for those of you who do use the catapult...

[raberjr]

i'm curious, for those of you who do use the catapult, do you have any sense of aim with that crazy contraption?  i can't barely figure out how to get mine to launch the tokens forward.  Actually aiming at something seems rather useless.  Maybe my catapult is a lemon?  Maybe i should bring out my old copy of 'crossbows and catapults' and use that one (Vikings or Barbarians, anyone?)!!!!  What have you guys experienced?

I actually don't mind playing with the catapult after repeated plays.  i have young kids so they couldn't imagine a world of Carcassonne without the catapult.  If i proposed playing without it, they would lynch me!

raberjr

[Deatheux]

here we use the old method of throwing the piece with the thumb, the only condition is that the tolen must be "high enough(i.e. min 8" from the play area" to be a valid "catapult throw"

yes to me the wooden catapult is a huge lemon(includong the rules and the spirit of the intension!!)

[Whaleyland]

About 1/3 of the time that I use the Catapult, it shoots backwards. The remaining 2/3 times are all luck rather than precision. I also never use "Catch" as it is ridiculous. Unless I am feeling especially angry about an opponent's follower on a tile or that I really wish mine were there, I generally use the "Target Practice" token and test my luck and random shots. I usually lose the 5 points, but at least I don't lose a follower from it.

[CKorfmann]

We have played with the Catapult each time since I got it (about 4) and I don't mind using it.  It is very difficult to aim, but if you try to put it in the same spot every time and shoot it the same way every time, you can at least get it on the board most of the time.  Sometimes it goes right in the area you want it, sometimes it doesn't.  I guess that's part of the game.  I have seen it be effective (if not on purpose) and be a game changer.  We use the knockout and seduction tokens about 90% of the time.  The only complaint I've heard from our games is that it's hard to aim, not that it isn't fun.  I guess it just takes practice. 

The question for me is once we start playing the Jester and Minstrel, will we keep using the Catapult?  Not sure, but I've got the figures I want to start it now.  We'll see.