Carcassonne: The Messages Review

[Whaleyland]

The second of the seven Mini Expansions adds something from another rendition of Carcassonne, a mechanic from The Castle. But it does it in a new way that is unique (except for the Robbers) to the franchise.

Lost In The Mail
* Cryptic Clues - A common problem with Eurogames is that they do not provide easily-referenced keys to their mechanics. This slightly finicky expansion is the same. Each of the eight tiles represents a different bonus ability, but the only place to decode these abilities is in the small rules booklet (size 9 font at most). Thus, players who do not want to have to reference the rules every time a message is drawn are forced to skim through the small double-sided page. Not a huge hinderance, but it can get quite annoying. Producing a nice key or finding a better way to represent what the tiles do would be preferred.
* Seeing Double - One of the positive and negative features of this expansion is the inclusion of a new meeple: The Dispatcher! But this is not your average follower. No! Instead, the little fellow sits on the scoreboard, allowing each player to choose which figure to move while scoring. While the certainly assists in boosting the amount of messages used in a game (see below), it is fiddly and means that players cannot easily see which player is in the lead and which is lagging. During my game, we also had an issue that we forgot which figure had circled the board once (it's possible both the standard figure and the Dispatcher had). Keep track of the figures and expect to run out of multiplier tiles if playing a large game of Carcassonne.
* Missed Opportunities - Another sad point is that each message may be alternatively claimed for 2 points on the scoreboard. To represent this, each tile has a "2" printed in faux-candlewax in the bottom-right corner. This is nice, since sometimes a player cannot achieve the stated goal of the message, but it is a wasted opportunity to vary the amount of bonus points. Generally low-scoring messages could have been worth even less, while higher-scoring messages could have been more. Having them all be worth 2 is weak, and also negates the real need for printing a "2" on every tile.

Heightening Your Carcassonne Game, One Multiple of 5 At A Time
* Long-Overlooked Options - One of the positive aspects of this little expansion is the use of the "brown" multiples of 5 on the scoreboard (dark grey in Wheel of Fortune). I always support using features on the board (sheep and cows, anyone?) and this is one I never even noticed. Having the messages be claimed whenever a player ends their scoring on a multiple of 5 is an easy, straight-forward mechanic that Hans im Glueck really did a good job noticing and utilizing.
* Split Shifts - To increase the odds of landing on multiples of 5, the additional Dispatcher meeple is a welcome addition, despite my complaints above. It adds a much-needed strategic element to an otherwise random set of events. While I hesitate to support the addition of more meeples into the game due to their lack of availability from MeepleSource.com and elsewhere (I want my Purple and Orange Dispatchers!!!), it is hard to not thank Hans im Glueck for including the meeple. Now when I play Carcassonne, I have more reasons to look at the scoreboard.
* Creative Prizes - Although I dislike the implementation of the visual depictions of the messages, the messages themselves are quite nice and well thought-out. Most of the messages award players for features they are currently working on. The extra turn message is especially nice to get, though I'd support adding an additional one to the mix. Another message, one that allows the player to score and remove any one follower from the board, is also appreciated, especially by those players (me) who have a habit of poorly investing. I also like the simple advanced scoring messages such as 2-points-for-pennent, 2-points-for-knights, 2-points-for-farmer (rules and diagram state 3-points, but tile states 2): all of these are nice little bonuses, though they do lean the game toward cities over other features.

Inconclusion
There really is no other conclusion that I can make other than this is an excellent little expansion. It is almost entirely adaptable to all the expansions without being in any way intrusive. The messages become easier to understand after a couple play-throughs. Overall, I have to agree with many Carcassonne players that this is one of the more worthwhile expansions among the Minis series. It definitely is more interesting than the Flyers and it shifts focus from just the game board and toward the scoring itself, which is rarely a bad thing.

Playability: A
Affordability: A
Compatibility (with other expansions): A
Aethetics: B
Learning Curve: B
FINAL GRADE: A-

[kettlefish]

I like your Review.
For me is this Mini the best.

[meepleater]

Both of the minis you have reviewed sound better than I thought they would be- I look forward to your review of the ferries!

[Carcking]

Once again Whaleyland, great review - and most accurate.

We find that the only drawback to this expansion is that it tends to extend playing time. But I guess it depends on what personality types you have in your group. We have one that will calculate every possible permutation of movement options on the scoreboard before making his final decision so he can hit the optimal number of dispatches. You wouldn't think it could be that complicated. And then we have another who will coach any player through every option, including his chances of drawing certain dispatches based on what has been drawn already. Sometimes it can be distracting. In any case there is at least some minimal sorting that has to happen to determine your best move on the track...and this adds time to the game. Not a huge issue but a conisderation for those who already think the game can be too long.