Carcassonne Central
Carc Central Community => General => Topic started by: Whaleyland on June 03, 2017, 07:58:59 PM
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ELEMENT OF THE WEEK: THE RINGMASTER
Note: This will be the last Element of the Week for a while since there are no new elements to discuss after this one. But stay tuned, more elements will inevitably be released and all the old Element of the Week threads are there for discussion. Remember, these threads are an opportunity for you, Carcassonne's biggest English-language fans, to discuss strategies and problems you have encountered through the years regarding specific expansion elements. All forms of critique – from the most joyous to the most scathing – are encouraged.
This week's element is THE RINGMASTER (from Expansion 10: Under the Big Top). The Ringmaster for all intents and purposes is your ordinary Follower/Meeple. It can be placed almost anywhere a normal meeple can (except as an Acrobat, because its hat gets in the way) and generally scores exactly the same as a normal meeple would. The only exception to this, and the thing that really makes the Ringmaster shine, is when it is placed adjacent to a Big Top tile (a Tent or Acrobat tile). The Ringmaster ALWAYS scores some points if it is beside Big Top tiles, even if it does not score for the feature it is on. It is a very simple 2-points-per-Big-Top-tile formula. So, if a Ringmaster were surrounded on all sides by such tiles AND was on such a tile, then it could score 18 points in addition to any points scored for the feature it is on. This bonus is not given at the end of the game if the Ringmaster's feature is incomplete (although presumably the player would get the bonus if they used the Ringmaster as a Farmer).
Obviously this element is virtually worthless without the Big Top expansion's tiles and equally grossly unprofitably if playing a mega game of any sort of game with multiple large expansions. Such is the issue, though, with many elements – they become watered down as more expansions are included in the mix. When played only with Under the Big Top elements, though, the Ringmaster can prove quite a powerful point earner and can be put to very strategic uses. The fact that it scores even if it loses the battle for the feature it is on means that linking it to another player's feature is not entirely a detrimental strategy. This figure also unifies the three elements of Under the Big Top together in a way that many previous expansions were not linked.
Discuss your relationship with The Ringmaster, as well as your strategies for taking advantage of this element.
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We've played the Big Top expansions several times now, and have therefore had the opportunity to try the ringmaster!
We find we use it mostly to claim something on an circus tile that we've just placed. After that we try to add as many circus tiles around it before finishing the project.
They other time we tend to use it, is when we're out of meeples. As it works like a normal meeple, its a good addition to be able to claim more.
I've just realised, the value of the ringmaster can change quit a lot if its in a big city or road and takes flight from the Plague! Hahahaha
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I have pre-ordered this expansion but it is not being released in Australia until the end of the month. Sounds interesting! :)