Pyramid Review
The Ark of the Covenant
Published by Inspiration Games
Designed by Klaus-Jürgen Wrede
Art and design by Alvin Madden
English rules development by Jeremy Young, Matt Molen, Guido Teuber, Rick Thornquist, & Greg Aleknevicus
Full-color boxed set with 72 tiles, 45 wooden playing pieces, Ark counter/plastic stand, scoring track, & rules; $24.95
Up to this point, the Carcassonne series has been relegated to the old city in France. Inspiration Games, a company dedicated to wholesome family fun, has started producing licensed versions of family games, adding a religious theme. They did this with Settlers of Catan (Settlers of Zarahemla), and now they've altered Carcassonne to fit in The Ark of the Covenant.
The object of the game is to score the most points by occupying roads, cities, fields, and temples in the newly occupied Promised Land.
Little has changed in this version from the iterations the fans know and love. As with standard Carcassonne, Hunters and Gatherers, et al, there are thematic changes. City sections are worth more when they sport a scroll, roads are peppered with valuable oases, and the livestock are now sheep of the fields, threatened by wolves. But basic game play remains the same.
As you lay the game's tiles, you decide on which of these you will tie up your resources. You only have so many pawns in your pool, and must choose which will be placed, temporarily or permanently, in which locations. This much is common to all the Carcassonne games.
In addition to . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: January 9, 2004
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