the rich and vibrant world of games that we all know and love. But if I'd never played Settlers, it would have been Carcassonne, because that was the game I was exposed to next.
I work in a Catholic church, I've actually opened a cupboard and had communion wavers fall on me, it's a real thing.
I'm not Catholic enough to understand, but I respect you.
"Oh no, you've been covered in wafers. Let Father O'Brian take those pants to have them washed."
A E
... did you just
It's true I was the cupboard
God bless
When I got the starter box it had the river but when I bought the first expansion it also had the river. So now I combine them into one massive river
I never saw this review and now that Paul has left SUSD its nice getting to hear another of his reviews one last time.
"THAT, is a disaster" easily the most common thing said when looking at a finished board.
I love Carcassonne. I took it on a train trip from Los Angeles to New York city, and taught it across the country on the train. Recently, I've taught it on three continents. It's always magical to see people go 'huh, that's interesting'
You guys are the best. The sun burn updates were hilarious.
To this day I still imagine Paul saying "that's not finished" whenever I play Carcassonne.
I'm waiting for the sequel Carcasstwwo. :P
I believe it’s their second album. Brutal.
@@justincoleman3805 I like what you did there
You deserve my Like
Muy bien.
Holy crap thank you for this review. I finally checked out Carcassonne and it is like an old ninja master. Such a good game that I've slept on for years.
This is one of those games I've always seen in stores but never bothered to check out. This actually sounds pretty cool!
You've Been missing out
"It's a good enough analogy" is lowkey one of the best and funniest lines SUSD ever wrote.
I grew up playing Risk, Stratego, Monopoly, Life, Clue, and a few others. Once I played Carcassonne, I was utterly hooked and it opened the door to so many games I had no idea about. And I also have been scoring the game wrong, apparently, the entire time; no points for partials, I come from a sadistic family I guess). I still bring it to board game nights and gladly share with new players. Will be bringing it by the family's house for my neices at NYE tonight.
I found this boardgame through your channel! Since then, it’s been my go-to game whenever I play boardgames! It’s so much fun, there’s always so many ways the game could go and there’s so much passive aggressiveness and chaos that the game gets more fun the more you play it! It’s a wonderful board game
I would really like to see a review of the expansions and maybe an updated buying guide (there's a LOT to sort through for a newbie, and buying the wrong expansions/mega-sets can get expensive). Thanks for this review from the ~future~
I really appreciate that you add the soundtrack from the Carcassonne app to this video.
Me looking at government projects being build over the course of ten years 11:05.
i bought the app just to listen to its demonic whispers at night
love this game, playing the app a couple times now, it's fun and always different every time. So bought recently the real thing, and man this game is addictive, my friend and I just couldn't stop playing, we love this game, by the way, you have a good sense of humor with the sunburn meter :)
Re-watching this old review convinced me that I really have to buy Star Wars Carcassonne for playing with my son. And he really enjoys it, yay!
Heh, like in Australia. May be windy, may even be cold but you'll get a sunburn if you are out in the sun for a lengthy period.
Used to play this on my ipad before the screen broke. Less fiddly.
Never seen anyone place carcassonne pieces in this straight of a grid. Amazing.
Thank you for posting this video. I just happened to see this on sale and bought it on a whim. Never heard of it before, but now I am super psyched to try it!
Fantastic 2 player game with the basic set. One of my top three favorites.
If there is one game i have played the absolutely most in my childhood its Carcassonne. We would play it at every family gathering.
Whenever he talks to the non-existent camera person, I get a little sad.
Yeah, Carcassonne was also a gate opener for me. Before it there was only Monopoly, Scrabble and Ludo after it Agricola, Arkham Horror and so many many more
Please wear sunscreen when you go outdoors!
I'm glad you made a review of this classic! Always one of my favorites.
I've tried a few of the other classics, Ticket to Ride, Catan, Dominion, etc. Carcassonne really seemed to be the best of the bunch.
I feel that dominion is better, and has more variety, but it comes at a cost.
carcassonne is ridiculously simple and easy to pick up. It's gameplay to complexity ratio is fantastic.
Yes to all of those except Catan. For some reason, I never cared for it.
littleratblue I don't really even see how you can compare those games. They scratch completely different itches. I also don't see why I've couldn't have all of them; they're all basic staples.
I agree Dominion is better. But it is just really my kind of game, I love deck building. Carcassonne is good too
people are always so down on Catan. i think its great. there is an element of luck and randomness to it that seems to put people off but to me it means that it levels out. i like a game that a beginner can win.
I think this was the first game in my board game renaissance. As a teenager I played various 'proper' board games with my group of friends, one of whom had a decent collection (anyone remember Wabbit Wampage?). When I moved away I was stuck with the Milton Bradley style games for years, until I found a copy of Carcasonne (with the river expansion) in a thrift shop for $4! I now have too many board games and need to thin my collection to make room for more.
I'm reasonably new to board games, I think I own around ten now, but Carcassonne is the one game I can't say anything bad about and am always down to play.
Just found this and codenames at a thrift store for 10 bucks total, can’t wait to try it
I just played by first game last night and my instantly be my favorite. The simplicity but satisfying challenge. I think your review captured it perfectly.
Vancouver is beautiful... those beaches... and the mountains... well and it never rains there...
I got super confused about Farmer scoring because the original manual says 3 points and newer ones say 4 points. The online game scores 4. So does anyone have any insight into this?
“It’s a good enough analogy.”
"That's not finished"
Ah my first SUSD review. Miss ya Paul!
I absolutely love Carcassonne but I only started playing it regularly when I got it digitally cause it takes so long to score. 😅
Convinced, bought the game. Excellent video!
I thought that I could just go and play the digital version and be happy about it. No need to go and buy the physical game and a big pile of expansions, no sir. Not at all, not ever.
Then the big box with eleven expansions went on sale.
Can I get "AHHH I'm trapped under Wafers" on a t-shirt?
hilarious! You got me...I've subscribed.
This is one of the best games I play with my kids who are 5 and 8. I really enjoy it. Great review. Does SUSD recommend any of the expansions? I would love to know.
"Traders and Builders" is critical. never play without it.
"the river" is a small expansion that people want to use every time
The best expansion for flavor to use just sometimes, and not with new players, is "Princess and the Dragon".
One thing not mentioned in the review (or at least I did not hear it), is that you can play with multiple expansions together and the game works, as they are compatible.
Note that adding multiple expansions can make the game last very very long (more than 3 hours even).
As per the expansions:
The Princess and the Dragon is my favourite.
Inns and Cathedrals is a must have.
Traders and Builders also is very good.
The Tower is nice, however (personal choice) I would play it only with the base game and not adding other expansions.
The Abbey and the Mayor (personal taste) is a bit of a hit and miss, still good but to me only a part of the expansion is actually very good.
Bridges, Castles and Bazaars I've never played, so cannot give any suggestion.
Better to avoid:
The Catapult, a completely different type of expansion that does not capture the spirit of the game (throwing tokens at Meeples... why?).
Wheel of Fortune, to me it's just a no. I don't like it, but cannot explain exactly why.
Cheers!
Best expansion is the Princess and the Dragon, kids love the Dragon and makes the game more dynamic.
I personally don't like Traders and Builders and the other ones are pretty irrelevant and complicate rules.
I would at least play with one expansion since the original game was pretty limited in terms of tile variety so after playing a few times you know what to expect.
We never play without Inns & Cathedrals, and Traders and Builders.
The Princess and the Dragon changes the game a lot. We play with it time to time, but not everybody likes it because the game changes considerably.
Actually "Inns & Cathedrals" is critical. Even though it doesn't seem to add much at first, it actually invigorates the game in subtle and deep ways, especially if you like to play more aggressively (kids especially tend to enjoy pulling off a "hostile takeover" with a giant meeple).
I personally dislike "Traders and Builders" since it tends to draw out the game. Builder is especially harmful since its "double turn" power means the next player cannot draw a tile in advance and start planning, and this usually doubles the gameplay time.
Good Review, although I'm surprised he mentioned players passive aggressively begging for help (twice) and not the cutthroat fight to steal or block big cities. Maybe you've never played it against very competitive people? For me that was the most impactful part of the game. You're not placing tiles to help people or to share points, you "accidentally" place nearby cities to steal points.
i own the Big Box for a few years now and still never played it, might playing it soon
It makes me a little sad that everyone else was at Gencon while Paul was busy getting burned and doing this video alone.
The best part of carcassonne is building a mega city which usually gets made uncompletable by the salty players who get kicked out.
4:22 is that a wild chicken running into frame?
indeed it is
just a dog ;)
yes it is!!! looks like a buff orpington! lololol
I own the Big Box. I wouldn't give it up.
Sniping - that's my name for horning in on another player's farm/road/city
I also have and enjoy the mobile app. A great port of a fun game. Recommend.
I am keeping the old ninja master analogy
I spent a whole day under the tropical sun watching an equestrian sport.
The next day I had to wear a coat to both hide my lobster arms and keep anything from touching me.
actual review starts at 3:30
It was also my go to game for years until I met the gorgeous Carcassonne the City with it's lil wood walls and wood box, so I gave Carcassonne to a friend and proceeded to a new romance of markets and wall building.
Kyle Jones Wait you mean you went to the city? cus the city has massive stone walls, and cus it's France you can piss about on them with was awsome as a kid
Great review. I'm going to try it
How did it go? I've only ever played the Android version but I got quite addicted!
I've played it first on xbox 360! Man i love this game till this days.
Man I miss Paul's reviews....
Yall should definitely tryout Risk Europe
20 years old now.
great review
Thanks again for a good video i have never played carcassonne but have many times thought of getting it, I think you have made me want to get it now thank you. I know you like doing new game but an game I would love to see you all do is Settlers of Catan.
Carcassonne is like the western version of Go
that seems a bit of a stretch, but i haven't played enough Carcassonne to say if you're wrong
I quite enjoyed the sunscreen updates 😂
TIL points for cities are halved if you don't finish them by the end of the game.
Bought it 8years ago, one of first 10 board games, played it five time and newer took out again... if you have or planing to buy more than 10games, carcasone becomes obsolete werry fast. "Isle in the sky" that game has a bit more meat to it and gives kinda same 3xpierence.
You can’t say coloured people btw it’s ‘people of colour’ now
I remember having this game as a kid, I never knew how to play so it just collected dust
what if you don't have any free follower and you close something that returns your follower. Can you use that follower on the same shift?
Nope. On each turn you place a tile, optionally place a follower, and then score any completed features, in that order. Since the follower returns to you as part of the scoring step, it's too late at that point to place it back on the map.
Hey that's kits beach!
Tomato person goes to beach gets sun burned. This is like okay I saw myself in the mirror and was shocked.
thanks for suffering for our pleasure, Paul
I owned Carcassonne for a couple of years than sold it as it never made it to the table. Than we downloaded the app a couple of days ago with my wife and we are playing it cons-tant-ly. This is such an elegant design. I am happy that the hobby is still providing me with surprises without having to invest hundreds of dollars on miniatures. Thank you Paul and hope to watch some of your content somewhere again.
Is this similar to 7th Continent?
Brilliance!
he keeps calling the meeples "followers" and it's driving me up the wall
That is what they are called in the old rulebooks.
It was a good strategy game but I found it so boring, you just have to do things with what you have and that’s it really.
I have played it exactly once
that's not finished
dude youre based in Vancouver!!
that is one hairy leg or there's an Ewok under the table?
How many of the expansions do you have?
Carcassonne never fails to please. Great game.
Got Carcasonne free from the Epic Store a while ago, and every time I see the icon on my desktop, there's a very high chance I'll think "okay, just one game". And it's always good (except when that bleeping yellow player connects to my field and ruins my lead and I just hate him SO much)
I think the river can't double back on itself...?
correct! no u-turns.
When can we add on farmers
Any turn where you play a piece that has field on it.
I’d say dominion is more notorious for having so many additions
Carcassonne had around a dozen expansions and derivations before Dominion even came out.
any problem sunburn
wow, he seems to be using a newer expansion than the one I play with. some of the art is improved.
sunburn in england? Gee, didn't even know you have sun there.
CastelDawn British Columbia, Canada. You can tell
Because of all the apartment blocks in the background.
4:20 cheetah in the background xd
Happens to everybody at some point in their life!? It’s not the sex talk!😂
"That is a disaster"
I say as I look at the border gore 200 years into Crusader Kings 3
I really love board games but this one i just cannot get into. I really seems there is just randomness and luck. Hardly any strategy whatsoever.
Lopata991 there is a variant in which you always have a "hand" of three tiles and get to pick which one you play...I found this helps with the random factor. I don't play without this variant. It may help make the game more enjoyable for you :)
I don't own the game, but will take your advice if anyone brings it. Thank you :)
Next time you play try cooperating with everyone more than they cooperate amongst each other.
Of course, there is SOME strategy, and important decisions that are meaningful, but you are correct that luck is a major component. But luck isn't a bad thing, every good game has some. It makes the game more accessible to new players, because they stand a realistic chance at winning their first games.
Randomness can be fun, and lead to memorable moments.
Granted, that makes the game less fun to gamers like you and me (of which there are many), but a big part of its popularity is its accessibility.
If I were you, i wouldn't buy it and try to fix it. I'd buy games that are more your style.
I keep contemplating buying the game, not because I'd love to play it, but because it's the kind of game that I can pull out for a group of non-gamers, and know that they'll have a good time, and everyone that wants to share gaming needs that sort of game.
Only the final 3 turns are luck based, before that there's enough options to mitigate any need for luck
Watching this video makes me feel uncomfortable. I mean, my own skin was itching
Paul, have you played Carcassonne: The Castle??
Major deja vu or did this video come out a long time ago?
Since they switched to TH-cam from Vimeo, they've been reposting some of the classics. It's been great!
I miss Paul