So I finally got a copy of the newest Carcassonne mini-expansion last week and finally got a chance to sit down and play with the new tiles.
The following is my best attempt at translating the rules as originally published in German. In order to see the example diagrams, the origial rules can be located at :
http://www.hans-im-glueck.de/fileadmin/data_archive/Regeln/CarcKornkreiseRegelnlow.pdf.
Carcassonne: Die KornkreisePlay material: 6 new landscape tiles with "Crop Circles"
Play preparations: The 6 "Crop Circles" landscape tiles are mixed in with the other tiles.
Rules: The player who pulls a landscape tile with a "Crop Circle" places it on the map according to the usual rules and takes a normal turn. Subsequently, all players beginning with the player to the left of the active player, either:
A. Place a follower from their supply to a landscape tile where they already have a follower of the same type determined by the "Crop Circle" feature.
-OR-B. Remove a follower of the type determined by the "Crop Circle" feature and return it to their supply.
Players must consider:
• The active player must select A or B.
• The type of follower affected is determined by the pulled tile.
Crop circle: "pitchfork" - Here the farmers (on a meadow) are concerned.
Crop circle: "club" - Here the thieves (on a road) are concerned.
Crop circle: "shield" - Here the knights (in a city) are concerned.
• If a player chooses option A, all players may place a follower on the same area in which he already has a follower of this type (farmer to farmer, thief to thief, knight to knight).
• If a player does not have a follower of the determined type on the board, they perform no follower placement or removal and the player to their left proceeds as above.
• The active player takes this action last then the next player takes their turn as normal.
Example of (A)
1. Red places the tile with the "shield" Crop Circle and sets a follower on it. Red selects option A. Each player may place a knight (symbol = "shield") to a tile where one of their own knights already exists.
2. Green places an additional knight with the existing one.
3. Blue has no knight and can therefore not place one.
4. Red places an additional knight with the knight he placed on the last placed title. He may not place a knight on the upper quarter of the same tile as no knight stands on that city section. (He could have placed its knight on the tile two places to the left since he already has a knight on the city portion of that tile.)
Example of (B)
1. Green places the tile with the "pitchfork" Crop Circle and sets a follower (a knight) on it. The city is scored; green gets 6 points and removes his knight. Subsequently, he selects option B. Each player must remove a farmer (the "pitchfork" symbol concerns the farmers).
2. Blue removes his farmer.
3. Red removes his farmer.
4. Green has no farmer and therefore removes no follower from the board.
REVIEWIt goes without saying that timing is the most important factor in how these pieces will impact the game. Surprisingly, they can be more strategic than they appear at first glance. A short term sacrifice for a long term net gain should never be overlooked.
After playing with the pieces, we learned that there are several strategies to consider. How often they come up may also be impacted by the expansions you are playing with.
1. Feature Reinforcement: One of the obvious strategies to use with the tiles is the ability to reinforce one of your features if they are coming under contention by other players. By being given the opportunity to place another follower on your feature, you have a better chance of making sure you have control over the feature once it is completed. If you happen to get the proper Crop Circle while an opponent has several similar features under contention then the dividends can be substantial. By forcing them to choose which feature to fortify, you may have the chance to take over majority rule.
This can be doubly important if you happen to get a Crop Circle when an opponent has no followers to place. By allowing yourself the opportunity to double up on a feature, while they cannot, you give yourself the ability to strengthen your hold on a feature and give yourself a little bit of insurance against future Crop Circles.
2. Feature Denial: Another obvious strategy is denying an opponent the scoring of a feature by forcing them to remove a follower from an almost complete feature. While this action may seem like a "no brainer" if you do not have the type of follower on the board (thereby forcing your opponent to remove a follower while you remove none), do not get too short sighted when considering this option. Removing your knight from a one or two tile city while forcing your opponent to remove a knight from a 5 tile city containing three pennants may have greater long term effects that you first imagine. The effects range from a minor inconvenience while the opponent has to wait until their next turn to get a follower back into the feature to a huge loss as a different player slips into the feature before the former owner has a chance to reclaim it.
3. Follower Rescue: Many times during a game, a follower will get stranded on a feature thru sheer bad luck or cunning planning by your opponent. When it becomes apparent that a follower is likely going to remain on an unfinished feature for a long time, using the Crop Circles as a means of escape is a good idea. If your farmer gets stuck on an empty field and really needs to be used elsewhere to help claim points, the Crop Circles can easily get him back to your supply while also possibly causing some plan disruption for your opponent. If you are also playing with the Cather/Siege tiles, these can be a wonderful way to get knights out of under-siege cities without waiting for a monestary to hopefully appear.
A few things to consider:
Though you’ll be making your choice of options after your "turn" is complete, always consider your options
BEFORE you place any meeples on the Crop Circle tile. If you can simply drop a follower on the tile knowing you can just remove it that turn, it’s a very valid choice. You remove a follower that has no impact to you, but your opponents must remove a follower that they have wasted turns trying to get to a productive level.
Don’t expect option A to free up a feature that you can capture next turn. While there is a chance you’ll get a tile that will help you get into the feature, it’s more likely that one of your opponent will get the chance on their turn to claim the feature.
Always consider "
How could this help the player to my left?" Since your turn is over after the placement/removal of followers, the opponent to your left is going to get first dibs on any open features. If they are in the lead, it may be better in the long run to choose a "less optimal" move than forcing the opening up of a large city or lucrative field for them to claim on their turn.
In all, the expansion is a fun addition to the game which actually allows more strategic thinking to occur. If you think Carcassonne is "too light" of a game, this small expansion adds tons of new strategy to consider without over-complicating the game. If you have the means of picking it up now, then I’d highly recommend it though it will likely cost you a bit if you do not live in Europe. You can always "re-gift" the base game to a friend and keep the mini-expansion for yourself. If you are on a limited gaming budget, chances are high that the expansion will be more easily accessible later this year as a mini-expansion (Combined with Der Tunnel) from Rio Grande Games. For that price, I cannot see any reason for someone who enjoys Carcassonne to not pick up this fun six tile set.
