Author Topic: The Wagon & The Ferries: Element Match-Ups #5 (Read 7532 times)

Whaleyland · « **on:** October 16, 2015, 03:30:56 PM »

Element Match-Ups is a new series of weekly challenges for all members of CarcassonneCentral. Each week, an element from a large expansion will be matched up with an element from a small expansion. Your job: try it out and let everybody know what you think about the pair. Consider this a quasi-scientific survey in that you are only playing with these two elements and the base game — nothing else! Otherwise the results will be skewed. You have a week to try the match-up from the time the match is announced until the next match is announced (which usually occurs sometime between Friday and Saturday, depending on time zone).

This week our elements are THE WAGON and THE FERRIES (Carcassonne Mini #3). The Wagon is a basic Follower piece that allows players to claim features on the move; whenever a feature with the Wagon is completed, if it has a Road attached to it, it moves onto that Road or, if the Road is completed, it moves on to a feature connected to that Road (assuming it is incomplete). It's a quite fun arrangement. Meanwhile, the Ferries are tiles composed of lakes that interrupt Roads; whenever one of those Roads is added to, the player can move a ferry that connects two of the Roads across the lake, thereby making the Roads a little less stable than usual. I can only imagine that this will be an awesome combination of elements. Don't let me down, people!

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.

Linkback: https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=2130.0

kettlefish · « **Reply #1 on:** October 17, 2015, 01:27:35 PM »

I think both work fine together.
Now - I have to test it.

Whaleyland · « **Reply #2 on:** October 17, 2015, 11:45:32 PM »

I gave this combo a go last night with two other players. I was disappointed, though, because Wagon opportunities were not really forthcoming and one of the players never even used hers. I tried twice to do some strategic Wagoning on Cities, but in both cases the connected Road networks were completed before I had a chance to do anything with the Wagon. Only the third player was able to use his, and that was only once for a low-point Road. In other words, nothing really interesting happened. The Ferries are always fun, but for some reason most of them ended up on short Roads this time around, meaning that they didn't get tossed around too much. Ferries that stay static are boring. I did manage to nab a few points from one while closing another player's at the same time, but it was more just to be spiteful than anything. At game end, I the player who didn't touch her Wagon one the game and the one who actually managed to nap some points from theirs lost by quite a lot. While I had assumed these elements would go well together, they instead didn't seem to interact much at all. One player recommended playing the combo alongside The Inns to improve the value of the Roads and therefore make them more appealing to use. But that wasn't the point of this test run. Sad times...

jungleboy · « **Reply #3 on:** October 18, 2015, 01:10:09 AM »

Quote from: whaleyland on October 17, 2015, 11:45:32 PM

One player recommended playing the combo alongside The Inns to improve the value of the Roads and therefore make them more appealing to use. But that wasn't the point of this test run. Sad times...

Don't stop at inns! Add Mage and Witch as well and roads can be epic!

Halfling · « **Reply #4 on:** October 18, 2015, 01:15:16 AM »

The key to using the Wagons is the roads for sure as they connect to cities, a couple of Monasteries and other roads. The Monasteries will likely be taken though so the Wagons tend to move from road to road gaining a couple of extra points here and there.

There are a lot of wood in Abbey and Mayor so the need to use the Mayor and Barn can mean that the wagon doesn't get the focus it might deserve.

Personally I get the Wagon out on a road early and hope it'll trundle round a few times during the game.

Whaleyland · « **Reply #5 on:** October 18, 2015, 02:19:44 AM »

Quote from: Halfling on October 18, 2015, 01:15:16 AM

The key to using the Wagons is the roads for sure as they connect to cities, a couple of Monasteries and other roads. The Monasteries will likely be taken though so the Wagons tend to move from road to road gaining a couple of extra points here and there.

There are a lot of wood in Abbey and Mayor so the need to use the Mayor and Barn can mean that the wagon doesn't get the focus it might deserve.

Personally I get the Wagon out on a road early and hope it'll trundle round a few times during the game.

Good advice. Thanks!

Quote from: jungleboy on October 18, 2015, 01:10:09 AM

Don't stop at inns! Add Mage and Witch as well and roads can be epic!

And The Robber Baron and Tunnels, surely!

jungleboy · « **Reply #6 on:** October 18, 2015, 12:38:15 PM »

Today I played three three-player games and while I'm sorry to report that we didn't play this element match-up, we did play a game with the German Castles and the Ferries (and the phantom), which was a great combination! Because of the three extra points for roads connected to GCs, and because of the ability to use the Ferries for repeated scoring of sections of the same road, it meant that a lot of points were available via roads if the Ferry tiles were connected to the roads leading out of the GCs. I took better advantage of this than my opponents which helped me win the game.