Big Box 4 (Plus 2012) VS Big Box 5 (Plus 2014) what is the best?

[caincarcassonne]

Hello.
I never played at Carcassonne, but I would buy to play with my friends who are young still.
But I do not want to buy the basic version, I would buy a more complete version (with the expansions) ie, the Big Box.
But I hesitate which of them: Big Box 4 (Carcassonne Plus 2012) or Big Box 5 (Carcassonne Plus 2014).
I read that said the Big Box 5 was lower than the Big Box 4 because it was bringing less tiles and all miniexpansiones were removed, and the best thing is that you could play with up to 8 players. Although I only need to play with 3 or 4 people (with me we are 5) who are a more cohesive group that we almost always have to meet in the same place.
Well, you tell me what are the PROS and CONS of Carcassonne Big Box 4 (Carcassonne Plus 2012) and Big Box 5 (Carcassonne Plus 2014). And also tell me which of the two should I buy.

Linkback: https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=1679.0

[Meep]

You can't go wrong with either of these boxes. They both have T&B and I&C which are great expansions that rarely sit out during my games. Here are some thoughts on each as they come to me.

Big Box 4 - The mini-expansions are weak...the Ferries and Goldmines are the only ones I consider but I don't find myself playing with these too often.

Big Box 5 - The two extra colors provided in Box 5 are nice but I think the game starts to loose some of it's magic when adding more than five players. Hills and Sheep is a good expansion that I use frequently because of the vineyard feature. The River mini-expansion included is a plus, it has two vineyard features and sets up a nice starting area before the game unfolds. The Wheel of Fortune could be fun for your group as it adds a bit more randomness and some chaos to the game. Also the extra tiles provided in the Wheel of Fortune feature unique combinations not found in the base game alone.

So...I'd say the variety found in Box 4 dilutes the game and I think Box 5 provides for a better experience. (If you choose Box 5, I wouldn't play with the Shepherd/Sheep until you have a few games in and even then I would question using it.)

[quevy]

I also think that the best choice is the big box 5, whereas the mini are available and have an affordable price, you might consider buying them later to change the game.

[Decar]

Get BB5 - Rivers is quite hard to come by on its own. Hills and Sheep is a good expansion and Wheel of Fortune is difficult to come by on its own. The extra meeple just means you have more  colours to choose from with your friends and if they are younger.... less squabbles.

BB4 - The 6 mini expansions are still easy to buy. So if you're not sure you can pick them all up for around £25 here in the UK. Less if you look harder.

Last time I played with all the BB4 tiles we had to keep double checking rules because there were so many to juggle. I think BB5 contains a more coherent set of rules to play at the same time.

Hope that helps.

Edit: Had some more thoughts:

How many players do you think you'll have?

Like Dan says below: if you want to add one or two of the mini expansions from BB4 to the core game (maybe with Inns and Cathedrals + Traders & Builders) you'll get an interesting game.  Adding all of them at once is a lot to handle for new players and can slow down the game.

In BB5 the WoF includes some additional tiles which can be used with the base game, even if you're not using WoF itself.  But I suppose that is true of most of the minis in BB4.

Have you looked over the rules for all the expansions; do any take your fancy?

You can download the rules here:
BB5: http://zmangames.com/product-details.php?id=1662
BB4: http://zmangames.com/product-details.php?id=1093

[Jéré]

BB5 without hesitation.

[SRBO]

I Find that BB4 had more options in it.., although BB5 has some unique parts..

So well..

I've got them both 

[Hounk]

I got BB4 and one thing to consider with that edition is, that the tiles are darker and thinner than in most of the others. So to further expand BB5 might be the better choice, although I think the minis are by far a more interesting addition than the Wheel. I also think, the 7th and 8th color in BB5 are a mixed bag, because I rather assume, that they will come only with the meeples needed for the included expansions. So, if you get later for instance "Abbey and Mayor", the sets won't be complete. But since you don't want to play with more than 5 people, this won't bother you anyway.

[danisthirty]

Since the basic game, Inns & Cathedrals and Traders & Builders come in both we can exclude them from the comparison and say would you rather have:

BB4: Minis 1 - 7

or

BB5: River (3), Wheel of Fortune and Sheep & Hills

If it was a question of which box would lead to a more interesting game if you play with everything at once then I'd definitely agree that BB5 has the edge. But, if I was new to Carcassonne and was interested in keeping things relatively small for the time being, but was interested in adding a couple of smaller expansions every now and then to vary the game and experiment with what my group likes then I'd say BB4 has way more options...

It sounds to me like the original post is more in the second camp so I'd recommend BB4 in this case, even if the expansions by themselves are easier to get hold of than those that come with BB5.

Good luck with whatever you choose, I'm sure you'll love whatever you end up going for, they're both great sets! 

[ooh_jim]

I was sort of in this position and ended up with bb5.

I bought a copy of big box 4 as my first carcassonne game, but this was just after the next version was released, and it was box five they actually sent me by mistake (I tried to get some money back claiming I was receiving fewer expansions but they didn't bite).

I looked up the reviews and price differences of the differing contents, and decided that five was actually a much better deal for me so I hung onto it in stead of sending it back to be swapped. Having since bought all of the other expansions, I agree with the points people have made above: it has a good mix of mechanics suitable for first time players and a decent game of megacarc; furthermore, when you inevitably decide you need every expansion ever, it works out far cheaper in the long run.

[caincarcassonne]

Hello.
Thank you very much to all of you for sharing your opinions!
Now I think I already decided!
I think it's definitely the Big Box 5 on I want.
The Hills and Sheeps add new tokens that seem more interesting. It also adds the River that looks like something more unique and not all Big Box 4 minis I found interesting. Anyway, later I could buy only the mini that to me seems more interesting of all minis.
I do not want just to play, I also want a Carcassonne as a collection (in my country it does not sell none in nowhere). I am convinced that the Big Box 5 fulfills better both functions: a boardgame more rare to collect and fun to play with youngsters.

I got BB4 and one thing to consider with that edition is, that the tiles are darker and thinner than in most of the others. So to further expand BB5 might be the better choice

That I already heard on another website. That also helped me decide by the BB5.
Size is also important, because if they are smaller means they are easier to get lost, and it has happened to me with chess pieces many times and I lost it and not found more.


Thanks to all you!

[Jéré]

FYI caincarcassonne:
http://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=1655.msg22047#msg22047

[SRBO]

(in my country it does not sell none in nowhere).

so, its doesnt sell anywhere?