Inns and Cathedrals Reviews

• A great expansion to a great game!

  
  By A3J7JP22PK2NFT on 2003-06-24
  Note that this is an expansion set to the original Carcassonne game; you need the main game before you can use this. (Also note that this is not compatible with the Hunters and Gatherers set.)

  This expansion introduces several new city, temple, and road tiles which aren't in the original set. It adds two types of tiles -- two "Cathedral" tiles, which causes a city to be worth 3 times the points if it is finished, or makes a city worth nothing at the end of the game if it isn't finished. It also adds a handful of "Inn on the lake" tiles which makes a road worth 2 times the points when finished or worth nothing if unfinished at the end of the game. Finally, a new pawn is included, which is worth two people when determining ownership of completed sections.

  There are two disadvantages with this set -- the backs are slightly different than the original set, which I didn't originally notice. It's not too bad, but it was bad enough for the hardcore players that a bag is given in a later expansion set to solve this problem. The other disadvantage is that it is sometimes difficult to tell which one of your pawns is the big guy, as the only difference is that it's slightly bigger. I've been meaning to paint small sheriff badges on mine to make it easier to tell the difference.

  In the end, it's a very nice expansion for one of the greatest board games I've ever played.
  
  

• An excellent expansion to a great game

  
  By A28TKCK7O6XKY4 on 2007-11-21
  This is a wonderful expansion to the original Carcassonne Game. There are two primary factors that make this my favorite of the expansions that are available.
  
  WHY IT'S GREAT:
  
  #1: This expansion adds a new player color (grey), allowing you to play with 6 players instead of the original which is limited to 5.
  
  #2: The rules for the expansion are very simple, and match perfectly with the original game. If you already know how to play Carcassonne, you can learn this expansion in minutes. There are very few additional rules to learn, which means you can add in the expansion and start playing right away.
  
  WHAT'S BEEN ADDED:
  
  There are two new elements to the game introduced with this set, along with several pieces that don't change the original at all, but improve upon what's already there.
  
  The new factors are the big meeples, which can greatly increase your game strategy possibilities, along with the inns and cathedrals, which increase the value of your completed roads and cities.
  
  The other bonuses include new shapes of road, city, and cloister tiles, which adds some variety and new possibilities to your city building. As I mentioned previously, you also get a 6th player color. The scoring cards are cute, but I didn't really find them necessary. We never got confused about how many points people have.
  
  MINOR DETRACTING FACTORS:
  
  As mentioned by the other reviewers, the color of the backs of these tiles is a tiny bit different from the original tiles. An underhanded player could pick them intentionally. This is easily resolved by putting all the tiles in a cloth bag. Also mentioned by another reviewer, this expansion is not compatible with the Hunters and Gatherers expansion.
  
  CONCLUSION:
  
  This is a very well balanced expansion to what is already a great game. It adds some nice new strategies, making the game even more complete. Once you start playing with this expansion, it's hard to imagine how you ever did without. Pick this one up, you won't regret it.
  
  

• Good Game... Name correction

  
  By A2ZV24UVUI2XFM on 2007-07-24
  This is one of a number of good expansions to Carcassone... A very good game for all ages. Can be played ultra competitively by gamers, or completely for fun by all ages... with the same level of satisfaction... this cannot be said of too many games.
  
  Name correction... this expansion set is titled: INNS & CATHEDRALS, (not caverns)
  Just wanted to help avoid confusion.
  
  
  

• Must - Have Expansion

  
  By AVQ5CWEIIHCCF on 2007-07-30
  This expansion is absolutely essential if you're playing Carcasonne. There are wooden pieces that allow you to take a second turn, that increase the values of farms, that allow 6 people to play (instead of 5), and that increase the value of cities. The tiles and pieces match seemlessly into the basic game.
  
  

• Good

  
  By AA3TDQ34248M7 on 2007-12-20
  The expansion is pretty good. THe large followers and the builders being my favorite part of it, the double the road values not that exciting to me.... LIke most expansions, adds some new peices that change the ways things can fit together... But, if you are in it just for the 6th player.... I think you can buy extra meeples online... I want to say it was called meeplepeople.com... though you might have to buy more of them than you wish too.
  
  

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