2011 releases: Carcassonne dice game; Anniversary edition; Meeple box

[Joff]

Here: http://www.bordspel.com/nieuws/nieuws_actueel_20101212.html

And the Google translation:

"999 games in the spring of 2011

A brief glance at the annual plans of 999 games.

The 'tenth' anniversary of Carcassonne

999 According to the Games is successful legspel Carcassonne in 2011 ten years.  Visitors to the show for 2000 Games know this is not true, because the first copies of the Dutch edition has been available on that exchange. The 'tenth anniversary of Carcassonne is celebrated next year with three products:

    * Carcassonne Anniversary Edition: a special anniversary edition in the form of a serf. Besides the basic game, this edition is the expansion "The Feast". In this expansion, players can occasionally serfs to their stock back.
    * Carcassonne the Dice: Dice a variant of the basic Carcassonne game. The players diced districts together to build the biggest city. Knights can double their point total. Who will be the first 42 points?
    * Carcassonne Meeple Box : This is a transparent box for the meeples (the international pet name for the serfs from Carcassonne), including six transparent meeples. A box contains five basic colors, plus gray 'Extension'. The set also contains a special jubilee rule."

Perhaps one of our members could provide a better translation.

[Whaleyland]

I had heard of the Dice Game earlier. I wonder if it will act as an expansion as well, or only be a stand-alone. Doesn't really matter to me. It sounds rather basic, even for Carcassonne.

I had not, however, heard of these other two releases. It makes me think that Hans im Glück may be releasing these too, and 999 Games just jumped the gun a tad bit. I mean, why would a distributor get all excited about the 10th anniversary, but not the producer?

Anyway, so it seems we have two new things for the base Carcassonne set coming out in Spring 2011:
• Carcassonne Anniversary Edition, which includes the new expansion called "The Feast" which allows people to put their followers back in their supply (at least that's what your translation seems to say).
• Carcassonne Meeple Box, which comes with maybe a full set (six seems like two short, though) of transparent followers and a storage container for them, as well as either a special variant rule called "Jubilee" or a special game that can be played just with the followers themselves.

Regardless of the results, we have at least one new expansion coming, although it seems to be very Crop Circles-esque by being a part of the base game. Perhaps Jay will someday get around to making it stand-alone.

[loganmann1]

What does 999 Games do with Carcassonne?  Are they a european equivalent to RGG?

[Tobias]

What does 999 Games do with Carcassonne?  Are they a european equivalent to RGG?

http://www.999games.nl/

[Sekim]

999 games publishes a lot of foreign language games in dutch language.

[Whaleyland]

I tried searching around for any news on the German release of this and I couldn't find anything, but I can't see Hans im Glück skipping an opportunity to release a 10th Anniversary Edition of their most expansive game. I'm 100% certain that this will be release by HiG and that 999 Games just jumped the gun with the release information. Except for Cult, Siege & Creativity and Games Quarterly 11, Rio Grande hasn't released anything big that didn't first appear from HiG. From what it sounds like, 999 Games is releasing a tacked on expansion to their anniversary edition which hopefully will either be available separately by RGG (someday) or as an item by a là Crop Circles directly from HiG. I also really want to know what this Jubilee Variant is, because I'm sure it won't require a purchase of the expansion. Most rules are available separately from expansions, no matter how hard companies may or may not try to keep them secret.

[CKorfmann]

Carcassonne Meeple Box, which comes with maybe a full set (six seems like two short, though) of transparent followers

I figure that it is one in each color which would be six.  (confirmed)

Has anyone heard any more about this?  I found a few references, but nothing too telling.  (It would help if I spoke these languages.)
http://www.moenen-en-mariken.nl/producten/?offset=15
http://www.999games.nl/spel/Carcassonne+Uitbreiding+De+Volgeling (in Afrikaans - includes photo)
http://www.999games.nl/spel/Carcassonne+Jubileum+Editie+%2B+Uitbreiding+Het+Feest (in Afrikaans - includes photo)
http://www.spellenhuis.nl/spellen-gezelschapsspel-c-1468_1486.html
Looks like they are available for preorder from several sites.  It's interesting then that there is no more significant information.

[Sekim]

That's not Afrikaans but dutch 
Both languages are quite similar, so you're excused 

I'll try my best on a translation of

De volgeling (The follower)
This little box contains 6 transparant 'Phantoms' in different colours (I presume for each player 1 Phantom) which can be combined with any Carcassonne game and expansion.
During your turn, after placing the tile, you are allowed to put a Phantom together with another Follower onto that tile. This way you can take advantage of multiple features on a single tile at once.
Carcassone:The follower isn't just fun for yourself but it's also fun to give away as a present.
You get the Phantom back when the feature is completed.

At Moenen en Marieken it costs €2.95. Looks like I'll be replacing all my meeples with transparent ones and use the regulars as Phantom 

[Sekim]

And here's my best try at 'Het feest' (The feast), which comes in a nicely meeple shaped box.

The tiles of 'The feast' give you the possibility to take your meeples back.

Yeah ... that's all about The Feast 

[CKorfmann]

That's not Afrikaans but dutch  
Both languages are quite similar, so you're excused  

I'll try my best on a translation of

De volgeling (The follower)
This little box contains 6 transparant 'Phantoms' in different colours (I presume for each player 1 Phantom) which can be combined with any Carcassonne game and expansion.
During your turn, after placing the tile, you are allowed to put a Phantom together with another Follower onto that tile. This way you can take advantage of multiple features on a single tile at once.
Carcassone:The follower isn't just fun for yourself but it's also fun to give away as a present.
You get the Phantom back when the feature is completed.

At Moenen en Marieken it costs €2.95. Looks like I'll be replacing all my meeples with transparent ones and use the regulars as Phantom  

Sounds like a pretty decent expansion.  Cool.  Thanks for the translation.

Thanks also for the correction.  It was Google translate that told me it was Afrikaans, figures.  

[Sekim]

You're welcome 

btw.. I found this site with the rules about the dice game:
http://www.goedkopegezelschapsspellen.nl/?page=catalog&view=product&product_id=1124

I don't know if the rules have been translated yet, but here it comes.

Player throw the dice 3 times max. They try to build the largest possible city with the dice and get points for it. A thrown catapult means that you're not allowed to throw that die again during your turn.
When throwing a minimum of 3 knights the player won't get points this turn but the player takes 1 knight and put it face up in front of him. At the players next turn, his points are doubled.
The first player who has 42 points wins the game.

€8.95 sounds like I need to buy some of those aswell 

[Sekim]

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/889502/carcassonne-jubilaumsedition
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/896367/carcassonne-jubilaumsedition

Transparent meeples at BGG

[loganmann1]

If these releases are meant to commemorate the anniversary and at least one other publisher has wind of it already...do we have any belief/faith/hope that RGG might get these out also, to commemorate the anniversary?

Of course they are already backlogged on Tunnels, Crop Circles and the The Plague...hmmm...add in phantom meeples and whatever the feast and jubilee rules are and we have a nice big expansion.  That would be a nice anniversary release for the US.  All the mini expansions we don't have yet!

EDIT:

Also, from pics on BGG it looks like the clear meeples come with the anniversary box set with 10 new tiles as well (which i guess is the Feast?)  So is the small pack of clear meeples identical to the anniverary edition meeples or will they be a different shape (ie mayor, big, builder) to differentiate them?

[Whaleyland]

lol. I find it funny that someone found all these links suddenly when I have been searching for information on this expansion since that first leak about a month ago. Meh. I'm glad it is finally posted on BGG. The funny thing is, though, that it shouldn't have it's own entry. It's Carcassonne – [10th] Anniversary Edition, with the Feast. That should just be another version of the base game according to BGG rules. Anywho.

Check out this BGG thread: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/603787/what-will-the-new-land-tiles-look-like. It shows what appears to be a display box for the "Entourage" (Phantom) expansion. Each container comes with the 5 primary Carcassonne colors (gray gets shafted again) and a rules sheet for, presumably, the Entourage expansion. What is even stranger, though, is that there is a sixth color, purple, that doesn't exist as a player color. So not only does gray get shafted, but purple comes from left field and takes over the party. Anyway, so if you want five-six meeple holders in the shapes of meeples, you'll have to buy six copies of Entourage and gray will have to go in the purple case. On the plus side, that will get you almost up to a full seven meeples to play with.

The Feast sounds fun, especially if it is a 10-tile expansion. I really want that giant meeple box, too! But I'm not too happy with Carcassonne releasing yet another expansion-in-a-base-game like Wheel of Fortune and Crop Circles. It just is annoying. I already have two base games. Hopefully I can just buy the Feast directly from Hans im Glück like I did Crop Circles. And I don't want 14 transparent meeples, regardless of how cool they are, because even if I do buy the Anniversary Edition, I need to pick up the meeple holders included in Entourage. Ugh. Hans im Glück! How I loathe thee...

Edit: I just sent an email to Jay at Rio Grande about the release of these three products. Fingers crossed.

[CKorfmann]

I found them by searching the German name.  Struck out with English.  I think they just look purple.  They must be grey, though I'm sure it wouldn't hurt Gwommy's feelings any.