Pyramid Review
Carcassonne The City
Published by Rio Grande Games
Written by Klaus-Jürgen Wrede
Illustrated by Oliver Freudenreich
Translated by Jay Tummelson
75 Town Tiles, 70 Wood Walls, 12 Wood Towers, 32 Followers in four colors, two Canvass Bags, Scoring Track, & six page full-color Rule Booklet; $49.95
Since it first appeared in 2001, the Spiel des Jahres winning Carcassonne has been heavily supported. Several expansions have taken the game back and forth through time with Hunters & Gatherers and Ark of the Covenant, before focusing on a single structure in The Castle. The latest addition to the popular family of games goes back to where it all started. With Carcassonne Die Stadt or Carcassonne The City, players build the city located in Southwest France, noted for its Roman and Medieval architecture. Indeed, the game even comes with a tourist brochure for the city and surrounding area known as Cathar country.
The first striking thing about this game is the box. It's not made of heavy card, but wood and latches! Inside the components are all of the same high quality expected of a Carcassonne or indeed a German game. The large 1¾-inch tiles depict the city's fish, grain, and livestock markets, residential areas, streets, public buildings, and named historical buildings. The various followers, wall pieces, towers, and city gate are all attractively depicted in colored wood. Two light canvas bags are included to hold both the tiles and the wooden pieces.
Carcassonne The City is designed . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: June 10, 2005
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