Carcassonne Central

I'm back with yet another expansion. You can find all the details in the links below...

Rules - http://www.mediafire.com/?jhjznltrdyu

All the various tiles - http://www.mediafire.com/?1vdmjzzenyg
                             http://www.mediafire.com/?dbqt2nzqnwk
                             http://www.mediafire.com/?m3ynjz2mnmm
                             http://www.mediafire.com/?iibmnmodztg

and here's a picture...!

(http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy5/jputt927/seasons_board-1.jpg)

I really like the concept behind this expansion. It reminds me strongly of the Agricola mini-expansion Seasons. I do have one question, though. You provide four sets of 12 season conditions but every one of them has at least two entries for fan-expansions. I don't have a problem with the cloister/shrine conditions, but could you make at least one series of 12 conditions without any fan expansion features? I enjoy fan expansions, but the ones you include are forests and mountains, and I don't play regularly with either and I see myself playing regularly with this excellent mini-expansion. Thank you!

First off, if this bears any resemblance to Agricola and it's expansions (or any other game for that matter), it is purely by coincidence! And second of all, thanks for your kind words in regards to this expansion. However, maybe I've misunderstood your statements, but there's actually only 7 tiles in the entire pack that solely include a fan-made expansion, and only 4 others that include a fan-made expansion (along with non-fan-made expansion features as well). I actually intended for ALL the tiles to be shuffled together at the beginning of the game, as opposed to using them in sets of 12. Furthermore, any one game of Carcassonne will include ONLY four conditions. If you're not playing with mountains or forests, you would still have a possible 39 tiles as possibilities...and 35 possibilities if you don't want to include ANY of the conditions with forests or mountains on them at all...

After all that rambling, I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. More importantly, I hope I understood what you were trying to say! Haha, let me know if any further clarification needs to be made!  :)

Thanks for your reply. I guess what I wanted to imply, and did a bad job of doing for lack of understanding of one part of the rules (it was my fault, not yours), is that I'd like it if the 9 fan expansion tiles were on one page so I could print out just one of the two.

Aha!...well, that should be easy enough...and I'd be happy to do that. In fact, the above links should now be updated with your request!  :)

OK, first off, this is an awesome idea, and you did a masterful job with it. Thematically it is similar to fan-made Season expansions for Agricola and Settlers of Catan but in both cases it is mechanically different - the variably effects for each season being the major departure point.

I do have to say that it seems there is a oddly large portion of the condition tiles that pertain solely to fan-made expansion features as well as there being a large number of +0 (which I assume means there are no conditions for that season) making it possible (but unlikely) for a completely unmodified game (throughout all 4 seasons). Also, unless you play with the barn (which I don't but I'm sure most people with the expansion do), the field modifiers will never have an effect unless they are the active season at the end of the game.

Anyways, I will be building this expansion, so thanks and kudos!

Wow, impressive.  I really like this expansion and the potential for variety it brings to the game.  After briefly reading through the instructions and looking over the tiles and such, my only suggestion is this.  Perhaps you should put a few of the +0 on the other page as well so those who wish to only print one page, as Whaley suggested, would not get "stuck" with all of them.  I'll probably make this one with some of my 500 tiles.

Yeah, as I was looking through the newly organized tiles, I realized that perhaps more "Core Tiles" should go on the first page and the second should be for "Additional Tiles" in case you want more variety or something. I see the appeal for more tiles = more randomness but I am perfectly comfortable with 24 or so tiles in my random batch. I also noted a problem that while you separated the tiles as I requested, you placed the Season Marker on the fan-expansion page, which means I'd still have to print that if I wanted to use it (I mean, I could use a coin or something, but it is a very impressive little marker!). Don't take any of this as criticism, I really like this expansion and I just want to help make it the most playable/usable expansion it can be.


The Agricola Seasons expansion is official, but was a promo from Spielfest (or from donating to Z-Man's Ethiopia Charity). I've never heard of a Catan version, though. Where's that located at?

Good point, something I completely overlooked. As for putting more of the "core" game tiles on the first page, I can probably try to do that. It's hard trying to determine which of the tiles should make it into the "top 24". I'll mess around with things and see what I can do. One thing is for certain, I will move some of the +0 tile's to the second page. Other than that, thanks for the kind words...it makes all of the time spent worth it!

*Edit!*
The original links should once again be updated with a more organized set of what could be two separate sets of tiles if you so choose. Also, the clock token is on the first page now. Let me know if there is anything else I can do!

Downloaded. Printed. Glued to 12 tiles. I'm going to try out this expansion tonight with my girlfriend. She really likes the concept too. Says it increases the randomness while not making it entirely unpredictable. We will probably play with all 12 tiles, though, to cycle through the seasons more frequently. I also noted one possible problem: Since players can always know how many "Season" tiles are left in the tile mix, won't everyone know right at the start what Season the game will end on? I mean, if everyone knows it will end on Winter and Winter is a really crappy month, say, for fields (which have the worst effects), wouldn't it mean that the players may avoid placing farmers as often? I just realized it.

One solution I had for that problem is that instead of the normal deal out the four seasons at the start of the game, instead the seasons are put into play upside-down, with only the current season showing. Once a season passes (moves to the next), a new season is dealt upside down where the old one was, thus the seasons are always unpredictable (like they usually are) and changing if the seasons cycle around again. Just a suggestion for a variant, I guess.

I would say that is certainly a valid concern, and also a possible solution/variation! To be honest, that "problem" had come up during the design process, but I didn't consider it so much of a problem. I actually was somewhat keen on the idea that players may be cognizant of the fact that the ending season may not be good for farms. To me, this would (in certain games) decrease the reliance on farms (which, to me, is a good thing).  Furthermore, if a player was anticipating the ending season being bad for farming...it may force them to find a way to play their barn (if playing with the barn) before the final season approaches, in order to get the most out of their farm. That was my thought process at least! Another possible solution might be to find a way to randomly shuffle only some of the tiles with the season icon into the mix. Then you wouldn't know how many were in play, and thus wouldn't know what season the game would end on! But alas, I'm very happy to hear that you've printed them and are going to give them a try!  :)

Wow, that's fast!

I really like this suggestion.  I think it is an excellent solution.

Where else but the geek (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/filepage/39253)?! ;) It's easy to miss because it is on the City & Knight's page.

I really like this expansion. Kudos!

What a coincidence! I just got in the mail today my copy of Agricola: Through the Seasons! I really need to check my mail earlier, though. Today is just a season-full day!

Looks good.  Is there a back for the clock token?  Also, it would benefit if each of the conditions (the backgrounds, not the numbers) were explained.  For example, is there any difference between the condition with the farm (all green background) and the condition with the barn (and sheep and man)?

Since there are Forests and Mountains icons, what happens when not playing with those expansions?  Are the conditions not used (i.e. removed before the start of the game), or if used/chosen, do they have no effect?  Ditto with the shrine-only conditions when not playing with a shrine expansion.

Also, since you have Mountains and Forests on the conditions, which of those expansions are considered to be "large"?  My suggestions for large:

Forests (counts as 2 large?)
Green Dragon
Evergreen Forests
Woodlands
Whispering Woods
Alpine Tundra
Mountains
High Places
Dragon's Lair
Hill View
Head Waters

[As for Fishermen series -Fishermen, Kettle of Fish, Tributaries and Trifecta are large.]

Edit: Are there any backs for the condition tiles, or for the scoreboard?  Just wondering.

I'll add a couple clarifications into the rules...and I'll add a second clock icon to the tile page so that there can be a back to the token. In regards to backs for the tiles, that's something I wondered about myself. If people really think that's something they would want, I could work on that sometime in the future. Another possible idea is to put a different condition on the back. It'd be double sided, and would save some work when making the tiles.

I like that idea.  That would save the total numbers of pieces to be made as well.

I've made some updates...all of the original links have been updated.

Alright, as I stated in the discussion about which expansion this site might be submitting for RGG's consideration, I mentioned that I have been thinking of how I could add an additional wooden piece to my Season's expansion. What I've potentially come up with is this...

Back in medieval times, astronomers would look into the skies and observe the location of the moon against the night sky and it's constellations. They would use this information to forecast the seasons, and what weather conditions might lie ahead. For this reason, I thought it might be fitting if
all players would receive an additional wooden follower at the start of the game called the "astronomer". The astronomer would be used as if it were any other normal follower. However, whenever a feature was scored that contained an astronomer, that feature would be immune from ANY of the seasonal conditions. My rational was that the astronomer was able to forecast the season, and was able to "prepare" for whatever conditions may be present.

I'd like to know everyone's thoughts on this potential addition, and whether it seems like it might be welcome. Furthermore, I continued to think of whether or not anything else could be added. I've also come up with this idea.

All players would receive a tile at the beginning of the game, much like they would receive an abbey tile. The tile can only be used once throughout the game. On the tile would be an "Observatory", surrounded by fields on all sides. When placed, an observatory would immediately change the current season. The season marker would be moved to the next season in succession. This might introduce a little more unpredictability, and might also add some strategy by putting the power to change a season in the player's hand.

Sooooo...those were my thoughts. I'd like to hear what you all think about these potentially being added. I feel that it might make the expansion seem like an even more well-rounded and all-in-one expansion.  :)

I like the Astronomer idea, but I think it should be something else because astronomer is a fairly recent term. I can't remember what they were called in medieval times, though. Any help?

I don't like the Observatories as much. Just because someone can predict the weather doesn't mean they can change the season. If you want that function, the expansion itself should be renamed to something reflecting weather. Also, what would the Observatory tile be? A FFFF, CCCC, or RRRR? I really dislike all three of those tiles because they are hard to place and/or ugly on the board. I also am not a huge fan of the Abbey. Those are just my opinions, of course, and I still wouldn't mind an observatory feature in some other capacity.

Well, I think I loosely agree with the Governor.  The astronomer could work and would be a fine addition, but I don't think it would be necessary.  As for the Observatories, I could take it or leave it.  It seems also a little unnecessary to me.  I like the expansion the way it is.

I can definitely understand your point about the ability to change seasons. I suppose it doesn't necessarily make sense that one would have the power to change it, I just thought the dynamic that would introduce was really interesting. In terms of the design, if I did happen to go through with it...I was thinking possibly of FFFF, but that was purely an example, and it actually wouldn't matter much what layout it ended up being.

In terms of the astronomer...are you sure that's a recent term? I haven't seen anything to suggest that it hasn't been around for some time. Otherwise, I don't have a clue what might have been used!...maybe some others could shed some light?  :)

*Edit*
Well, I would say I agree that it IS good the way it is...but after having a discussion with a fellow author on here, we thought that an added Meeple might make the expansion more cohesive and appeasing to those considering it for publication. That was my reasoning for considering it in the first place.

Possible... but let's see what Jay says.  If he likes it, I wouldn't mess with it, but that's just me.

I agree. This thought came about before I was even aware that anything was being sent to Jay when it was...as I was caught off guard by that news.

I understand.  It was spontaneous, but I think it was good. 

Maybe a dowser is an alternative for an astronomist. In the Netherlands we call him 'wichelroedeloper'. A dowser can find water. And water is important for a farmer to get a good crop.
In the 13th century a dowser could tell te will of the gods, he could foretell the future and divine guilts in trials.

My first idea was a druid, but those lived much earlier. But the idea is the same.

As meeple, the dowser could foretell what the season would turn out and take some actions to provide damage for his owner.
What do you think?