In my days of playing games I have stumbled across various unique pastimes. Games that push the bounds of traditional game design, Games that implement original mechanics, breaking the glass box that most designers shut players in while they play. These games inspirational in the field of design, they are what give modern game designers the new and interesting mechanics they combine for use in there games. In all these games there has been one that stood out to me as a designer, Carcassone. Its game play components are incredibly abnormal, they force the player to trade out the logic they would normally use for a strategy game and exchange it for a rational that fits the game. Carcassone is one of the most influential and important games of our time, and its mechanics will be key parts in the creations of future games.

 

        Carcassone has several key mechanics that are fairly unique to it, the most apparent being the tile based game play. The game of Carcassone is based around the placement of tiles. This allows the game to be based on the construction of the map itself. The field of play can grow in any direction being shaped by the player and their various strategies. This uncommon concept, while not only used in Carcassone, is quite indigenous to the game. The board construction mechanic intermingles with the rules of the game making for and entirely wholesome gaming experience.

 

        Each edge of the game tiles has either a city, road, or pasture feature, which must match the edge of the tiles which the player attaches it to. This placement action allows for the players to build the board as they play the game. The fact that the tiles are drawn in a random order from the collection of tiles causes the competitors to struggle to form strategies on the fly. Depending on the tile that is drawn the player must decide whether or not to place a follower, or as some dedicated Carcassone players call them, “meeples”. When a meeple is placed on the board with a new tile the player has options on how they will gain points with it. There are four ways to place a meeple, you can either place them on cities as knights, roads as thieves, cloysters as monks, or on pastures as farmer. Each permutation of the meeple gives its owner victory points in different amounts and at different times through out the game. The strategy then does not just fall upon the placement of the tiles but on the use of one’s meeples.

 

        A player who is new to Carcassone will often expend their meeples rather quickly. Placing them in locations early in the game thinking they will be able to complete the features and reclaim their men, this however is not usually the case. This is where another unique mechanic of Carcassone comes into play as meeples are used as a resource unlike in other games where the pawns are normally the center focus of the “action mechanic” of the game. In a game like Sorry for example the pawn is the center of focus for the player. They uses the pawn for every interaction with the game and other players. The pawn acts as an avatar for the player and offers a direct outlet for the player to focus their actions. In Carcassone the meeples are not so much extensions of the player as much as extensions of the player’s will. The mechanics of the game itself direct the player to focus primarily on the placement of the map itself and secondarily on the deployment of their meeples. It requires the player to view their meeples as a limited resource as opposed to the representation of the player they are in most board games.

 

        When designing a board game one must always design for the player. The game should always appeal to the player; if they don’t enjoy the experience of playing the game then the designer has failed. A game such as Carcassone is an excellent example of a game, which appeals to the player. Carcassone’s ability to draw the player into the game is part of what makes it so successful.  The game is structured to create situations that encourage social interaction. The in game political energy between players is a large portion of what makes this game popular.

 

        Depending on the number of players the game calls for different strategies to be executed. These strategies normally lead to the competitors debating over the politics of the game, forming alliances and making enemies. These social aspects of Carcassone help the players to become easily engaged in the game. This aspect of Carcassone works in tandem with the scalability of the game. The amount of players changes between two to four players. The ability of the game to play well whether the player amount is at a minimum or maximum is an amazing capability that comes from the extreme variety of play options available to each player.

 

        The amount of content with in the game is fairly large, in addition to the standard game players can by expansion sets that offer much more than the base game. Players who buy these sets can not only extend the length of their games but the number of people able to play. With each expansion adding tiles into the mix some o the expansions naturally include more sets of meeples in order to support up to six players. The expansions build on the base game adding new mechanics and features. Varitations of tile combonations never seen become available. Player who have played only with the base game can suddenly solve puzzles they for which there was previously no solution. This not only changes the game on surface level but in the core strategies players may use. Tactics that may have not been viable before the expansions suddenly become a dominant force. The addition of new specialized meeple pawns pushes the player to try something new when planning on how to take down their opponents. These are some of the things that make Carcassone such a fantastic game, they are just a few of the reasons it has sold so many copies.

 

        The design of Carcassone is a fantastic representation of breaking out of the conventional box so many designer feel they are trapped in. In the world of game design the designers do not actually get to decide which games are gamed. Publishers dictate which projects will receive funding, and they do so based on which ones they believe will make the most money. A designer may pitch an idea but for the most part they will have to design within strict parameters in order to match the criteria that the publisher believes will make the game. When Klaus-Jürgen Wrede designed the Carcassone I believe he intended to break mold such as this. He wanted to expand the horizons of the traditional game construction and show that game design should be creative, original, and unusual. The idea of not have a board for a board game was groundbreaking. As Carcassone became increasingly popular this mechanic opened door into a brave new world for designers.

 

        When Wrede created Carcassone he wanted something different. The scheme of the game is extremely original. Board position is important in Carcassone, and the fact that there is no board at the beginning of the game makes it that much more interesting. It is common for players to want things to go their way. By being able place the board tiles where they desire they are self-satisfying their need t be winning. This unconventional design pushes players to strategize in ways that are not even possible in other games. Carcassone not only encourages designers to push their boundaries bush it encourages the players to do so as well. Wrede supports the expansion of design in other mechanics of Carcassone as well. In most board games your pawns are the primary focus of the game. They are treated as avatars and are affected by the board state. Wrede flips this ideal on its tail making the player view the board as the key part of the game and uses the meeples to modify the board state as opposed to the other way around. When a meeple is place on the board the places in which the players can now place their meeples is changed. If a player has already claimed a feature of the play field with one of his meeples, then no player may place a meeple on that feature. I believe Wrede did this to spur on the player’s natural tendency to try and find a way around the rules, for example making a new city or road and claiming it and then connecting it to an opponent’s city or road is a common tactic, which prevents the opponent from pulling ahead of you. All this ties back in once again to unorthodox mechanics. By creating a successful game that pierces the wall of normal game design Wrede has opened the door for other game designers in the modern era to do the same.

 

        As a designer I have played many games. Everything from intense strategy games like Axis & Allies and in depth role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, to casual party games such a Apples to Apples or Balderdash. All have influenced me as a designer. I look to DnD for statistics and Axis & Allies for balance, grabbing social elements from games like Balderdash can make for unique mechanic combinations that make for interesting gameplay. However I believe no game has influenced me quite as much as Carcassone. I have been playing the game for years and I think it is one of the most prominent features not only in my path as a game designer but as also in my life in general.

 

        I first played Carcassone about 4 years ago the night before my sister’s wedding. The 4 players were of varying experiences from experienced players to my father who did not even completely understand the rules. Seeing a game that was so original spurred me to make games. Before playing Carcassone I had not made many games. I had tinkered with a few games mostly just making house rules for existing games. After playing Carcassone I began to delve into the creation of games. Making my own card game right off the bat based around the mechanic of defense is the best offense. Carcassone taught me to look for unique game ideas and original mechanics, which were not used, in but in a sparse selection of games. Besides all this Carcassone gave me many mechanics that I have used in several of my games.

 

        The game of Carcassone is a testament to great game design. Klaus-Jürgen Wrede gave a gift to designers, and a feast to players. The fun factor of Carcassone is something that translates through all its players. While I have played with people who afterwards have not shared my passion for the game. They have always walked away with a respect for the game. As a designer I believe Carcassone to be one of the greatest games in recent history. Its design is outstanding, its game play enjoyable. Carcassone is quite possibly the best board game of our generation.