Going to get into Carcassonne...

[Magus]

I plan on getting the basic game but I was wondering what expansion I should get with it? Amazon seems to have a myriad of them, not sure if I should go with Traders, Inns & Cathedrals, Princess & Dragon, The River, The Tower (this is a more expensive one but comes with a thing to hold the tiles, which sounds useful, besides sounding kind of a neat concept in the actual gameplay).

I'm kind of pressed between Princess & Dragon and The Tower but then again I hear they create a very different strategy from the original game, especially the Tower since I guess you steal points from other players (I don't really know since I haven't even played the original game yet...)

Anyway, I was wondering if someone with more experience with the game had a suggestion for a good first expansion to buy with the basic set.

Also, I plan on playing this with one other person probably, maybe three to four, maybe I shouldn't even bother with an expansion for the time being? Maybe I should even get the two-player only game, The Castle? Basically I need advice since I haven't ever played the basic game at all, I just hear its fun and mildly strategic.

[synkr0nized]

The River is a great way to "seed" the map, so I recommend it if your basic game doesn't already come with it.

Another fun one is King and Baron. Whoever finishes/completes a city holds King and a road gets Baron until a larger city/road is completed -- you don't have to be the person who owns it or has the most followers on it to claim it. And then at the end whoever holds the titles gets bonus points from them for all the roads and cities. It's kind of neat and adds a dynamic of players deciding if they should finish others' things or try to let them grow or expand their own.

Traders and Builders is also nice as you have additional tiles for terrain and the addition of goods in city tiles that can boost your scores at the end. The builder piece is a nice mechanic for getting additional pieces. The pig also can turn a game quick, especially when people already have a tendency to forget fields.


There are a lot more, most of which you've listed, but so far these are the only ones any of my friends in the area have (I myself only have a copy of the base game with the River). OH that's not true: one guy has the one with the catapult, but I haven't played it myself.

In any case I like those ones, but it is entirely possible they are surpassed by others. I just can't accurately pass on a recommendation on them.

[Magus]

Well I think I was leaning towards Traders and Builders, since I'm just getting into the game, if that's the only other one you really have experience with as far as the ones that add new elements to the rules and so on, since you yourself seem satisfied, I'll probably go with that one. I may be totally satisfied with just the basic game in the end anyway, the expansions are just expansions after all. Just figured I'd buy something else to get free shipping, might as well get an expansion.

[synkr0nized]

Sorry I couldn't be of more help -- there are plans in the work to get more of them, so perhaps I may have further experiences to draw from soon.

[Magus]

No worries, you were a great help! We'll see how much fun I have with this game, should be fun.