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Author Topic: The Tunnel  (Read 8275 times)
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Whaleyland
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« on: November 16, 2009, 12:40:55 pm »

This is a re-post of my session report from BoardGameGeek:

Tunnels and Chits
The four Tunnel tiles are great quality and, unlike Spielbox's release of The Cult, are once again the proper thickness. Their colors are slightly yellower than the usual Carcassonne tile, but it isn't overly unmatched. The little tunnel chits are made of the same thickness cardboard and the colors fairly well match the players' pieces. The backs are the same pattern as the tiles instead of a matching reverse as with most other accessory components.

Gameplay
I played Der Tunnel at the same time that I tried out Wheel of Fortune. It was a 2-player game with my girlfriend. Unfortunately, the Tunnel tiles weren't very well mixed in despite my best efforts, so all four appeared in a batch of around 20 tiles (of 76). Following the somewhat vague rules, we each took two sets of tunnels since it is a 2-player game.

My girlfriend picked up the first tunnel before anyone had claimed any roads. The rules are somewhat vague concerning if a tunnel can be claimed on the same turn that someone places a follower. Since the rules aren't clear and no roads had been claimed, we decided to allow both claiming roads and tunnels on the same turn. In hindsight, this probably was a bad choice since I think the Tunnels are suppose to be more competitive in nature. In a 2-player game, though, it's hard to make 8 tunnel entrances competitive when all of them can be claimed without conflict by the players. Regardless, she claimed a tunnel and a road and we continued.

She also drew the next tunnel and so decided to connect her two together. Her road wasn't complete on one side, but was completed a few turns later. It seemed quite obvious and easy adding them together, although only 6 points were earned. I drew the other two tunnels and claimed an entrance each time (and placed a follower on a tunnel the first time). As the game progressed, we quickly claimed entrances and exits of tunnels to complete them. Combined with Wheel of Fortune, we often used 0-placement turns to claim both a tunnel entrance/exit and a crown spot on the Wheel. Again, tunnels probably should be claimed INSTEAD of placing a follower, making placement of tunnel entrances/exits more difficult and competitive. Instead, our tunnels didn't really impede us at all.

Conclusion
Ultimately, the tunnels failed in their mission of conflict. We never once competed over a tunnel entrance/exit and both of us completed one tunnel-road and had an incomplete one at the end. The incompletes, though, had both ends of the tunnels claimed, only a road was unfinished. The result of playing with our rules meant that the expansion was not that challenging or confrontational. In future games, the other rules will certainly be attempted. Spielbox, though, needs to get its act together to define these rules. As they stand, their ambiguity makes playing the game difficult. Playing 2-player probably didn't help.

Final Results
Quality: A-
Presentation: A-
Price: B
Rules: C-
Concept: A-
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« Reply #1 on: December 08, 2009, 10:33:55 pm »

I tried the tunnel for the first time today.  I was only able to play with two players and also played King's Gate for the first time.  We used the Base set, the River 1, GQ11, The King, the King's Gate, and The Tunnel.

Not a lot of attention was paid to the tunnels.  One of them was used on a road that earned only 10 points.  I thought it not very much for the tunnel.  A couple others were played late in the game, but no others had followers on the road so they yielded no points.  One set of chits (out of four) was not used at all.  I suppose it wouldn't be fair for me to speak as to game play since I don't think we used them to their potential.  My biggest disapointment was that on the FRFR tile, the roads didn't match up.  We were playing with the set that I gave my nephew as a Christmas gift, so I haven't actually tried my own set to see if they line up yet, but I'm very curious now.  

There was a question raised.  On the RRRR tile with three tunnels, it appears as though the farm might have room to pass through on the road where there is no tunnel.  Has this come up yet?  I assume that the farm does not pass, but wondered if there were a more official ruling anywhere.  Anyone...?
« Last Edit: December 08, 2009, 10:45:38 pm by CKorfmann » Logged

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« Reply #2 on: December 08, 2009, 11:11:51 pm »

I figured the farm was connected, but I could be wrong.
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« Reply #3 on: December 08, 2009, 11:27:26 pm »

There was a question raised.  On the RRRR tile with three tunnels, it appears as though the farm might have room to pass through on the road where there is no tunnel.  Has this come up yet?  I assume that the farm does not pass, but wondered if there were a more official ruling anywhere.  Anyone...?

As an avid farmer I might argue that I could in fact fit my farming equipment through there.....
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« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2009, 07:32:42 am »

Since the farm is going around the little houses I would rule that the farm is not broken up.
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« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2009, 11:46:29 pm »

Here's an interesting question that came up in a game today.  If a tunnel has not been claimed by anyone, does it complete a road like any other obstruction?  If so, what if someone were to later claim that tunnel at the end of an already completed (and scored) road?
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« Reply #6 on: December 10, 2009, 12:46:29 am »

Here's an interesting question that came up in a game today.  If a tunnel has not been claimed by anyone, does it complete a road like any other obstruction?  If so, what if someone were to later claim that tunnel at the end of an already completed (and scored) road?

If a road goes into a tunnel it is not complete. A road (which goes into a tunnel) will need two tunnels of the same colour in order to be complete.
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« Reply #7 on: December 10, 2009, 07:08:20 am »

This is my opinion and how I would handle it if I were playing it.  The 4 tunnel pieces pieces must use the tokens in order to complete them.  If there is a follower on a road that leads to one of these tunnels and no there are no tunnel chits, then the road can't be completed and the follower is trapped.

If the tunnel from Princess & Dragon is played, then the tunnels on that tile do connect until a chit is played on it.  If the road is completed before a tunnel token is placed, then a tunnel token may no longer be placed on that tile.
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