Carcassonne Big Box 3

by Rio Grande Games

• For 2 to 6 players
• Play time of 45 minutes
• Contains the base game, plus the most popular of the expansions: Inns and Cathedrals, Traders and Builders, Princess and Dragon, Abbey and Mayor and Bridges, Castles and Bazaars

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 39.3 x 18.7 x 55.8 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B004DZ8WYE
• Item model number: 435RGG
• Manufacturer recommended age: 8 - 12 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,723 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (156 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

This new Big Box contains the base game, plus the most popular of the expansions inns and cathedrals, traders and builders, princess and dragon, abbey and mayor and bridges, castles and bazaars. For 2 to 6 players. Play time of 45 minutes.

Product Description

Carcassonne Big Box #3 includes the basic Carcassonne game, along the following expansions: Inns and Cathedrals, Traders and Builders, Princess and Dragon, Abbey and Mayor, Bridges, and Castles and Bazaars. The box has a box liner designed with spaces for all the components.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 62 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun/addictive game, amazingly well thought-out box November 22, 2011

By Patrick Thielen

Amazon Verified Purchase

Durability: 4.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 4.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

The GAME: Carcasonne is an amazingly fun, addictive, simple yet deep, and interactive game that's fun to play with 1 other person or 6 other people. The basic game is incredibly simple, and using all expansions at the same time is very complex; but that's part of what makes this game so great is that anyone can figure out how to play the basic game in about 5 seconds, yet even the basic game involves a good amount of subtle strategy and therefore isn't as easy to "master" as it is to learn how to play. And then add to that the fact that there are a multitude of expansions available, and it gives Carcassonne an incredible amount of depth and replay value that goes far beyond almost any other game I've ever played in my life.

The EXPANSIONS: Say you're playing with a bunch of 5 year-olds that have never played the game before. Just use the basic game and everyone will be able to play and have fun. Now, say those kids are 10 and have played a few times before. Maybe you want to use the basic game plus one or two of the expansions. That adds more cards to the game, a few more complex rules, and the game will be longer and more fun for everyone (since by now playing just the basic game may be a little boring). Now, say you're playing with a group of adults that have played the game countless times. Use the basic game plus all 5 expansions and the game is now going to be very complex, deep, interactive, challenging, fun, and even combative (in a friendly sort of way). The point is that you can pick and choose which expansions you want to play depending on who is playing with you, how much time you have, how complex you want the game to be, what strategies you want to use, etc.... And even though I said that the basic game by itself could get "boring", I guarantee that this game in its entirety could never get boring because each game is entirely different and the strategies you use to win will change every single time you play.

This BOX: this is by FAR the most well thought out board game packaging I've ever seen, which is good since it includes the basic game plus 5 optional expansions which you can pick and choose from. Each card has a little water mark on it which indicates which expansion it's part of. The box has a slot for each set of cards, separated by expansion set. So at the end of each game, it's easy to put the game pieces into the appropriate piles of cards, and then put those cards into the appropriate slot in the box. Brilliant! Read more ›

60 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best value set. Great light game. April 3, 2011

By C Winger

Durability: 4.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 3.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

Likes:

1. The tile format and artwork is appealing.
2. The simplicity and ease-of-teaching make it a great gateway board game that most people can pick up.
3. This box set has all of the best expansions in one place for less than purchasing them all separately.
4. Most games with 5 or less people are under an hour.

Suggestions:

During play, use a Crown Royal bag or some other non-transparent bag and throw the pile of draw tiles in the bag. This will save table space and makes the random tile drawing easier, allowing you to quickly pass the bag around as you play.

Dislikes:

None really. This is a big box, so it's not suited for travel. However, if you plan on traveling with this game, you can make use of the aforementioned cloth bag and take only the expansions you want on the road.

Bottom Line:

A game you can share and enjoy with family and friends for years to come.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Family Favorite September 13, 2011

By LivinginAmerika

Amazon Verified Purchase

Durability: 4.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 3.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

Took a chance and purchased the Big Box rather than the stand-alone game as previous research on the game (both written and video reviews) convinced me it would be a game our family would enjoy, so why not save some money on the expansions? This has turned out to be a prescient decision as, after playing it about a dozen times, we've already added the Inns and Cathedrals expansion to mix things up a bit.

Our family enjoys the game for a number of reasons:

1. The basic game was easy to learn even for our seven year old and the Inns and Cathedrals expansion did not add any great complexity.
2. Quick to play (average time between 30 and 45 minutes) so it fits into our weekly boardgame rotation.
3. A good mix of planning and randomness that gives our seven year old a solid chance to win. By comparison, we also regularly play Ticket to Ride. Ticket has a bit more emphasis on planning than randomness and, as a result, our seven-year old is not nearly as successful (while still enjoying it).

Overall, an enjoyable addition to our family's board game collection.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars nice to be introduced to a new game like this February 13, 2012

By Jane in Milwaukee

Amazon Verified Purchase

Durability: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 4.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

After Monopoly, Sorry, Scrabble, Parchisi, Trivial Pursuit, and Chutes & Ladders, who knew there'd be another fun board game? Our neighbors introduced us to Carcassonne (which, because it starts like "carcas"...couldn't they come up with a more fun French word?) and I looked all over Barnes & Noble. Couldn't find it so I looked on Amazon and carefully read all these reviews to see which package offered the best bang for the buck. This one. Basic game plus 5 expansion packs is really a great buy. It's lovely how everything fits in the box (yes! there's a map!) with room to spare. You can easily pick and choose just the basic game or whatever combination of additional sets you like. Be patient, it takes a while to get to know the rules...but then it's strategy time! Perhaps learn one expansion pack at at time before you start layering because scoring at the end can be dicey.

Tips:
1) Keep all the little resealable bags so you don't mix up your little guys with your big guys with your mayors.

2) The starter tile has a side which will fit every other tile--field, road, and city--and the back is darker. Put stickers on the front of the starter tile so you don't have to turn all the tiles over to find it. (After a while, it gets interesting to see how much it stays in the middle or strays to the edge of the play.)

3) Keep the starter tile in the little box at the edge so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. (For some reason that little box is not marked on the "map" on the inside cover.)