Posted May 19, 2023
I love my Carcassonne tiles, but I have found that the field rules are very obtuse and hard to communicate.
I have found it is much more enjoyable to remove the fields entirely for new and experienced players.
To compensate for reduced opportunities, and because roads are less satisfying in the base game, we give double points to "circle roads" (a closed road with only 0 or 1 intersection, the simplest of which is a 4 square circle). These roads are easy to construct, but also easy to mess up for others, which makes them a lot of fun.
We came upon the "circle roads" rule years ago, by discovering each player at the table had an OCD interest in constructing them, despite them not being worth extra points. We took a table vote, and it's been a rule ever since.
Getting rid of fields usually means running out of meeples is rare, so we reduce the meeple count, usually by 2, but less for young players, and more as a handicap.
We optionally start the map with the river tiles, but have not found any of the other expansions to add much to the game. For a crazy game, we will just mix them in and get more paradoxes. I have also experimented with the river from two sets.
I've never shared these rules online, and I thought I'd leave this here in case anyone else can benefit from them. I think they really refine the game better than the official expansions, and are more timeless and friendly to young and varied players.
Enjoy.
I have found it is much more enjoyable to remove the fields entirely for new and experienced players.
To compensate for reduced opportunities, and because roads are less satisfying in the base game, we give double points to "circle roads" (a closed road with only 0 or 1 intersection, the simplest of which is a 4 square circle). These roads are easy to construct, but also easy to mess up for others, which makes them a lot of fun.
We came upon the "circle roads" rule years ago, by discovering each player at the table had an OCD interest in constructing them, despite them not being worth extra points. We took a table vote, and it's been a rule ever since.
Getting rid of fields usually means running out of meeples is rare, so we reduce the meeple count, usually by 2, but less for young players, and more as a handicap.
We optionally start the map with the river tiles, but have not found any of the other expansions to add much to the game. For a crazy game, we will just mix them in and get more paradoxes. I have also experimented with the river from two sets.
I've never shared these rules online, and I thought I'd leave this here in case anyone else can benefit from them. I think they really refine the game better than the official expansions, and are more timeless and friendly to young and varied players.
Enjoy.
Post edited May 19, 2023 by jiminitaur