Mar 06, 2018 Strategy is not all about mathematics in a game like Carcassonne where the meta can also take effect. There is also how the other players play, as well as a smattering of luck built in around choosing the tiles you need each turn. Carcassonne is considered to be an excellent 'gateway game' by many board game players as it is a game that can be used to introduce new players to board games. The rules are simple, no one is ever eliminated, and the play is fast. A typical game, without any expansions, takes about 45 minutes to play. If you’re looking to move away from traditional board games and find something more challenging, learning how to play Carcassonne is a step in the right direction. In this award-winning tile laying game named after the famous and fortified French city, players attempt to score points by occupying farmland and constructing roads, cloisters, and cities. This site is dedicated to promoting board games. Through extensive research, we bring everything you need to know about board games. Our mission is to produce engaging articles like reviews, tips and tricks, game rules, strategies, etc. If you like a board game, please consider to buy it. A Brief Carcassonne Strategy Guide: Carcassonne has become somewhat of an epidemic at my house in the past several months. There is a group of three to five of us who play it at several times a week. It seems like Carcassonne is about they only thing the groups wants to play.
- Carcassonne Board Game Strategy 2017
- Carcassonne Board Game Strategy Games
- Carcassonne Board Game Online
-
Put farmers on valuable farms
If people are building smaller cities, then it's good to get farmers in early and monopolize the farms. You can score a lot of points at the end.Farms are often the biggest scorer in many games. -
Use followers Efficiently
They're your only renewable resource for scoring points. A good starting point for your 7 meeples would be:- 3 for long-term goals: cloisters, farms, and large cities
- 3 for short-term goals: roads and small cities
- 1 in reserve for instant scoring
-
Strand your opponent's followers
When you place a piece and you can't do much with it, place it to hinder your opponent.If he is trying to complete a city and you weren't able to figure out a way to share it, then place a tile next to the potential closing piece because it will limit his options. -
Place your followers and get them back quickly
Try to maximize your follower's throughput and don't place them on tiles where you won't see them again until the end of the game.The basic principle is you want each follower to do as much work as possible rather than being stranded on incomplete towns, roads, and monasteries or farming an area that will never be developed.Put followers on:- Cities that can get completed easily.
- The same with roads.
- Monasteries are great in the beginning but not in the midpoint or endgame.
- Don't worry about farms too much at the start, but focus on them later in the game when a few cities have taken shape.
-
Have a spare follower
Always keep one follower for quick 'place and score' wins, like 4-point cities and short roads. -
Keep practicing
As with most games, you can only get better with practice. When I first began playing, I was breaking 100 points a game on average.After learning exactly what scored what and being able to predict, I was scoring up to 150 to 180 points a game. -
Things to remind yourself
Ask yourself (and answer) the following questions:- How many points will you expect to earn with this move?
- How much of that will be because your opponents have helped out?
- How many moves are left in the game?
- How difficult is it to complete something?
-
Build Big and Complete
In general, it's a solid strategy to build and complete as many large things.Building up your segments fast and effectively and avoid wasting tile placements that don't immediately benefit or protect your segments.But be still careful not to get too ambitious since you will eventually have to complete everything on time. -
Improve your odds.
It takes luck to draw great tiles all the time but you can still improve your chances:- Work on a couple of projects requiring different tiles at the same time (big city and long road).
- Know the tiles that don't exist or the tiles that are not anymore available.
- Expand outward because it's easier to place tiles when they are not touching other tiles.
-
Don't underestimate Cities
If you can focus on cites, do it. The returns can swing the game, even when someone has played a farm heavy game! -
Play different
If the other players are engaged in farm wars, leave them be and focus on cities.No one picking up on farms? Get a few farms.Do whatever the other's aren't doing and try to stay ahead of the pack this way.
Next Page
Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about ourreview process here.We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.
Our Top Picks
Best Overall: Catan at Amazon
'Reviewers call the game addicting and love that the board is always changing.'
Runner Up, Best Overall:7 Wonders at Amazon
'This game takes a lot of thinking but the gameplay is relatively quick.'
Best Budget: Mastermind at Amazon
'Fun for the whole family and a great way to teach critical thinking skills.'
Best Cooperative:Betrayal at House on Hill at Amazon
'Players work together and strategize to achieve a goal—and win.'
Best for Beginners: Carcassonne at Amazon
Carcassonne Board Game Strategy 2017
'This tile-laying game is easy to pick up but provides rich gameplay.'
Best for Adults:Pandemic at Amazon
![Board Board](/uploads/1/2/6/6/126603456/521794306.jpg)
'Requires oodles of strategy as you race to cure infectious diseases.'
Bottom LineDocX Viewer is a good tool if you're unable to open DOCX files on your own any other way. There isn't much of a Help file, but even novice users probably won't run into trouble without any guidance.Printing and copying: Documents printed from the app come out with all formatting and margins intact. And while you can't edit or mark up documents in this app, you can quickly copy and paste all of the text from a file into another word processing program, so you can work on it there. ConsDownload access: During testing, we were unable to access our computer's Downloads folder from the app's finder, which seemed odd since most of the files you'd be using it to open would probably be downloads from emails or the Internet.
In order to open a document through the software, we needed to move it into another folder first, and then access it from there, which seems like an unnecessarily complicated process.
![Free docx software download Free docx software download](http://cdn.onlinewebfonts.com/svg/img_672.png)
Best for Families:Labyrinth at Amazon
![Carcassonne board game expansion sets Carcassonne board game expansion sets](/uploads/1/2/6/6/126603456/270153020.jpg)
'Will keep both kids and adults entertained, and each round is quick.'
Carcassonne Board Game Strategy Games
Best for Two Players:Blokus Duo at Amazon
Carcassonne Board Game Online
'A two-person adaptation of the original Blokus that's challenging and fun.'
-
Best Overall: Catan
One of the most popular strategy board games right now is Catan, and for good reason. This unique game is praised for its addicting gameplay and impressive replay value.Catan is designed for three to four players (though expansion packs allow you to play with up to six people), and each game takes around an hour. To play, each person build settlements around the island, which is composed of randomly arranged hexagon-shaped pieces that allow for a different board layout every time. While there is some luck involved, Catan requires a lot of strategy if you want to come out on top. You must anticipate which resources will be most valuable as you build and make sure you're paying attention to what other players are doing to keep them from getting ahead. -
Runner Up, Best Overall: 7 Wonders
Another extremely popular strategy board game that will never get old is 7 Wonders. Similar to Catan, you must have a long-term strategy as you play this highly-rated game, and what makes it particularly fun is you never know who's going to win.You can play 7 Wonders with three to seven people, and each game takes around 30 minutes. Reviewers note that the instructions often seem a bit overwhelming when you first read them, but once you get the hang of the game, it will fly by as you draft cards, build your city, construct architectural wonders and vie for military supremacy.Reviewers love that this game takes a lot of thinking, yet gameplay is relatively quick. Many enjoy that you might think one person is in the lead, but you never know who will come out on top when you tally up the points. Wd 4tb external hard drive manual. Some even go as far as to call it the best board game they’ve ever played! -
Best Budget: Mastermind
Many modern board games are rather expensive, costing $50 or more! Windows xfs driver. If you're looking for a strategy game to get your mind working but don't want to pay that much, you should look into Mastermind.This classic game is played with two people, the code maker and the code breaker. In the simple, quick gameplay, players take turns setting and solving secret codes with colored pegs. There are more than 2,000 possible combinations, and you'll need to use deductive reasoning and logic to crack your opponent's code in 10 moves or less—otherwise, they get the points!According to reviewers, Mastermind is fun for the whole family and a great way to teach critical thinking skills. However, several note the quality of the case and pegs is not the best. -
Best Cooperative: Betrayal at House on Hill
In cooperative board games, players work together to achieve a goal, instead of competing against one another. If you're looking for a strategy-based cooperative game, you should definitely consider Betrayal at House on Hill.This board game requires three to six players and takes around 60 minutes to play. You begin by exploring the creepy haunted house together, until one player “betrays” the group. Everyone must then work together to defeat the defector—or else you lose! Reviewers say it takes a little while to pick up the rules of Betrayal at House on Hill, but many enjoy that there are a host of various scenarios and different layouts with every game, which keep it interesting. -
Best for Beginners: Carcassonne
If you're new to a strategy board games, many people recommend the top-rated game Carcassonne as a starting point. This tile-laying game is easy to pick up, but provides rich gameplay that you’re sure to enjoy.Carcassonne can be played with two to five people, ages 8 and up, and each game takes around 35 minutes. The premise of the game is to develop a medieval fortress city, laying down one tile at a time, and gathering up followers to populate it. However, at the same time, you must pay attention to what your opponents are doing, blocking their progress or stealing their points when you can.According to reviewers, this makes a great two-player strategy game, and many say it’s easy to set up and understand—perfect for beginners. Plus, there are expansion packs available to make gameplay more complex once you’ve mastered the base game. -
Best for Adults: Pandemic
If you’re looking for a challenging board game for adults, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by Pandemic. This cooperative board game requires oodles of strategy as you race to cure infectious diseases that are wreaking havoc across the world.Pandemic can be played with two to four players, and each game takes around an hour. All players must work together to contain and cure four diseases that are spreading across the globe, but it requires a bit of strategy to stay ahead of outbreaks. If you don’t work quickly enough, an epidemic will strike, setting back your progress! If the diseases spread too quickly, your whole group loses.Reviewers can’t say enough about Pandemic, writing that it’s incredibly challenging and addicting. You’ll want to play again and again until you can best it, but that’s easier said than done! -
Best for Families: Labyrinth
Strategy board games can be fun for the whole family, and if you’re looking for a game that will keep both kids and adults entertained, you’ll definitely want to check out Labyrinth.This board game can be played with two to four people, and each game takes 20 to 30 minutes. It’s recommended for kids ages 8 and up, but many reviewers say younger players can easily pick up the game. To play Labyrinth, you race around the maze-shaped board, trying to locate all your particular objects and characters. However, other players can change the maze, thwarting your plans.Reviewers say this is an amazing game to teach strategy and logic, and it’s entertaining for both children and adults, making it a wonderful family board game. -
Best for Two Players: Blokus Duo
Only have two players for game night? That’s ok, just break out Blokus Duo for a fun strategy board game. This game is designed for just two people, and it’s appropriate for anyone ages 7 and up.To play Blokus Duo, players take turns placing Tetris-style pieces on the board, connecting their colored pieces at the corners. You’ll race to put down as many pieces as possible, blocking your opponents moves when you can, until the board is filled. The person who put down the most pieces wins! Reviewers love this two-person adaptation of the original Blokus, writing that it’s challenging but incredibly fun.Want to take a look at some other options? Check out our round-up of the best two-player board games.
Our writers spent 2 hours researching the most popular strategy board games on the market. Before making their final recommendations, they considered 16 different board games overall, screened options from 10 different brands and manufacturers, read over 40 user reviews (both positive and negative), and tested 3 of the games themselves. All of this research adds up to recommendations you can trust.