Carcassonne - new Edition - Is that true?

[Whaleyland]

Upgrading the graphics in games is a growing trend, though. In most cases, the games remain upgraded and new expansions get released with those new graphics.

Just off the top of my head, these games all got released with old expansions re-released with new graphics:

Pandemic
– On the Brink
Catan
– Seafarers
– Cities & Knights

While these games got re-released without addressing previous expansions:
Rivals for Catan
The Lord of the Rings (Knizia)

Those are just ones from my collection. Not a lot, I admit. Some companies also release special editions of games used just in trying to market to new crowds like the Settlers of Catan Gallery Edition that features a pre-set map. The game works fine by itself but doesn't have any expansions and isn't directly compatible with any other Catan thing (at least officially).

It could be that Carcassonne 2.0 is really just a one time special edition to try to market to new customers. This isn't unprecedented. Granted, it could also be an entire reboot of the series, where previous expansions will be released in entirely new orders or organized in completely new ways.

kettlefish, any hints to the long-term plans regarding these new graphics?

[Gerry]

The change in graphics has me confused on how it will affect the expansions, am I expected to get everything again in the new graphics or will it me a case of Mix and Not Match?

I was happy to buy the winter edition (just a couple of weeks ago) as I saw it as a free standing, basic version of the game.   I normally play with my son and we take the game seriously but I thought the winter version would be great to get out at xmas to play a basic seasonal game with the whole family.

[danisthirty]

I was happy to buy the winter edition (just a couple of weeks ago) as I saw it as a free standing, basic version of the game.   I normally play with my son and we take the game seriously but I thought the winter version would be great to get out at xmas to play a basic seasonal game with the whole family.

I like the Winter edition too. In fact, I've just ordered the following to make it feel even more festive this year:

http://www.meeplesource.com/proddetail.php?prod=Frosty-1
http://www.meeplesource.com/proddetail.php?prod=Santa-1
http://www.meeplesource.com/proddetail.php?prod=SantaElf9PieceSet

[Rosco]

Very cool Dan

[coyote]

But at the end of the day, I'm still a fan and will buy this new edition for my collection. I may not understand the rationale behind their decision, but getting mad about it doesn't help anything.

Interesting.. I agree with just about everything you say, *except* this part.

I don't play Carcassonne to win, or for points. Me and my family play to make maps. See what cities we can come up with, what roads we can build. Sure, there's competition in it - I'm working on mine, they're working on theirs - but we are more interested in trying to fill that one spot that's been empty since the start of the game.

Because of that, I have absolutely no reason to buy this version. The different look in the art will make them stand out and ruin the continuity of the map (world) we're building.


Now, that aside, the artwork's not bad, I'd like to see a closeup, because the bright blue and red spots (someone called them roofs?) really stand our and look like someone sneezed glitter over my tiles..!

And, finally, I'll add my vote to the limited distrubution of the expansions to annoy me as well, but less so than the change in tile artwork.

[henrysunset]

I cannot imagine why they would do this.  The original art is very good quality, and it will be the final straw for some fans who still buy each new expansion even if they only play it a couple times.  Carcassonne is a classic game, but it is very likely on the downward slope of it's popularity in a competitive landscape of other great Euro games.  Changing the art going forward feels like a way to alienate existing fans without growing the fanbase by a meaningful amount.

I'm certainly not buying a new base game to ensure it matches with future expansions.  I probably will stop making tuckboxes if the art changes and they re-release the old expansions while creating new ones.

My 0.02$.
---tom

[DaFees]

If you ask me I think this new artwork, while pretty, is a bad move. I feel it serves only to alienate their current fan base. I also feel it isn't the right move in trying to get more players into the game. I mean, sure, we've all come into the game in some way or another either by being introduced to the game by a friend, reading about/watching reviews of it online or seeing it on the shelves of our local game store. This is where my point comes in. If you want to appeal to a wider audience then how about putting the game in places where people will actually know it exists.

First of all, not everyone shops on Amazon or online in general and two, not everyone has a friendly local game store. Now, yes I have seen the base game in Barnes & Noble stores (chain bookstore that also sells games for those not familiar with this American company) but again not everyone has one of those in their town. Maybe the publishers have their reasons but if you ask me I think getting the game into places like Target (Another American chain store) would do more for getting people into the game versus doing new artwork.

All this is only part of the problem with this new edition. The other problem is that this new edition includes a new mini expansion not available anywhere else, at least for now anyways. I, like everyone else here, am not a fan of this sort of move. I'd really like to add the Wheel of Fortune to my collection but I certainly do not want to purchase the Big Box 5 just to be able to do so. In instances like this I look the world of phones and tablets. Whether you are an Android fan or an iOS fan you can find Carcassonne on either platform. As I am an iOS man myself I'll use the iOS app for my example.

If I hop on the Apple App Store right now I will find Carcassonne available to buy. So when I buy it I get the base game and then I can buy select expansions from with in the game itself. Well see here's the thing. If I'm someone new looking to buy this app it doesn't matter whether I buy it today, tomorrow, a month from now, a year from now or even 3 years from now because the available expansions aren't going anywhere. It isn't like I'll wake up tomorrow and suddenly I can no longer get Traders & Builders from within the app. My point is that every year the developers behind this app put out 1 or 2 new expansions for the game and when they do I know I can just hop right into the app and get it. I don't have to RE-BUY the base app or I don't have to buy some special thing that already includes expansions I have. See with this app you can't really force users to purchase something they already have to get something they don't.

There is a lot more I could say about this app and how it could potentially impact the physical game both positively and negatively but I think I'll save all that for another post.

[SRBO]

All this is only part of the problem with this new edition. The other problem is that this new edition includes a new mini expansion not available anywhere else, at least for now anyways. I, like everyone else here, am not a fan of this sort of move. I'd really like to add the Wheel of Fortune to my collection but I certainly do not want to purchase the Big Box 5 just to be able to do so. In instances like this I look the world of phones and tablets. Whether you are an Android fan or an iOS fan you can find Carcassonne on either platform. As I am an iOS man myself I'll use the iOS app for my example.

Wheel of fortune is available in some countrys

[DaFees]

Wheel of fortune is available in some countrys

You're right, and call me weird, but I kinda prefer to have everything under one publisher if I can.

[SRBO]

Wheel of fortune is available in some countrys

You're right, and call me weird, but I kinda prefer to have everything under one publisher if I can.

Not weird at all, Except from the rare mini's i have also everything from the same.

[danisthirty]

Wheel of fortune is available in some countrys

You're right, and call me weird, but I kinda prefer to have everything under one publisher if I can.

Like collecting everything regardless of publisher isn't difficult enough already! Well done for going the extra mile! 

[Whaleyland]

Wheel of fortune is available in some countrys

You're right, and call me weird, but I kinda prefer to have everything under one publisher if I can.

Like collecting everything regardless of publisher isn't difficult enough already! Well done for going the extra mile! 

Yeah, I mostly stuck to Rio Grande for everything until Z-Man took over. I've got plenty of Hans im Glück items, though, since so much wasn't released by RGG. Unless ZMG releases something unique, I'll probably stick with HiG for everything now. I only use the CAR for rules anyway, so translations are never a problem. My Hills & Sheep are HiG and my Minis are RGG.

[kettlefish]

...
It could be that Carcassonne 2.0 is really just a one time special edition to try to market to new customers. This isn't unprecedented. Granted, it could also be an entire reboot of the series, where previous expansions will be released in entirely new orders or organized in completely new ways.

kettlefish, any hints to the long-term plans regarding these new graphics?

Hi whaleyland,
I am not sure if I like to ask HiG this.

[Whaleyland]

...
It could be that Carcassonne 2.0 is really just a one time special edition to try to market to new customers. This isn't unprecedented. Granted, it could also be an entire reboot of the series, where previous expansions will be released in entirely new orders or organized in completely new ways.

kettlefish, any hints to the long-term plans regarding these new graphics?

Hi whaleyland,
I am not sure if I like to ask HiG this.

kettlefish, I'd appreciate any new insights on this new version that you can discover, as I'm sure many of the rest of us would. I think many of us want to know if this is a one-off thing or if all future expansions are going to be with the new graphics.

[kettlefish]

here comes an example question and answer - HiG facebook - (translation by bing translator):

question from Rebecca Fröhlich:

Will still more extensions be available for the old Carcassonne games?...

answer HiG facebook - 18.09.2014  2:29pm:

Hi..., that is not yet 100% clear.