There are simple games, and there are great games, and there are games that are nearly universally loved by those who play them. There aren’t many that tick all three boxes. Ticket to Ride is entertaining, but not really deep. Settlers of Catan is an amalgam of stodgy mechanics that have all been done better by many other games. Dominion may have started the deck building craze, but that craze has led to many better versions. Carcassonne? It’s simple, approachable, and somehow manages to make me smile every time I play. It’s a beautiful set of mechanics that work with beginners and experts, and has a raft of expansions that add depth in surprising and remarkable ways.
Carcassonne has players place meeples on an ever-expanding board of pastures, rivers, chapels, and castles. Each turn, players will draw a new tile, place it on the board, and decide whether to place one of their meeples. As various roads and castles are completed, whichever player has control earns a chunk of points. At the end of the game, players will earn a paltry few points for incompleted structures. That’s essentially the game. But masked in these simple rules is a pile of challenging decisions. Do you risk going for a larger structure, knowing that the pile of unused tiles is dwindling? Do you quickly snap up several small castles and roads, gobbling up tiny chunks of points? Is it okay to tear your hair out by the roots when your opponent gets the tile you’ve been waiting through the entire game for, and places it in a stupid stupid place that is stupid?
With a flawlessly executed iOS and Android apps, Carcassonne has probably drained my phone’s battery more than any other app, but if that’s the only way that you’ve experienced this game, you’re missing out. The sense of creation is one of the most compelling elements in board games, and sitting with your friends and watching a lovely pastoral landscape sprawl across the table is tremendously satisfying. It’s such a simple experience, but in every place of a tile is a scramble for position and advantage, a fight to force the world to develop in the way that suits you best.
Carcassonne might not have the flash of many of the games on this list, but it has one simple advantage: it’s essentially perfect. It’s a beautiful blend of mechanics and theme that works on every level, and it’s as approachable as any other game out there.
- Dietrich Stogner
Carcassonne has players place meeples on an ever-expanding board of pastures, rivers, chapels, and castles. Each turn, players will draw a new tile, place it on the board, and decide whether to place one of their meeples. As various roads and castles are completed, whichever player has control earns a chunk of points. At the end of the game, players will earn a paltry few points for incompleted structures. That’s essentially the game. But masked in these simple rules is a pile of challenging decisions. Do you risk going for a larger structure, knowing that the pile of unused tiles is dwindling? Do you quickly snap up several small castles and roads, gobbling up tiny chunks of points? Is it okay to tear your hair out by the roots when your opponent gets the tile you’ve been waiting through the entire game for, and places it in a stupid stupid place that is stupid?
With a flawlessly executed iOS and Android apps, Carcassonne has probably drained my phone’s battery more than any other app, but if that’s the only way that you’ve experienced this game, you’re missing out. The sense of creation is one of the most compelling elements in board games, and sitting with your friends and watching a lovely pastoral landscape sprawl across the table is tremendously satisfying. It’s such a simple experience, but in every place of a tile is a scramble for position and advantage, a fight to force the world to develop in the way that suits you best.
Carcassonne might not have the flash of many of the games on this list, but it has one simple advantage: it’s essentially perfect. It’s a beautiful blend of mechanics and theme that works on every level, and it’s as approachable as any other game out there.
- Dietrich Stogner
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