Customer Reviews

Kids Of Carcassonne

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you enjoy euro board games such as Carcassonne and also would like to share them with young children (say, 4 years old), this is definitely the game for you. Carcassonne itself is one of the lighter eurogames and yet still it's well beyond what a 4 year old can effectively play, because there are many tile placements that are illegal and scoring is too complex for a child to incorporate into their planning. This game has all the same fun of tile laying and the beautiful artwork of the adult version (with a child-friendly bonus of artwork showing children on most tiles running around playing with or chasing farm animals) but a much simpler scoring mechanic and there are no illegal tile placements. Each tile has four road connections, one on each edge, but on the tile itself, some of these connections end and some connect to other edges. (Example: maybe the two roads cross where one is a bridge over the other, or maybe all 4 incoming roads end at a large building in the middle of the tile.) Some of the road segments have children on them in 4 different colors. When a road is completed at both ends, it is scored. For example, if a road is completed and that road has pictures of 3 blue children and 1 yellow child on it, then blue places 3 children from his supply on the road and yellow places 1. The winner is the player who runs out of children to place on the tile map first. Very similar to but simpler than Carcassonne scoring.

My 4.5 year old daughter enjoys playing this a lot. I wouldn't call it educational per se, but it's just the right level of mentally stretching for her, as she tries to figure out what roads will end depending on where the tile is placed, and which players will score more points because of it. 4.5 is a bit young, older children would probably enjoy it even more. But the real benefit is that it's a children's game that adults don't mind playing, so you can play together. Adults will eventually tire of this game, of course -- I encourage you to check out the normal version of Carcassonne if you haven't already, as that one keeps adults entertained for far longer and is a great introduction to European strategy board gaming.

Lastly, in case this helps you make up your mind, we received this game as a gift, loved it, and have now given it as a gift multiple times to multiple board gaming friends with children. As I say, it's perfect for gamers with young children.

This is a great game for little kids. The game consists of tiles with parts of several paths on them. Some paths end and others are open. You match up path tiles and try to put end points to close off a path. If your character's color is in a path that's closed, you place a wood token there. The player with the most wood tokens when all the tiles are done wins. It's that easy! It's a richer version of "pipe" or "snake" games where you build the pieces.

The tiles are sturdy, easy to place, and beautifully illustrated in rich illustrations and bright colors. The person tokens are made of thick wood and the entire set is made from very obviously quality materials - no plastic anywhere! There are no dice, spinners, or any type of counting needed for the game - each player takes turn placing tiles and trying to close off the paths on which their characters are sitting. The strategy is easy here so this is great for families with children of multiple ages.

This is a quality game and we received it as a wonderful gift. It's one of those wonderful gifts that families can enjoy playing together.

I'm a big fan of complex board games, especially "German" board games like Catan and Carcassonne. I have two children, six and eight, and my six-year-old gets frustrated a lot because he's the only one in the house who can't read. It's very hard to find games that everyone in the family can enjoy without getting overwhelmed or bored. I tried Kids of Catan and was sorely disappointed in the gameplay.

I am so grateful that I discovered Kids of Carcassonne -- finally I have a game that my youngest can play that also doesn't bore me. He had a little difficulty at first understanding the concept of a closed vs. open road, but after playing it a couple times he gets it. The level of strategy is perfect -- not too much that he can't play well, but also enough that the adults still have to think about their moves. There's also an element of luck involved, so a yonger player can still win even if he doesn't make all the best moves.

I'm looking forward to playing this game and watching my son get better at it over next months and years. I highly recommend this game as a gift for any six- or seven-year-old.

I have a 4 yr old and 6 yr old that absolutely love this game. My husband and I love it too. The gist of the game seems so simple and boring on paper, but once you start playing you realize all the levels of strategy there are. The more my kids play, the more I see them pick up on the various strategies. You have a lot of control whether you win or lose, it's not a game of chance like some other toddler games. I think adults loathe candy land, chutes and ladders, etc. In those games, you are simply at the whim of the die or the spinner or whathaveyou. This game is completely different and forces the child to seriously think about his/her next move. We are Rio Grande game fans now!

I bought this game shortly after my kids (boys, 2, 4, 7; the 2 y.o. does not play) saw my Carcassonne game all set up from the previous night. We have played Kids Of Carcassonne about a dozen times now, and they love it more every time we play. My 4 year-old is content helping everyone else score, and my 7 year-old is developing strategies that require more and more advanced thinking every time we play.

This is a great kid's game, and I admit I am expecting to be rewarded myself when these children are older and can understand the rules of Carcassonne, as they will likely be very advanced players beginning somewhere within their early teenage years because of their experience gained from this child's version.

I bought this game for my four-year-old daughter, and while she's able to play (though with little to no strategy), her older sisters - ages 8 and 6 1/2 - enjoy playing it, too. The simplicity of the game's super-tough map pieces and wooden child figures are a welcome departure from the typical plastic pieces most of our games have. The rules are simple - choose a map square and add it to the expanding game board to try and "catch" the kids running around the town. Every time we play is different and while my 4-year-old places pieces at random, the rest of us apply a bit more strategy and we all manage to have a great time.

As many have others have said; "Kids Of Carcassonne" is wonderful game that is fun for the whole family. After playing this for the last 6 months, our 6 year-old is starting to understand and enjoys watching the adults play "Carcassonne".

This year at the Chicago Toy and Game Expo I was searching for the right game for my 3 year old. He loves games and has wanted to play Settlers of Catan ever since I bought it. Catan being a little too hard for him to play, I started researching some games for him. The benefit of going to a game expo or a great local game store is the ability to try things out.

I came across the Rio Grande Games set up and asked what they had for little guys. The person working directed me to The Kids of Carcassonne, she sat down and ran my mother, my son and I through a game. How great is that?

The game play is simple enough, you have tiled board pieces, each player lays out a piece of the board. As you go you create paths, you can place the pieces down anyway, they all fit together. (great for little ones) As you build paths you want to find a way to block each path at all ends, once you do so you can place your pieces on the map. The first person to place out their 8 pieces wins. Simple concept, but, you can add strategy.

My three year old loved this game, loved it! My wife and I have fun too. Highly recommended.

Our granddaughters (8 & 6) really liked this. It's simple to learn, but great for teaching a little strategy. We helped the younger one in the beginning, but she quickly caught on about not helping another player with a move. The people seem quite durable, as do the tiles. A very thoughtful concept.

While this game is the KIDS of Carcassone I have had a great time breaking it out with any friends from Age 5 to 45. My little girl has been able to play this from age four and can even win against the adults once she had the concept down. To give her a fair shot I used to play with two colors while she would play with the regular one. After a year of playing she now competes against me just fine so that I can play with one color and it still be up in the air who will win. I highly recomend this to all my friends and it I always have an extra box still in the shrink wrap ready to be a gift for my little girl's friend's birthday parties.