Count of Carcassonne; Carcassonne Expansion - Review
The Count of Carcassonne is always lurking somewhere, do you have what it takes to win?
Set-up: 9/10
The set up for the Count of Carcassonne is almost identical to a normal game of Carcassonne; the only difference is the original starting tile is replaced with the twelve tiles that make up Carcassonne city. There’s no needing to separate out tiles at the end of the game, this city is very easy to spot, and will always have the Count in.
Mechanics: 6/10
The basic mechanics of Carcassonne remain the same; however, when you place a tile that causes one or more of your opponents to score at least 1 point while you score nothing, you may, at the end of your turn, place one of your followers into Carcassonne city. These followers are placed in one of four quarters of the city. You may do this in additional to your normal placement of followers.
When scoring a city, road, cloister, or farm, players with followers in Carcassonne city may move any or all of their followers from the appropriate quarter of Carcassonne city to the feature being scored before determining a majority. For example, followers placed in the Castle can be moved from the castle to a city before scoring the city. However, when a feature is scored, followers may not be moved from Carcassonne if the Count is in that quarter. For instance, if the Count is in the Castle, followers may not be moved from the Castle to a city to score it. When players place a follower in Carcassonne, they may move the Count to another quarter.
The new rules give players a huge incentive for finishing an opponent’s city, road, or cloister, as they can potentially score more points later in the game. Whilst these mechanics are easy to learn, it can drastically change how players place their tiles and followers. As such, I don’t recommend this expansion for beginners.
Carcassonne replaces the starting tile in games of Carcassonne.
Scoring: 6/10
With the exception of followers being moved from Carcassonne, scoring is identical to a normal game of Carcassonne.
Speed: 6/10
Due to the new rules, the Count of Carcassonne can slow down a game of Carcassonne, as it offers players far more choices on their turn; do you complete another player’s feature, and place a follower in Carcassonne, or do you focus on building your own features? Do your keep your features small so they’re not worth stealing? If you’ve placed a follower in Carcassonne, do you then move the Count to another quarter? Whilst the Count of Carcassonne gives players new options, it can, in some situations, give them too many options.
Replayability: 4/10
Whilst I enjoy playing the Count of Carcassonne, it’s by no means my favourite expansion. It offers new strategies and is great if you’re looking for a new way to play. The new starting tiles are also really cool, especially good if you play with a higher number of people, as you can branch out in different directions. However, the Count of Carcassonne does have a big impact on gameplay, so can detract from the fun had by some players.
The Count of Carcassonne is significantly larger than the other meeples from Carcassone.
Final Thoughts
Much like the Tower, the Count of Carcassonne can make for a less fun game, especially if you’re playing in a friendly group. If you’re more experienced, or have a more competitive gaming group, than you’re probably enjoy the Count of Carcassonne a lot more, but if you dislike the stealing aspect of the Count, you probably want to give this expansion a miss. If you’re a fan of the Tower, I’d recommend trying out this expansion.
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Chris