Cult, Siege, and Creativity; Carcassonne Expansion - Review

Cults are springing up over Carcassonne, and the city has become besieged – is anywhere safe? This is a small expansion for Carcassonne, consisting of twelve new tiles, two of which are blank – perfect for those who wish to create their own tiles! Cult and Siege offer players new ways to interact with Cities and Cloisters, and can be easily added to any game of Carcassonne.

Check out my review of the base game, or click here to see the full series review of Carcassonne.

Cult, Siege and Creativity introduces two new types of tiles to Carcassonne!

Set-up: 10/10

Adding these tiles to the game is incredibly easy, simply shuffle them into the rest of the deck! That’s all you need to do. Depending on which edition of the game you have, the backs of your tiles may be ever so slightly different in shade, so I’d recommend using a bag if you can, but if you don’t have this, it’s not essential.

Mechanics: 8/10

Whilst the basic gameplay of Carcassonne doesn’t change with the new tiles, we do see new interactions get introduced to the game, which does impact how certain aspects of the game are scored, and can affect where a player chooses to place a tile. Siege tiles reduce the points scored from cities, which can impact how players build their cities, and also offer a few more points for farmers if the City is completed.

Meanwhile Cult Sites are played almost exactly like Cloisters. However, if a Cloister and Cult Site are placed adjacent to each other (including diagonally), and are controlled by different players, then whoever finishes first scores the points – the other player scores nothing! If the Cloister and Cult Site are finished simultaneously, or both are incomplete at the end of the game, they both score normally.

A closer look at the Cult and Siege tiles.

Scoring: 7/10

Scoring is incredibly simple for this expansion. Most of the normal rules of Carcassonne apply, with a few exceptions for the new tiles. The Siege tiles reduce the cost of complete cities containing a Siege tile by 1 (i.e. a complete city scores 1 point per tile and pennant), while incomplete cities with a Siege tile score nothing. Farms which feed a complete city with a Siege tile score double points. This does mean you have to pay attention when scoring these Cities and Farms, as the siege tiles could be easy to overlook.

Cult Sites are scored in the same way as Cloisters. However, as mentioned above, if two different players place a Cloister next to a Cult Site or vice-versa, the first player to complete theirs scores the points!

Speed: 7/10

Due to the new options offered by Cult and Siege, the new tiles can slow the game down slightly. Placement of Cult Sites and Cloisters needs to be thought about more, due to their interaction with each other; a good spot for a cult site may make a nearby Cloister easy to complete, meaning you’ll score no points! However, there are only 10 tiles (if you exclude those you design yourself), so the number of tiles doesn’t have a drastic impact on the time taken, only the additional choices offered to players.

Replayability: 8/10

I feel this expansion really adds to the replayability of the game, offering new ways to interact with your opponents, and giving a new way to compete with them. I’m a huge fan of the Cult Sites, as these give players a way to interact with Cloisters of other players, where interaction is usually limited to how you place tiles around a Cloister. Likewise, the Siege tiles force players who like to be build big cities to adapt their strategy somewhat, as Siege tiles reduced the points of complete and incomplete cities.

Cult, Siege, & Creativity comes in a small box that fits easily inside the base game!

Final Thoughts:

I really like this expansion, I feel it adds more options to Carcassonne, and I especially like the addition of Cult Sites. Having a way of interacting with Cloisters is a great addition to the game, even if it doesn’t come up very often; Roads, Farms, and Cities can all be stolen, and the competition between Cults and Cloisters allows you to stop a player scoring points for their Cloisters. I also love how easily Cult and Siege can be combined with any other expansion; I personally enjoy using it alongside Inns and Cathedrals, as you can counteract a Siege tile by playing a Cathedral and vice-versa.

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you agree with me in the comments below!

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Chris