Carcassonne Central

Carc Central Community => Reviews & Session Reports => Topic started by: Whaleyland on January 01, 2016, 02:38:26 PM

Title: The Bazaars & The Catapult – Element Match-Ups #16
Post by: Whaleyland on January 01, 2016, 02:38:26 PM
It's a new year, and I'm blowing the lid off of the former match-up rules. Now ANY element from ANY expansion can be paired to really test the limits and compatibilities of Carcassonne. As before, Element Match-Ups remains a new series of weekly challenges for all members of CarcassonneCentral. These threads are intended for members to test these combinations without the interference of other elements or expansions. We want to know what you think about the pairing. Consider this a quasi-scientific survey in that you are only playing with these two elements and the base game — nothing else! New match-ups are released every Friday-Saturday (depending on time zone), but the old pairings will always be there so never hesitate to add your two cents worth to the discussion (even if the thread is over 180 days old!).

This week our elements are THE BAZAARS (from Bridges, Castles & Bazaars [Expansion #8]) and THE CATAPULT (Expansion #7). What a bizarre way to start the new year, right? Honestly, I couldn't help myself. These two elements suffer many of the same problems, but one of the most grating is how much the Catapult feature looks just like the Bazaar feature, so I've decided to put it to the test and see how you like them when they are the only two special features on the board. More importantly, though, the interaction between these two elements may actually be beneficial, at least to a degree. The Bazaar allows players to bid on tiles, including potentially Catapult tiles. That adds a very strategic element to any game, but especially those with specific expansions in use. The Catapult is a bit more chaotic, but what if it could be linked a bit more to strategy? There's only one way to find out....

The elements are set, the challenge is issued, and now it is for you to decide whether these elements work well together or are terrible companions. Summarise your experience below in however much detail you wish, and feel free to share any strategic advice you have for other players taking the challenge.