Pyramid Pick
Carcassonne
Published by Rio Grande Games
Written by Klaus-Jürgen Wrede
Illustrated by Doris Matthäus
Translated by Jay Tummelson
$19.95
Carcassonne is not only the name of a city in southern France, but also the name of an award-winning German board game from Hans im Glück, that is available in English from Rio Grande Games. The city itself is famous for its unique mix of Roman and Medieval fortifications. In the game, it is the area around Carcassonne that the players attempt to develop and then deploy their followers to take control of, and score points for doing so.
The game consists of some seventy-two square tiles, a scoreboard, and five sets of followers in vibrant colors, plus a fully illustrated, four-page rules booklet. Both the tiles and scoreboard are done on thick card and the followers in solid pieces of wood. The tiles depict the various segments of the cities, roads, and fields around Carcassonne, as well as the numerous cloisters, which actually sit in the very center of their tiles. Carcassonne is designed for two to five players, ages ten and over, with a suggested playing length of about an hour.
The players begin by placing the starting tile on the table, face up. The remainder are shuffled and stacked face down into four piles. Each player takes their eight followers and places one on the scoreboard, keeping the rest in front of them as their supply of followers. The youngest player decides who will go first and play then proceeds clockwise around the . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: March 22, 2002
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