Board games are making a triumphant comeback in the adult world with modern themes designed to engage players in complex strategy and problem solving. Whether a seasoned player or new to these types of games, join us at the Library where we will be hosting two game nights for adults and teens, featuring two different board games. First up will be Carcassonne on Saturday, January 30 from 3-4:30 p.m.
This medieval-themed game was named for the French city of Carcassonne, which is famous for its intact Roman and Medieval fortifications. As different cultures occupied the city, each left an architectural stamp, creating what some have called a randomized look, portrayed in the game of Carcassonne by cardboard tiles, which are randomly placed during the game to form an image of a city that differs with each playing.
The city is built with a set of tiles, each of which pictures some representation of city walls, roads, religious cloisters, fields, or a combination of more than one of these elements. Each player draws a tile on his or her turn and places it next to a tile already on the board to create a continuous picture. After a tile is placed, the player usually has an option to place one of their figures on that same tile to make it their “property”.
Thus, if a player places a road tile and places a follower on that road, the road becomes that player’s “property” for scoring purposes. The longer that road becomes, the more points the player scores for the road, and no other player can place followers on that road. It therefore i.s in a player’s best interest to expand roads, cities, fields and cloisters of his own, while trying to place tiles in such a way to limit other players from expanding theirs.
All of these interesting mechanics make for a game that plays like a dynamic and competitive puzzle. It takes mere minutes to learn, but has strategies complex enough that chess-like tournaments have been created for the game. Carcassonne is guaranteed to delight and entertain players of all skill levels.
Interested in our other game night? Join us for The Settlers of Catan on Saturday, February 27 from 3-4:30 p.m.
