Carcassonne Central
Carc Central Community => General => Topic started by: Meles on April 17, 2023, 08:22:42 PM
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I'm trying to figure out how I want to go at equipping with Carcassonne (I play online, well just started tonight ;) ). And I've decided I want to go for the mega game capability since that does not work at all on my ipad. I have a table with a sunken area that is 37 x 74 inches. If feeling really ambitious I can top this for 42x84 inch flat surface.
I've spent a ridiculous amount of time studying expansions. I had just bought the C3 base game on sale for $20 at Miniature Market (I am USA based) but its on hold and I'm kicking myself for not going for the 2022 Big Box which already has both expansions plus the only way to get a lot of the promos in C3 (it would have been $47 and my reasoning at the time was I did not want the gigantic box plus I thought "new edition" expansions on sale were actually new rather than eight years old, plus I've come to like the big box cover and some of the expansions.)
I've certainly looked hard at C1 and C2, but I also really, really want the 20th anniversay edition and it is the one that has swayed me towards the C3 look despite it looking a bit busy at a distance. I also like the French C3 2022 Winter Edition quite a bit. I'd also been hoping to somehow get some donor C3 tiles for applying vinyl stickers of some print and play Carcassonne like Baba Yaga, etc. so the backs would be consistent. (As an aside it is a pain to get any mini expansion in USA as shipping from Cundco is over $50 to the USA for just one promo. >:( )
So all my C3 plans with consistent backs were set and then I caught wind of the Mega Game at around 4 hours. :o It sounds like a lot of fun, but also has issues:
1. Tile seperation and Organization
2. And the details of how to go about it given my table limitations
I've heard of people using two big boxes together so double of the first two expansions as well and that this seems to balance well with maybe a few more expansions, but I'm not sure my playing area is suited for quite this much. This sounds great and not really that expensive if I can sweet talk Miniature Market into switching up my order at the sale prices, BUT it sounds like murder to seperate the expansions and base games from each other especially when you consider that many experienced players tend to just run the first two expansions and then vary maybe some of the minor expansions so they really never have to sort tiles.
I've not heard of it, but I'm thinking (especially if the tile backs will help with seperation) that it might be advantageous for a sane collection to actually have C2 and C3 versions. This all ties in with how you organize/store and do your tiles .... stacks on table, Towers, or crown royal bag (well I have a 9.5 x 15" Indiania Select Club velvet bag in royal red.)
This is far too much for a neophyte like myself to figure out, so I'm looking for some direction on this. I know people are particular about their tiles matching for the most part, but for Mega maybe NOT matching is a good idea? :-\
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Welcome to the rabbit hole!
Each expansion has a unique watermark, so separating expansions from base game tiles is quite straightforward. (This was not the case back in the Rio Grande Games days.) If you're going to play with two sets, then combining a C2 set with a C3 set would be a great way to separate them again afterward, though it will be easier for some tiles than others. You'll have to go by the artwork on the front, as the backs are identical.
In my games, we draw tiles from a large bag, but there are aftermarket towers with larger capacities too for those who prefer it.
You can see videos of my C1 and C2 collections and how they're stored, with all their fancy upgrades, here: https://www.facebook.com/CarcassonneCentral/videos (https://www.facebook.com/CarcassonneCentral/videos)
I haven't done a C3 video because it's very similar to my C2 set.
As for your table limitations, tiles are 1.75" square, so your 37x74" table can hold a maximum of 882 tiles. If you build a 42x84 topper, that will go up to 1152 tiles. These numbers assume no gaps, which is unlikely. They also don't leave room for the scoreboard or for players to store their meeples. So maybe deduct 10% or so to allow for both of those.
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Welcome to for the forum Meles.
It sounds like the Carcassonne bug has bitten you, and good luck with your venture into Mega-Carcassonne.
I would work up slowly if you're coming from a digital base, there's a lot of nuanced things about playing in real life, not just sorting the tiles out after each game!
I'd recommend looking for blank tiles, as they can sometimes be a bit cheaper for donor tiles from base sets. But printing and producing your own fan-expansion tiles may be worth doing after you've played some larger games with the official tiles. I for one get burnt out managing all the rules and lose track of any strategic play when there's too much going on, but don't let me put you off.
For the massive games, I'd recommend you play on the floor!
Best of luck, let us know how you get on and share some photos!
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Welcome to the rabbit hole!
Each expansion has a unique watermark, so separating expansions from base game tiles is quite straightforward. (This was not the case back in the Rio Grande Games days.) If you're going to play with two sets, then combining a C2 set with a C3 set would be a great way to separate them again afterward, though it will be easier for some tiles than others. You'll have to go by the artwork on the front, as the backs are identical.
In my games, we draw tiles from a large bag, but there are aftermarket towers with larger capacities too for those who prefer it.
You can see videos of my C1 and C2 collections and how they're stored, with all their fancy upgrades, here: https://www.facebook.com/CarcassonneCentral/videos (https://www.facebook.com/CarcassonneCentral/videos)
I haven't done a C3 video because it's very similar to my C2 set.
As for your table limitations, tiles are 1.75" square, so your 37x74" table can hold a maximum of 882 tiles. If you build a 42x84 topper, that will go up to 1152 tiles. These numbers assume no gaps, which is unlikely. They also don't leave room for the scoreboard or for players to store their meeples. So maybe deduct 10% or so to allow for both of those.
Thanks to you and Decar for the warm welcome. yes, the bug has bitten me but I don't have one tile in my possession yet. ::) it is an odd time to be buying with the transition from C2 to C3 and the unsure roll out of C3. i've yet to watch the video of your storage, so I'll stay away from that subject for now.
I do want to ask a little bit more about the tile backs. If I stick with the USA sources (English) you would expect them to look really identical in shade? i've also heard that tile backs vary, but I suspect again that what I've read on differences doesn't really matter if I stick with the English edition only. even if the shade/look is identical, you should be able to always tell C2 from C3 by the rounding on the corners.
what would you think of both base games being C3? I really want the 20th anniversary edition, but I'm not totally sure that I could separate all of the tiles reliably from the regular C3 version. Would you see any problems with this?
would you really rule out C1 if I was able to land let's say a big box for a reasonable price off of eBay? I see the advantages of a watermarks, but if this were a more basic set largely combined to the big box when not in use the watermarks wouldn't matter so much. as I think about it, this would be the least attractive option, so maybe I should rule it out. I think I'm right in saying hands-down that C2 is going to look a lot better with C3.
there is one mini expansion that makes me want C1 and that is the 12 tile GQ set. it is available in the USA from the BGG shop for eight dollars. should I just buy it and mix it right in with my C3 tiles? Might that sway things to consider getting a C1 collection to go with C3 instead of C2?
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Each expansion has a unique watermark
There's an exception! The HiG 2004 metal box limited edition containing the base game and the expansion #2 didn't add watermarks for the expansion so there's no way to immediately separate one from the other. In the end, it's still quite easy because 20 tiles out of 24 got goods symbols on them and the remaining 4 have configurations not present in the base game, but still it's a notable exception I think :gray-meeple:
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I'd stick with the newer stuff. In principle C1, C2, and C3 tiles are all compatible with each other. Their tile backs are the same.
Having said that, I think given a large print run you'd be able to distinguish tiles printed at the start and end of the run. There will always be variation in shades of grey and inks and printers for a game that's 20 years old. The question is whether the variation is acceptable for you. I am fairly pragmatic and after a few different expansions and versions I can't really tell the difference. This is why the tile bag and the tile tower was introduced, to reduce people gaming the difference in tiles.
Some C2 sets have rounded corners. Some C3 sets have square corners. This isn't a helpful differentiator, it varies by run and publisher globally. It was something someone noticed in C3, but had actually occurred sooner in some locations. I try not to let this myth propagate.
You'll be able to tell C3 and C20 apart very easily, all the C20 tiles have spot gloss on them, making key features and art shiny under light. It's a very nice set. I'd recommend getting it, and if you're going to be playing Mega Carcassonne an additional base game, like C3, won't be wasted.
I'd not rule mixing C1 and C3 together. Sure the art is a bit different, but there are some promos and expansions that are only available in one form or another. I'd much rather experience the mechanics than worry about consistent art. But that's something you'll have to answer for yourself.
The reality is that C1 things are becoming hard to find and the publisher's interests are in the new version. I'd recommend using the latest version unless you're truly drawn to the old style, happy with the lack of official support, and, realistically, know you'll probably never find some of the earlier forgotten expansions.
...But you can probably tell I'm quite pragmatic, and it's easier for me to say this, as I've got a mostly complete C1 set.
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I'd stick with the newer stuff. In principle C1, C2, and C3 tiles are all compatible with each other. Their tile backs are the same.
....You'll be able to tell C3 and C20 apart very easily, all the C20 tiles have spot gloss on them, making key features and art shiny under light. It's a very nice set. I'd recommend getting it, and if you're going to be playing Mega Carcassonne an additional base game, like C3, won't be wasted.
I'd not rule mixing C1 and C3 together. Sure the art is a bit different, but there are some promos and expansions that are only available in one form or another. I'd much rather experience the mechanics than worry about consistent art. But that's something you'll have to answer for yourself.
The reality is that C1 things are becoming hard to find and the publisher's interests are in the new version. I'd recommend using the latest version unless you're truly drawn to the old style, happy with the lack of official support, and, realistically, know you'll probably never find some of the earlier forgotten expansions.
...But you can probably tell I'm quite pragmatic, and it's easier for me to say this, as I've got a mostly complete C1 set.
The promo/mini expansions drive me crazy. I'm pretty sure something like GQ Promo tiles would have sold in C2, but they'd only do it in C3 if at all. German Cathedrals I'd like to have even though C2 (better art compared to C1 if you ask me). Even though I'd bet it would sell in C3 I have no confidence it will ever be reissued. It would even make sense to have kind of a larger expansion pack reissuing promos in C3 much like Spirit Island's Feather and Flame which reissued their promo 1 and 2 packs at retail. The shipping from Cundco to the USA is an obscene 50 euros. They really need to get this organized. An expansion filled with promos would sell like hot cakes, but again it just is a mess. As someone new to the game I was shocked at the chaos around this game. I understand they want C2 to sell out in the USA and elsewhere before putting out a bunch of C3, so why not do something like this to keep the Carcassonne flames burning hot? :D I've got my eye on the GQ promo which somehow showed up at BGG a few years ago. (Was that a reprint or someone finding a case in a dusty warehouse?)
So for mega it seems like it makes sense to do C20 Anniversary which is C3 but easily sorted from the regular version. I like the big box so I'll want that in C3. Probably would make sense to track down a deal on C2 versions of the first two big expansions.
I'm still not sure about triple base game for a mega game or doubling up on any other expansions beyond the first two. I like the idea of Winter Version in C3, but not sure about importing that one from France. Is Winter Edition expected to be reissued widely once it sells out in Germany? Any other expansions or mini-expansions one would want doubled. Any suggestions for where to buy the smaller Carcassonne stuff? (Philibert has some and spielmaterial where shipping to USA though steep is not outrageous. There is a Finnish site, but that went to 50 euros which was disappointing as they had a deal on the C2 Big box.) Anyone still have German Cathedrals in stock? Board Game Bliss in Canada appears to get some of these small expansions, but they've been cleared out; I'm surprised there isn't a US dealer who does the equivalent. ::) I don't believe I have a good source for blank tiles given the Cundco shipping costs.)
I suppose its too early to talk about Mists over Carcassonne as an expansion for the Mega game and if that is its soul purpose, it might be ransacked for tiles.
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As Decar said, the spot gloss on the 20th anniversary edition makes it easy to separate those from the Big Box base game tiles.
Although German Cathedrals is technically C2, they blend fairly well with C3 because there are no city tiles.
Some people don't mind the art style difference when playing with C1 and C2/C3 at the same time, so if you want the GQ promo I would recommend picking it up. For me, the main attraction was the river spring tile with the road, because it helped break up the farms better. The 20th Anniversary river also has a new spring tile, which I think achieves the same thing, so the GQ promo is less necessary from a gameplay standpoint. The main reason to buy GQ would be if you feel the urge to buy one of everything.
Blank tiles show up on Etsy and eBay from time to time, but generally there isn't a great source for Cundco items in North America. Cundco is aware of this and said that they would see what they could do, but there are limits to what they can do. Cundco is run by Hans im Gluck employees. North American distribution is the responsibility of Asmodee through their Z-Man Games brand. Asmodee/ZMG does not seem to be particularly interested in promoting Carcassonne in North America. What little promotion they do seems to be only because I prod them incessantly on social media. That being said, Asmodee did import some French copies of the new Winter Edition and I bought a copy from a retailer in Quebec.
Mists over Carcassonne seems to have arrived in North America, because someone on our Discord who works at a board game store said that her store has them in stock now. It's still listed as a pre-order item on Asmodee's online shop, and I haven't received a shipping notification from them yet, but hopefully soon.
My recommendation would be to wait until the new items are posted on Cundco (April 28), and then place a large order for everything you want (or can afford right now) to maximize the value you get for the 50 euros worth of shipping charges.
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Seems like Scott's already explained how the publishers work. The thing to bear in mind is that if HiG sold it's stock to the USA, then their license wouldn't be so profitable for Z-Man.
This applies to countries and their languages. Their license allows them to do as they wish with Carcassonne. Normally that means keeping in step, but there are lots of times were things get out of sync.
Zman is particularly rubbish at getting releases out. If it's any consolation, there was an old Carcassonne Shoppe in the USA, but there were some unfavorable terms for them and they eventually had to close.
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Seems like Scott's already explained how the publishers work. The thing to bear in mind is that if HiG sold it's stock to the USA, then their license wouldn't be so profitable for Z-Man.
This applies to countries and their languages. Their license allows them to do as they wish with Carcassonne. Normally that means keeping in step, but there are lots of times were things get out of sync.
Zman is particularly rubbish at getting releases out. If it's any consolation, there was an old Carcassonne Shoppe in the USA, but there were some unfavorable terms for them and they eventually had to close.
Excellent response. That is crystal clear and explains the whole USA thing. I guess I'm going to have to keep my eyes peeled at Board Game Bliss. I was looking today on board game oracle and it looks like Miniature Market in the last few years has had just a few items.
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......
My recommendation would be to wait until the new items are posted on Cundco (April 28), and then place a large order for everything you want (or can afford right now) to maximize the value you get for the 50 euros worth of shipping charges.
Great advice and I'll count down the days. I'm hoping that spielmaterial will get some of this new stuff before too long because they have much lower shipping and I want some meeples and discs etc. German wood bits have a certain gestalt.
So if I want C3 Winter Edition I probably should snap that up and not wait on ZMan?
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Hi Meles,
I'm also in the US and bought nearly all the C1 (by that I mean one of each set... not every different release from every publisher like some true collectors on here) a couple years ago. If you ever decide you want any of those, please let me know and I'll create a new public post of "C1 for sale". I'll look for any extra C2 I might have, and if any will reply in this post with details.
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Hi Meles,
I'm also in the US and bought nearly all the C1 (by that I mean one of each set... not every different release from every publisher like some true collectors on here) a couple years ago. If you ever decide you want any of those, please let me know and I'll create a new public post of "C1 for sale". I'll look for any extra C2 I might have, and if any will reply in this post with details.
Hi. If you're willing to ship in Europe, I'd be interested in the following C1 items:
- Cult, Siege & Creativity
- Besiegers
- Castles in Germany
- Crop Circles
- Darmstadt Promo
- The Festival (10 years)
- Halflings II
- Russian Promos I
- Russian Promos II
- Cathars
- Heretics and Shrines
- The Plague
- The Tunnel
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Hi Meles,
I'm also in the US and bought nearly all the C1 (by that I mean one of each set... not every different release from every publisher like some true collectors on here) a couple years ago. If you ever decide you want any of those, please let me know and I'll create a new public post of "C1 for sale". I'll look for any extra C2 I might have, and if any will reply in this post with details.
Hi. If you're willing to ship in Europe, I'd be interested in the following C1 items:
- Cult, Siege & Creativity
- Besiegers
- Castles in Germany
- Crop Circles
- Darmstadt Promo
- The Festival (10 years)
- Halflings II
- Russian Promos I
- Russian Promos II
- Cathars
- Heretics and Shrines
- The Plague
- The Tunnel
I'll start a new post offering C1 for sale with pricing. I'm happy to ship to Europe, but I think you'll find higher availability in Europe for many of these, and also for less than shipping from the US will cost you.
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Hi Meles,
I'm also in the US and bought nearly all the C1 (by that I mean one of each set... not every different release from every publisher like some true collectors on here) a couple years ago. If you ever decide you want any of those, please let me know and I'll create a new public post of "C1 for sale". I'll look for any extra C2 I might have, and if any will reply in this post with details.
Thanks gamgee, but my head is spinning with all this and it will take a while before I'm willing to go after C1 (if ever). My interest in the newer C2 and C3 stuff mini promo stuff is more because its available now, so kind of a snooze you lose kind of situation. I've also shied away from the maps, but might pick up some from the BGG shop for similar reasoning. (They've got East and West US map which can be played together and mentioned earlier in thread and have the maps chips as well, but I'm not sure they're necessary at all.) If I wait on BGG shop stuff and then decide I want it after its gone, then at the very least I may get slammed by the shipping from Germany or worse.
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Well some one offered me the limited edition (C1) for free thanks to this thread (and free shipping which I refused and paid.) Technically limited edition just comes with the first two big box expansions everyone recommends plus River I, but it also came with the following from the donor:
1. A bigger box, that is about half the 17 inch width of the regular big box. 8)
2. Carcassonne: Expansion 3 – The Princess & The Dragon
3. Carcassonne: Expansion 4 – The Tower (and I did get the Tower which I wanted plus the blue Carcassonne bag.)
4. Carcassonne: Expansion 5 – Abbey & Mayor
5. Carcassonne: The River II
6. Carcassonne: The Messengers
7. Carcassonne: The Count of Carcassonne (the later Cundco start tile, but I'm looking for count meeple suggestions as I don't have that. :( )
8. Carcassonne: Das Labyrinth tile
9. FFFF pig farm tile from Carcassonne: GQ Promo Tiles
10. The start tile from Wind Roses (some prefer it to the usual start tile).
11. King and Robber
12. jar of 1940’s french coins to use instead of the scoring tiles (50 points per coin)
13. 6 bridges and castles from Expansion #8.
(I have more details over at BGG: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3064270/favoritebestrecommended-carcassone-editions-plus-e/page/2 which also has links to my geeklist with further details for those interested in the logic behind items 9-13. )
I am feeling the Carcassonne love for sure, but my head may be spinning even more. ::) Areas of inquiry:
1. I've asked over at BGG about rounding out this C1 set a touch as it of course might be used for some non-Mega game play in its own right and with all the expansions it has me in a bit of a quandry on how to proceed. (I also have some unfinished business with Miniature Market in USA and might be able to get a tremendous deal on C3 big box and probably limited edition, but the clock is ticking. :'( )
2. This set has over 170 tiles. I'm guessing that it will take 30 seconds per tile for the Mega Game so this mini set would play in under 90 minutes. I'm thinking for play time that my limit might be around 400 tiles (three hours and 20 minutes), so 500 tiles probably my upper limit.
3. I am strongly considering East and West USA maps which combine for a bigger map and readily available at BGG shop with cheap shipping plus the GQ promos. :)
4. I am interested in the expansions Hills and Sheep plus Under the Big Top
5. I'm not totally sure when the Carcassonne musical chairs will stop and I fear the game might be abandoned before C3 gets fully reprinted. :(
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I hope you enjoy your games. I would recommend adding some of the smaller mini expansions to change the core game strategy. A lot of the C2 ones have been alright, I see you have some of the C1 one already.
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I see on your BGG shopping list that you're looking for Phantoms. MeepleSource has you covered: https://meeplesource.com/proddetail.php?prod=AcrylicMeepleSampler (https://meeplesource.com/proddetail.php?prod=AcrylicMeepleSampler)
You can order an original Count figure here: https://cundco.de/en/spare-parts/11/wooden/plastic-pieces?c=38#044216af289238b96851d7fa916cf70c (https://cundco.de/en/spare-parts/11/wooden/plastic-pieces?c=38#044216af289238b96851d7fa916cf70c)
OR
You can order the six-piece upgrade set from MeepleSource: https://meeplesource.com/proddetail.php?prod=CarcassonneCharacters (https://meeplesource.com/proddetail.php?prod=CarcassonneCharacters)
We have a whole collection of ways to spend money on upgrades and accessories: https://wikicarpedia.com/index.php/Accessories_and_Gadgets (https://wikicarpedia.com/index.php/Accessories_and_Gadgets)
Don't worry about Carcassonne getting abandoned, at least not by the German publisher. Carcassonne is a very big brand for Hans im Gluck. Asmodee (Z-Man Games) is the one who doesn't care because they have a very large distribution catalog, meaning that Carcassonne represents only a fraction of their total sales figures. Hans im Gluck intends to release all the major expansions (except Catapult) in C3 when they finish selling the remaining C2 inventory. I've heard the same from my contact at Asmodee.
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I hope you enjoy your games. I would recommend adding some of the smaller mini expansions to change the core game strategy. A lot of the C2 ones have been alright, I see you have some of the C1 one already.
I just was looking at Hills and Sheep and that goes for a pretty penny in first edition so that will be a no.
I've been eyeballing GQ Promos in the Board Game Geek Shop. What do you thing of the Eastern and Western USA map combined for mega play plus the map chips? And this place has BGG promos at a discounted price and with free shipping:
https://www.soccerfieldequipmentshop.com/?product_cat=&s=carcassonne&post_type=product
(Anyone used them before? ....very weird/suspicious looking)
For GQ promos Scott pointed out for "GQ promo ... the main attraction was the river spring tile with the road, because it helped break up the farms better. The 20th Anniversary river also has a new spring tile, which... achieves the same thing..." and over on BGG " The only good tiles might be the new spring, for breaking the farm, and the pig-herd." I already have the pig herd/farm tile. And here is the 20th anniversary spring:
(https://wikicarpedia.com/images/2/28/20AE_River_C2_Tile_P.png)
I'm not very experienced, but this appears to split the farm into three instead of two. I'm no river connoisseur, but this seems different and the wikicarpedia entry on the rules seems quite lacking as it does not even cover C1 as best as I can tell. (Is there a definitive reference on this?) So I guess GQ promo still has a distinctive river tile.
I'm going to peruse the rest, but it is going to be a hard pill to swallow to pay for a promo what I paid for all of the above. I may just have to lay in wait and maybe a group of promos might come up.
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I'm not familiar with Soccer Field Equipment Shop, but I have to wonder why they would be selling BGG promos... seems fishy.
You can see the tiles from the GQ promo here: https://wikicarpedia.com/index.php/Games_Quarterly_11_(1st_edition)#Tile_distribution (https://wikicarpedia.com/index.php/Games_Quarterly_11_(1st_edition)#Tile_distribution)
That 20th anniversary spring does split the farms into three, which is unique to that tile.
It's definitely better to wait on anything you're not comfortable with. I got impatient for certain things and have overpaid a few times. But I've managed to get almost everything I wanted thanks to help from several people on here. If you're a Discord user, I recommend joining us on there: https://discord.gg/tYkQvuSP (https://discord.gg/tYkQvuSP)
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I see on your BGG shopping list that you're looking for Phantoms. MeepleSource has you covered: https://meeplesource.com/proddetail.php?prod=AcrylicMeepleSampler (https://meeplesource.com/proddetail.php?prod=AcrylicMeepleSampler)
You can order an original Count figure here: https://cundco.de/en/spare-parts/11/wooden/plastic-pieces?c=38#044216af289238b96851d7fa916cf70c (https://cundco.de/en/spare-parts/11/wooden/plastic-pieces?c=38#044216af289238b96851d7fa916cf70c)
OR
You can order the six-piece upgrade set from MeepleSource: https://meeplesource.com/proddetail.php?prod=CarcassonneCharacters (https://meeplesource.com/proddetail.php?prod=CarcassonneCharacters)
We have a whole collection of ways to spend money on upgrades and accessories: https://wikicarpedia.com/index.php/Accessories_and_Gadgets (https://wikicarpedia.com/index.php/Accessories_and_Gadgets)
Don't worry about Carcassonne getting abandoned, at least not by the German publisher. Carcassonne is a very big brand for Hans im Gluck. Asmodee (Z-Man Games) is the one who doesn't care because they have a very large distribution catalog, meaning that Carcassonne represents only a fraction of their total sales figures. Hans im Gluck intends to release all the major expansions (except Catapult) in C3 when they finish selling the remaining C2 inventory. I've heard the same from my contact at Asmodee.
I'll stop worrying about C3. ;D
I like 3D resources and bling to a fault and at least I have my "bling bar" where I have all the bits in acrylic containers and then I just make a top shelf gamer style card for each game with pics of what is needed and just grab the box.
I've still not figured out how to got with all of the meeple stuff:
1. Stay with the wood gestalt and just be an originalist who gets meeples in a whole bunch of colors for the mega many player game and just for color choice.
2. Add some wood resources and I already have top shelf gamer tokens for Marco Polo Kahn so I could expropriate these ones with stickers for Carcassonne:
(https://i.etsystatic.com/20300980/r/il/235673/3890660411/il_794xN.3890660411_41vb.jpg)
(I have several kinds of barrels and wheat options including some stickered Concordia resources.)
3. Do a lot of top shelf gamer style resin.
4. Stickers. I love stickers (more than meeplesource), but the meeples upgrades sticker set is only for the 2017 Big Box. The manufacturer ones just are not great.
Of course the stickers or meeplesource set kind of rope you into that look and then it won't seem right when you end up with some meeples and don't have stickers for them when you add more colors, etc. I'm glad to see what is out there, but I may have to roll my own set. I don't really like wood meeples O:-) , so meeplesources conservative and tasteful approach generally does not get me going. I have some contact with the meeplesupgrade stickers guy so I'll have to check in on his plans for the future (ditto Levity stickers for that matter).
For organization I've seen the tuck boxes and my set does have a few already; they seem ideal. I saw this thread:
https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=3234.0 (https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=3234.0)
which has some interesting choices. And of course I have my Limited Edition slightly bigger box which I intend to use for storage.
I'm also working on a big spieledematerial order so that may be a viable option for plain meeples (though I'd like to give meeplesource some business as they treated my VERY well on some Nanty Narking coins.)
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I'm not familiar with Soccer Field Equipment Shop, but I have to wonder why they would be selling BGG promos... seems fishy.
You can see the tiles from the GQ promo here: https://wikicarpedia.com/index.php/Games_Quarterly_11_(1st_edition)#Tile_distribution (https://wikicarpedia.com/index.php/Games_Quarterly_11_(1st_edition)#Tile_distribution)
That 20th anniversary spring does split the farms into three, which is unique to that tile.
It's definitely better to wait on anything you're not comfortable with. I got impatient for certain things and have overpaid a few times. But I've managed to get almost everything I wanted thanks to help from several people on here. If you're a Discord user, I recommend joining us on there: https://discord.gg/tYkQvuSP (https://discord.gg/tYkQvuSP)
Joined the discord. Yeah my plans are Spielematerial order and wait for the Cundco drop coming at the end of the month.
I am going to have to dig harder to find out what I should play for my ~400 tile mega game.
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I would recommend adding some of the smaller mini expansions to change the core game strategy.
I agree with this. Buy these:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/256004343261
Confirm with the seller that each one includes a crop circle bonus tile, and then you'll also have crop circles.
I shunned the minis for a long time and when I finally played them I actually preferred them to the larger expansions. Getting all 6 for about $120 is a really good value. And you can combine a couple of them and still have a reasonably short game.
Have fun.
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I would recommend adding some of the smaller mini expansions to change the core game strategy.
I agree with this. Buy these:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/256004343261
Confirm with the seller that each one includes a crop circle bonus tile, and then you'll also have crop circles.
I shunned the minis for a long time and when I finally played them I actually preferred them to the larger expansions. Getting all 6 for about $120 is a really good value. And you can combine a couple of them and still have a reasonably short game.
Have fun.
Haha. I'm having fun. My Scottish ancestors are turning over in their graves at that being a value given I just passed up on Big Box 7 several weeks ago :'( which comes with those expansions plus base and the first two big expansions for $47 (yes I passed on this deal was duped by "new edition" base game for $20 instead.) The one big item I'd like to add to the C1 collection is Hills and Sheep, but really pricey in C1.
At this point my master strategy to go Mega is to go C3 for the brunt of everything. This will take time (expansions 3-10 not out) and I'm not ruling out C2, but Big Box C2 as a starting point tends to cost more at this point. I am heavily researching right now on mega plus other favored expansions. As I do this it becomes more and more likely I'm going to want a lot more. The beauty of the C1 starting point you helped on is that I have quite a bit to play while I wait and just adding the C3 Big Box gets me up to nearly 400 tiles and then of course I greedily want 20th Anniversary edition. So that alone is at my (mini) mega limit of 500 tiles.
Its all quite confusing and my estimate of 30 seconds to play one tile does not seem to match up with what some say their 200+ tiles games take (these are mainly ones with most of the expansions in play). I'm trying to have my ducks in a row for the Cundco stuff dropping April 28th. I don't want to miss out on German Castles C3 and Cathedrals seems to be out of print (praying its back in a few days. :-X). For me financially greatly expanding my C1 collection seems problematic, but I'll definitely be getting some C1 stuff if the price is right. For someone new to the game acquiring Carcassonne is quite the complex puzzle especially with it being the dawn of the C3 versions and CMON/Asmodee not exactly leaping in to start releasing this version.
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The larger the board gets the more time it takes to decide where to place it. I set up my laptop for AI to play a 10k tile game, and it was taking over a day for the AI to processes all the moves long before the end. Certainly it was applying some sort of brute force approach, but it gives you an idea of the increasing complexity.
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I can imagine some machine learning for play Carcassonne by a lot of games played online (BGA, JCZ).
But it need some science stuff behind, just for base game. Every new expansion change logic of every meeple / figure / piece placement, imagine for example Barger Surgeons.
So who knows, bambe there will come BoardGamesGPT which will solve everything :)
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The larger the board gets the more time it takes to decide where to place it. I set up my laptop for AI to play a 10k tile game, and it was taking over a day for the AI to processes all the moves long before the end. Certainly it was applying some sort of brute force approach, but it gives you an idea of the increasing complexity.
10,000 tiles? :o The increased analysis time makes sense. What was your balance between expansions and base games for such an endeavor?
I'm getting whipped up for the Cundco drop tomorrow and just saw this:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/spielmaterial?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1390284781
I'd buy direct from them, but just a great way to browse their wares, but they don't show the Carc promos/mini expansions.
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10080 actually:
https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=2541.0
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MegaCarc is about more than just placing tiles too. With more expansions comes more expansion interactions, and scoring gets more complicated.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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MegaCarc is about more than just placing tiles too. With more expansions comes more expansion interactions, and scoring gets more complicated.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yeah I've got another advisor telling me that play time for 250 tiles is going to be more like four hours so I'm probably more mini-Mega material. In short what I'm hearing is that the play time per tile is quickly going to be more like one tile per minute once the game gets bigger/more complicated. So even if you're a Carcassonne God and can play a 280 tile game in 4 hours, taking that to 400 tiles may take another two for a total of 6 hours. :-[ I'm definitely not going to build my collection for a six hour game until I love the 4 hour version.
I'm still hatching my plans around tomorrow and with luck will decide by Sunday on whether to try to go for my C3 deal to go with my current C1 collection. I see a lot of people resisiting the idea of playing C2 Under the Big Top with a C1 set. Maybe I should just snap up C2 version of Big Top plus Hills and Sheep to play with my C1 and not get any C3. I still don't have Mini expansions 1-6 for the most part so that is another conundrum, but maybe that is obtainable in C2.
The deal on mini 1-6 above for $120 in C1 is not such a deal as I'd gladly buy two C3 base games for $47 each and 20th anniverary for $32; total $126. This would give me C3 print and play donor tiles and I bet down the line I could sell off one of the big boxes without the base game tiles pretty easily. So I'd be loaded for bear for Mega for net less money. This whole thing is like ye old Chinese finger trap. :-X
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I largest single game I ever played was 3 base games with about 6 mini expansions, with about 7 players and it took about 4 hours. Number of players is a big factor when you think about opportunities and down-time thinking. How many players are you thinking of playing your large game with?
The 6 C2 mini-expansions are only found in the Big Box; they were never printed as stand alone expansions. If you want them you might as well get the latest C3 Big Box that has them in. I think that and a 20th Anniversary edition, is an excellent strategy to start playing Carcassonne. I've played with all the Big Box tiles ate 2 players and it takes around 90 minutes, but would be a lot shorter if I didn't have to keep checking the fiddlier rules.
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I largest single game I ever played was 3 base games with about 6 mini expansions, with about 7 players and it took about 4 hours. Number of players is a big factor when you think about opportunities and down-time thinking. How many players are you thinking of playing your large game with?
The 6 C2 mini-expansions are only found in the Big Box; they were never printed as stand alone expansions. If you want them you might as well get the latest C3 Big Box that has them in. I think that and a 20th Anniversary edition, is an excellent strategy to start playing Carcassonne. I've played with all the Big Box tiles ate 2 players and it takes around 90 minutes, but would be a lot shorter if I didn't have to keep checking the fiddlier rules.
For the record I already have in my hot little hands in C1, the base plus the first five big expansions and some more odds and ends including Mini 2, Messengers in C1.
Well I think you're on to something (well I'm sure you are.) I believe some of the shorter times are likely people just doubling up on the first two expansions along with the base game. I've been researching a lot, but hadn't tied it all together hoping to post here and the Wizard of Carcassonne would answer all. (you didn't happen to come out from behind a green curtain?) You then might add in some basic small expansions and maybe some of the other more controversial expansions since they would be watered down.
I am playing around with it all and by now it feels like I've read/heard about every single official (not fan-made) expansion. Mega seems like a great tool for balancing some expansions and gives you some great options. I suspect for me that I will be keeping the mega games simple unless I run into a group of Carcassonne fanatics.
I'm usually solo, or three or four players, but I have a newish Agricola buddy (just geekmailed again this week) and not sure where that might lead as we've not gotten together but once and that was to swap parts and sell him the pi expansion from my old set I just bought in December. (Agricola was much easier buy than Carcassonne as selling off the pi-set paid for the original edition, plus farmers, and a few other nicities, but most of it I'm not touching except maybe a couple more items if the price is right.) We've yet to play, but schedules should work well and he has a bigger group of gaming buddies (Agricola) in the area. We might do some two player gaming, probably very likely now that I think about it. So for multiplayer with immediate family it will be three or four players (maybe five or six), but a lighter game and probably no more than three hours in length. The Agricola group I suspect may go for something a bit heavier, but I'll have to be on my game to entice them into Carcassonne with some interesting combination as I suspect a few of them have a least played the base game. The max I'd ever play at home would be 7, maybe 8 well I guess with my topper that can handle over 1000 tiles well I'd stop at 9. In my wildest imagining I could see more, but only on the road and that would definitely be simplified megacarc. Right now I have meeples for six players and I've not seen a really cheap way to expand those sets to other colors (I'll get out some paint if really in a jam. ;) )
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I feel it worth noting that you don't need to play with everything in one game. You can also do different combinations of expansions with the same group of people to keep things fresh and interesting.
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I feel it worth noting that you don't need to play with everything in one game. You can also do different combinations of expansions with the same group of people to keep things fresh and interesting.
I've decided to largely back off on my Mega ambitions. There just is not a lot of clear thoughts on combinations and variations for the mega game and just playing every expansion does not have that much appeal to me, so I'm sitting tight with what I have and probably keeping my eyes open for some more C1 and might pick up some mini expansions. For now since I have a lot in C1 I won't be going with any of the new C3 stuff (but big box and 20th are great ways to go.) :)
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We’ll be eager to see photos and here details on the first games!
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I would recommend adding some of the smaller mini expansions to change the core game strategy.
I agree with this. Buy these:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/256004343261
Confirm with the seller that each one includes a crop circle bonus tile, and then you'll also have crop circles.
I shunned the minis for a long time and when I finally played them I actually preferred them to the larger expansions. Getting all 6 for about $120 is a really good value. And you can combine a couple of them and still have a reasonably short game.
Have fun.
I blame both :o of you for this, and if it had been bid $2 higher I would have lost the auction:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/374674280957
We'll see if its all there and the condition of the tiles, but the boxes in the photos look nearly untouched. Since that link will eventually die, a summary:
1. Big Box 2012 which includes the blasted minis 1-6 plus the first two big box expansion and Corn Circles II.
2. Carcassonne The Princess and the Dragon
3. Carcassonne the Tower
4. Carcassonne Count, King & Robber
5. Carcassonne Bridges, Castles and Bazaars
6. GQ Promos
In my beady little brain I should have landed C3 Big Box with all the same content (plus Abbots and Gardens on the tiles) when it was on sale for $45.40 instead of stupidly buying the "new edition" instead. >:(
So I'm looking for $55 worth of extra value out of this purchase from items 2-6. I did gain watermarked tiles for the first two expansions over what I have and I'm not sure what else. At least I didn't pay $120 just for the mini-expansions. :-\
Update: Everything still had the punched token sheets and got a sealed Phantom meeple set.
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I blame both of you for this...
Blame?! :-[ I was gonna take credit! >:D
Sounds like you put together a very nice collection for not much money.
Hope to see some mega-game photos sometime soon!
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Yes I'm amassing quite a pile right now thanks to you especially and everyone here. I'm under your advisement to just play many, many games before worrying about what I need to keep in the long run. And I've got your secret shopping tip to pursue so the pile still may grow. :@
I'm eager to try my hand at printing and playing via stickers on existing tiles and was hoping to determine some donor tiles from my collection. The Cundco tiles are priced right, but with shipping from Germany I suspect a similar amount of blank tiles compared to big box 4 would cost nearly as much. ::)
My current Mega(lomania) capabilities:
1. Two base games, but not sure if the base game has watermarks to distinguish it from my early edition without water marks.
2. Two Inns & Cathedrals and the one without water marks would only be for mega games because a pain to seperate, but this allows all C1 tiles.
3. Two Traders & Builders - much the same, but really only four of the tiles in the earlier version require a tile manifest (or brain that works like one.)
4. Two Princess & Dragon - here you don't need watermarks and this very easy to seperate since one set will have them.
5. Two of The Tower - ibid
And one of the following.
6. Abbey & Mayor - watermarked (all expansions starting with this one have watermarks?)
7. Count, King, & Robber - watermarked. I've also got the later Count start tile with the extra city on the upper right. (Not the best expansion, but the start tile may be of use for some mega games.)
8. Bridges, Castles, & Bazaars - watermarked. I already have a half set of bridges and castles, so not sure if this will remain, but if it does I'm thinking most of the Bazaar tiles are heading to the print and play glue factory. :(n)
9. The six mini expansions and Crop Circles II
10. Other odds and ends including wind roses starting tile, the labyrinth, and some pig farm tile from GQ promos that is a starting tile? (Two of those I have now.)
This must be a lot of tiles...and I now have over 500 tiles. 8)
I'm all ready for friends now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGwDwx10wB4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7-tskP0OzI