Carcassonne

On the basis of a recommendation from the defective yeti's Good Gift Game Guide, I put Carcassonne on my wish list for Christmas. I was lucky enough to receive it, so I thought I'd share my thoughts about it. You know, just in case you don't trust someone with "defective" in their name (I kid, I kid).

My thoughts: This game is sweet. More specifically, it's very easy to learn, easy to play, and a lot of fun. I must have played it a dozen times at our annual family get-together. Everyone that played, even the people that aren't generally into board games, had a great time, and a couple of them got quite hooked on it.

The game works well with only two players, and can accommodate five if you've got a crowd. The mechanics and concept are simple: Lay tiles, claim territory (roads, cities, cloisters, fields). After explaining it half a dozen times over the course of the weekend, I found that I could get new players up to speed in just a few minutes, and after playing once they were hooked.

The game also has a ton of expansions and related games as well. I ordered the Inns & Cathedrals Expansion, which also increases the maximum number of players to six.

So, if you get a chance to play this unpronounceable game (we started calling it "The French Carcass", among other less polite names), go for it. You won't regret it.