Z-Man Games Carcassone and Inns and Cathedrals Expansion Pack Bundle

I played this game before and I love it.However, the reason for the 3 star review is because of the quality of the tiles. Otherwise it would be a solid 5.My game came with very poorly cut tiles, so when you lay them on the table the roads, cities, etc. do not match by an offset if several mm, giving it a very irritating look. Check the photos to see what I'm talking about.I'm not sure if this qualifies to have another one sent...

Great game.I've been playing the app for several months now and couldn't resist the price drop of £15. I'd been watching the big boxes with more expansions included, but this offer was too good to resist.In the box are the cardboard land tiles. In this set that's 84 ordinary tiles and 12 river tiles. Five sets of wooden meeples and an abbot meeple. Finally a scoreboard, that one meeple travels along to record your score, as you complete cities, roads and monasteries.The game itself is very simple to play. You lay land tiles and choose to lay a meeple or not on one of it's component - field, road, city or monastery. They all have a slightly different scoring system, but if you complete them during the game you get points, if you don't complete, you still get points at the end scoring. The tactics and strategy involved can be complex, giving a 'simple' game a lot of depth.It plays well with two players, but you can play with up to five. My six year old loves it, as it's simple enough for her to play .The graphics and quality of the components is good. The rulebook is well laid out, with plenty of graphics and a good explanationsThe only component I'm slightly disappointed in, is the scpre baord. I'd prefer it go higher than 49.If you've never played before I'd recommend watching some of the You Tube videos's people have made about Carcassonne. There are plenty of reviews, game run throughs and rules explanations. Watching these can help learn the rules quicker and give you ideas on strategies to adopt etc.

This is a fantastic addition to a hugely entertaining game. The inns are all easier to spot once you notice they all have a lake next to them. They make your roads worth more unless you don't complete your road, in which case you lose all your points for it. There are 2 Cathedrals. They fit inside your city, and need to be completely surrounded by it. They increase the value of the city, but if it is not complete at the end, you lose all your points for it.This changes the game-play just enough to make it interesting, but not so much that it feels like a new game, and adds around 15/20 minutes to the game play.The large meeples are great fun - they count as 2 meeples but are otherwise used as normal. There is a full set of pink meeples, including a large meeple and an abbot, to allow for an extra player. Finally, there are some points tiles, which have a 50 on one side and 100 on the other. This helps keep track of score when we score round the board.This works well as a 2 person game, and with more players.

The BEST extension. It's hard to remember playing without it. Turns the calm paced strategic game on its head with a dragon popping out of a volcano and stomping across the landscape eating meeple! There's still strategy to be had but it disrupts the stronger players tactics so that the others get more of a chance and the addition of princesses that can boot knights out, the protective fairy and magic portals for claiming unclaimed features all make this a wonderful twist on a great game. Go for it!

I have quite a few board games and this is my most recent addition. I suffer slightly as most members of my household are not really that bothered about playing any of them that often. Collared my youngest the other day and he played this and afterwards he announced "This is the best one you've got so far dad."He's right - it's just perfect.It's a competitive game but at the same time it's really relaxing - the "board" grows organically as you place your tiles and claim points for cities, roads and monasteries you are building - the tile design is wonderful.The set I bought has 2 expansions and the River is a really nice addition adding additional size to the map.You do need a reasonable sized of table to play on though.I could not recommend this game highly enough - my wife even likes it!

Bought this game as it was cited as a good game for 2-players and above. Since we got it, my partner and I haven't stopped playing it. Rules are easy enough to understand (especially with the help of some very good YouTube videos). Have already bought the first expansion, and am looking forward to getting more. This also went down really well at a boardgames night with 5 players - people were able to pick up the rules quickly and having more people changes the dynamic of gameplay and shakes things up a bit.Gameplay averages 30-45 minutes, depending on how much thought and strategy you put into it, which is about the perfect balance between being involved and not being so long that you get bored and distracted.Definitely for older children and above - and only the patient kids too, as it does require concentration and patience while other players think, and take their turn.

Carcassone is a pretty popular game, and for good reasons. It's easy to setup, easy to play, has some variety, has some strategy and is occasionally a bit random. The production values are still good, with the thick tiles and wooden meeple feeling like they are going to stand up to some abuse.This version had two of the xp (Rivers and Abbott) which add some variety as you learn the game and become better.I don't find the game overly exciting, or tense, or even super strategic and it suffers a little bit from not being as exciting as some more modern games. What it does well is be a nice middle ground between really basic games, and more strategic games. It's a good filler, and doesn't take too long to finish a game.

I've been playing Carcassonne for years - since it first came out, actually. Over the intervening years I've bought most of the expansions that came out (some good, some not so good), and while my gameplay with Carcassonne goes through cycles where it is active for a while, then on the shelf for a while, it's still one of my favorite games. So, looking for a gift for a young friend who's just getting into board games like this, Carcassonne was an obvious choice. Comparing the price of the base game and this Big Box, the value is in the Big Box. There's eleven expansions in the box, and while not all are wonderful, a few definitely make the game more interesting.Carcassonne is easy to learn, but there's a good strategic aspect to it. I know a few people who have a solo variant on their tablet, and they use that to master different strategies to defeat their gaming buddies! The best way to get good at the game, though, is simply to play it a lot. The rules are clear, and while there may be some confusion with expansion rules when trying to play subsets, on the whole this is a great family or adult game. Also, kids seem to like it too, although my experience playing with those under about 15 is limited.

Liked:-30! new tiles (most for a singleExpansion, I believe)- very easy to learn and incorporate into original plus expansions 1&2.- very fun but straight forward new mechanics-simple; not a lot of extra pieces, small parts or tokens.Disliked:-price. For 25-30$, if you catch in on a sale, you get 30 cardboard tiles, two small Wooden pieces and a rules sheet. Seems like an expansion like this could/should be a lot cheaper. Maybe 12-15$.-packaging. While very nice in looks and design, I wish it would just come in a simpler and easier to dispose of packaging. I would think most people don’t keep every small Expansion box when the contents are so small And easy to add to the originals. I end up putting them all in one box to save space. So maybe Save in costs Zman and save me and other space conscious people like me from feeling guilty for throwing out such a nice looking box.

played this game almost 20 years ago and enjoyed it. now i do a casual games night where we play easy to learn and play games. this game is easily one of the more popular ones so far (munchkin also super popular). it is super easy to pick up and play, it took maybe 3 turns for everybody to learn the basics. the map in the first game was pretty chaotic design, but by the 2nd game we looked pro. while its easy to play there are many layers and elements to strategy to keep veteran players invested as well, with blocking or helping opponents, or playing a piece in one area betting your opponent will use his turn to complete another area for you. the game mechanic also makes it so a veteran wont have a huge advantage, since the new person can easily mess up scoring chances accidentally.This box comes with 11 add ons as well, and the instruction book has them all and suggests a progression for adding the expansions so you dont feel lost with tons of new rules or lose the experience of the core game or nuances each expansion brings. one of the things about this item that makes me so happy being OCD for organization is that the box has a plastic insert with spaces to keep each expansion separate and organized, as well as the game pieces. it has a extra room if you need to have more game pieces but it doesnt really have a place for the tiles that would come with it. id have to say that the only thing wrong with this is that it doesnt have room in the box for you to keep other expansions. however youll also probably never need another expansion ever if you get this set.at under $90 for this set, it is an amazing deal you will not regret. it may seen steep for a board game but it will bring you so much more joy. one night i have 3 friends over and play for 4 hours; compare that to 4 people going to see a movie. it would cost about the same but Carcassonne lasts longer and we had way more fun. plus we can bust it out again next week for free. if it gets old we add an expansion, there are 11 of them.

I was going to buy My First Carcassone, but while reading the reviews I saw that someone had recommended just buying this one as you can adjust the game play to make it easier for younger players. My almost six year old loves this game, and so do I! He doesn't want to stop playing it. I might take us longer to start adding expansions in as he doesn't quite grasp the whole strategy play, but he does well enough! Would completely reccomend this game if you are looking for a fun family game to add to your collection.

The game is easy to learn and entertaining. From the first game, though, it is clear that there are tactical skills which will take time to grasp. I get the feeling that it can be much more challenging as players get used to it and develop insight into the tactics involved.This version comes with two "additions" and it seems there are many more which can be bought separately or as a compendium. This, while confusing at first, again gives the sense that the game can grow with the pplayers as they get more experienced and can remain challenging longer than most.My only criticism is hard to describe without seeing the pieces. With some, with "City Walls" on them, it is not always as clear as it should be where they may and may not be played. We stumbled several times in our first games, discovering that a play had been allowed which (perhaps) should not have been. I think we have it now and have enjoyed the game immensely ever since. I will certainly get more of the additions.

Young and old can have a fantastic time with this game. It has been a hit at Thanksgiving (CAN) and at another gathering. It is a bit lucky and a bit strategic and everyone enjoys it a great deal. This edition has the river mini-expansion built in and I am very glad it does. We enjoy starting with the river and I think the game would feel a little less expansive without it.

I bought this after being introduced to the Carcassonne game by friends and became fascinated by it. The basic game is easy to learn, relies on strategy, and each game can be finished in a limited time, without the opportunity to drag on, as in games like "Risk". I went for the "Big Box" set because it includes 11 expansion sets which don't appear to be readily available individually. However, it's important to introduce these extra features one by one, because each of them increases complexity and changes the rules slightly, including the functions and scoring of basic game elements. I highly recommend this set, since it widens the appeal of the basic game and enables more players. I see even more expansion sets in my future!

I've had a lot of fun playing this game in the past, and I was happy to receive this, although the box arrived dented, and the cards were difficult to separate because the serration was insufficient, leading to torn cards. The game is still playable, but it's a small let-down to receive something that is partially damaged.

Carcassone is a great game. This version has everything to start, including some expansions that allow you to play with more people, add tiles and makes it more interesting. I would recommend, if you are a fan of the game already, go for the full edition that brings you all expansions. You'll likely find that this one is missing one or two expansions that you would end up wanting. Having said so, there is nothing wrong with this edition, particularly if you are starting with the game!

This is an interesting board game that is known as the big 4 in some BG communities. The mechanic is fun to learn and play and the style is interesting. The quality is alright, but the price for such a fun game is totally worth it. I highly recommend this board game to add into any collections!

This game is easy to learn and fun to play. There are a couple of rules which could have been explained a bit better. A good game for two people. I like how you can keep score without pencil and paper. OK for my 7 year old but has some cutthroat aspects which we don’t do. The tactics seem simple but the underlying risk reward requires a bit of probability analysis.

El juego es fabuloso, no me mal entiendan con la calificación pero hace poco me llegó uno que compré y los meeples estaban chuecos, se sentían más a plástico que a madera y las piezas de cartón estabán muy mal impresas, se ven todas borrosas. Todos los componentes estaban horribles y la verdad no sé por qué si es un juego tan popular bajaron su calidad de impresión tanto.

My son originally bought this game and we enjoyed it so much we also bought it - and two expansion packs - for when they come to visit. The game tiles are made of heavy cardboard and are robust enough that I think they will last for quite a few years. The "maples" are made of wood and not plastic - great feature. Instructions are easy enough to follow. High recommend.

We love this this game! My four year old is able to play it and it is one that she will be able to continue to grow into for a few years to come. Right now she doesn't have a full sense of strategy on winning but she is beginning to grasp it the more we play. Colourful game, nice pieces and like that it is different each time you play. Highly recommend for board game loving kids.

I purchased this expansion from Amazon Marketplace and shipped by MPlusL. The Carcassone expansion that I received only had Swedish, Danish and Norwegian instructions (the Carcassonne expansion box had the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian flags under the main title). I had to download the English instructions for the Carcassonne expansion from ZMan's website and colour print the four pages as separate 4 by 6 inch photos. Other than that, the components of the expansion (extra tile cards and meeples) were all as expected.