Author Topic: Carcassonne English Release History (Read 2867 times)

chris6507 · « **on:** December 29, 2021, 06:51:50 PM »

Does anyone know the release history of the English Carcassonne expansions? The things I'm wondering are:
1. When did Carcassonne tiles start having the expansion symbols on them?
2. For the earlier expansions are there releases outside of the big boxes that have the symbols on them?
3. Wikipedia says that German versions are made by Hans Im Gluck and English versions are made by Rio Grande Games. Is there a reason that my English copies of Catapult and Bridges, Castles and Bazaars are made by Hans Im Gluck?
Thanks! :-D

Linkback: https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=5641.0

Willem · « **Reply #1 on:** December 29, 2021, 11:25:42 PM »

Hi!

Let's see if I can help;
1.
The expansions started to get symbols on them from the release of BB1. This was in 2006, a while after The Tower came out on its own. After the release of BB1, reprints of the first 4 expansions started to have symbols on them as well

2.
Yes and no. You can find English releases of the first 4 expansions with and without watermarks. As mentioned, before BB1 came out, expansions were printed without watermarks, after BB1 came out, reprints added watermarks

3.
HiG is the (German) original publisher of the game. They had licensed the publishing and distribution to other publishers for other countries, but almost always you will find their logo on the boxes. Rio Grande Games had the license for Carcassonne for many years, before it switched to ZMG. It is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of which publisher produced which expansion, which some done by both (the more popular first expansions for example).
As far as I know, Catapult and B,C&B have only been released in English by RGG. Could you check on your boxes if the RGG logo might be on the front, and HiG on the back? Often the HiG logo is printed on the back. Maybe you can post some pictures here?

chris6507 · « **Reply #2 on:** December 30, 2021, 12:08:17 AM »

Thanks for your responses, I just recently got big box 5, so The only ones I don't have with symbols on them now are Princess and Dragon and The Tower. The are feeling a little odd next to everything else now. Lol. But probably not really worth tracking down a copy with the symbols.
I'm kind of just going to awkwardly slink back into my corner in relation to the third question... You were right. I turned the box around and it had Rio Grande Games! I was just looking at them all sitting on my shelf and got puzzled. :-D I'm going to blame exhaustion from moving house!

Willem · « **Reply #3 on:** December 30, 2021, 02:07:25 AM »

Glad to help
And a bit funny how you can't be bothered to try and get expansions with watermarks, where some people will try to actively look for those without. A few years back I spent some time getting all the expansions without watermarks as well.

And no worries, sometimes they hide things from us! Hahaha

Challa007 · « **Reply #4 on:** December 30, 2021, 02:16:22 AM »

Quote from: Willem on December 30, 2021, 02:07:25 AM

And no worries, sometimes they hide things from us! Hahaha

Who is "they" ?? (looking over my shoulders to see if anybody is there...)

DIN0 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 30, 2021, 02:24:36 AM »

Quote

where some people will try to actively look for those without

Exactly! I am still looking for a Exp. 2 Traders and Builders without watermark.

chris6507 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 30, 2021, 02:31:09 AM »

Why are the ones without sought after? I like things to all match, and thought having the symbols would be the only way to do that? I purchased most of my games in 2008, so everything prior to Abbey & Mayor are without. Towers, Dragon and Traders were all easy enough to sort out as every part has an identifying feature. Inns & Cathedrals was annoying as it had a few pieces with nothing identifying. Also, probably devalued my tiles, but put a little I & II on my river tiles so I could tell them apart.

danisthirty · « **Reply #7 on:** December 30, 2021, 02:52:44 AM »

Quote from: chris6507 on December 30, 2021, 02:31:09 AM

Why are the ones without sought after? I like things to all match, and thought having the symbols would be the only way to do that? I purchased most of my games in 2008, so everything prior to Abbey & Mayor are without. Towers, Dragon and Traders were all easy enough to sort out as every part has an identifying feature. Inns & Cathedrals was annoying as it had a few pieces with nothing identifying. Also, probably devalued my tiles, but put a little I & II on my river tiles so I could tell them apart.

Probably safest not to go looking for reason or sense in the minds of the uber-completionists. They'll find you if you do...

DIN0 · « **Reply #8 on:** December 30, 2021, 04:06:14 AM »

I'm already here

kothmann · « **Reply #9 on:** December 30, 2021, 05:15:55 AM »

Quote from: Willem on December 30, 2021, 02:07:25 AM

where some people will try to actively look for those without….

I definitely prefer without for the aesthetics. But for those who need a justification, sorting the tiles without watermarks helps you learn the tile distribution. With just base game + I&C, are you trapped if you need CFCR or CRCR? Does Traders include CRFF or CFFR? Sort the tiles for a few years and you’ll know right away!

The Carcassonne Limited Edition included just I&C, T&B and river in a beautiful box, no watermarks. If I had to own just one thing, or help someone start a C1 collection, that would be my pick. And it’s pretty cheap on ebay from time to time.

Quote from: chris6507 on December 30, 2021, 12:08:17 AM

The only ones I don't have with symbols on them now are Princess and Dragon and The Tower

Of course there’s no logic to getting these, since the tile markings are sufficient, but I recently acquired P&D no watermarks, and I didn’t know watermarkless Tower existed… oh boy…

Willem · « **Reply #10 on:** December 30, 2021, 05:28:50 AM »

Quote from: DIN0 on December 30, 2021, 02:24:36 AM

Quote
where some people will try to actively look for those without
Exactly! I am still looking for a Exp. 2 Traders and Builders without watermark.

Help remind me in after Jan 10th to check; I might have this one for you. I know I've got multiples of some expansions without watermarks, just don't know off by head which ones. (And help remind me to put my inventory file on Google drive so I can access it remotely

)

DIN0 · « **Reply #11 on:** December 30, 2021, 07:31:02 AM »

Oh that's great, thanks!

I'll remind you.

Meepledrone · « **Reply #12 on:** December 30, 2021, 12:22:28 PM »

This was the last piece in my C1 collection: Expansions 1-4 without symbols... Don't ask for any rational reason.

Whaleyland · « **Reply #13 on:** December 30, 2021, 02:20:57 PM »

Back when I used to update the BGG wiki entry for Carcassonne, I paid attention to this sort of thing. I haven't done so for a while, but I think this is the complete list of German- and English-language Doris Matthäus expansions that have been produced without watermarks:

Carcassonne
The River (never printed with watermark until Big Box 5 [2014])
Inns & Cathedrals
Carcassonne Limited Edition (2003)
Trader & Builder
The Princess & the Dragon
The Tower
Games Quarterly Mini Expansion
The King and the Robber Baron (reprinted with watermark in Count, King & Cult)
The River II (reprinted with watermark in Count, King & Cult)
Cult, Siege & Creativity (Cult printed with watermark in Count, King & Cult, and Spielbox; Siege printed with watermark and new art in The Besiegers)
The School
The Windroses (both versions)
The Cathars (if you don't count the Cathar icon as a watermark [I don't])
The Festival (I don't consider the stylised fireworks a watermark)