Customer Reviews

Carcassonne The River 2

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We always play with the river in this house - it helps divide up the board to cut down on megafields.

If you like playing with the river, you need this expansion. I disagree with the reviewer who said it merely makes the river longer. Because of the fork in the river, it also gives you options - do you place your tile on *this* side of the fork, or *that* side of the fork? Okay, not many options, but it does greatly vary the shape the river takes! With just the first river, that river is mostly always the same shape.

It also adds a piece that many players (not all players) use as a "pig farm" - counting that piece as the same as using a pig in T&B.

I must say I love Carcassonne! I doubt you'd be looking at "The River 2" unless you love the Carcassonne games as well. I was never a fan of the river expansion that comes with the main Carcassone set (also in "The Big Box) so it is no surprise I am not too fond of this one either. To me, the aspect about Carcassonne I love is drawing a tile and not knowing what you are going to get. With the River, you know you are going to draw a piece of the river until all the "River" tiles are laid out. The only strategy is deciding whether or not to commit a meeple. "The River 2" only adds more river tiles to make the River longer. Overall, the "River" can add to the strategy of 'end game' field occupation, but, personally I find it starts the game off slow.

My favorite expansions are: The Inns and Cathedrals, The Princes and the Dragon (it Rocks!), and Traders and Builders. "The Tower" is pretty good too but playing "The Tower" with "Princess and Dragon" can just get maddening. The both offer piece removal and retrieval game mechanics - which I like....but together it can just get out of hand! The game can turn from a fun strategic family game into a vendetta fest.

If you're a Carcassonne fan....get "The River 2". It's worth it for those 'Let's play with ALL the expansions' nights!

A great way to start the game. By allowing the fields to split a bit better, the points are better distributed and the game becomes more competitive.

We purchased two river 2 sets and three river 1 sets. We play the river just like a road instead of "robbers" on the road we call em "pirates". Meeples placed on the river are placed sideways like they are swimming to help distinguish between the farmers on there backs. Whenever the river is intersected with a bridge we call it a "dam" that effectively ends your river. We changed the starting piece to two pieces including every feature, a road, a river, a field, and a castle. we taped these two pieces together so that it can be easily identified, but folded for easy storage. The river is then played just like a road, but can add a level of challenge to complete castles or other features. We have played this way about 12 times now and have yet to find a tile you can not place. Keep in mind you can place multiple rivers from only two pieces up to about 12 is the longest river we have had so far. The king and baron rules can add an admiral to the rules governing "road/river construction" for additional value to encourage large and multiple river construction.

have fun, ye skurvy land lovers!!

If you don't like the regular Carcassonne river expansion, then you won't like 'The River 2', but if you DO play with the first river then it makes sense to get this one as well.

The river expansions are generally best for those who don't like a farmer-heavy endgame. We alternate between river and non-river, but when playing with the river we always use 'The River 2' (which incidentally has some pieces that are compatible with other expansions: 'Inns and Cathedrals', 'Traders and Builders', and 'Princess and Dragon').

'The River 2' has a fork, which gives it some interesting twists and turns. The instructions say the fork should be placed right at the start (presumably to avoid a situation where the river would turn in on itself), however we play with the fork mixed in at random, making the river's shape less predictable, and this usually works fine.

I got the rivers free with my purchase of Carcassonne. If I was given the choice today to buy the expansion separately, I would not waste my money on it. The other expansion sets are much more interesting. The Rivers typically just add some length to the game, and make it slightly more challenging by putting a large divide into the game. It's helpful if you're playing with only 2 players, because it makes putting a farmer down on the board a bit more interesting. If you're looking to buy an expansion and you're only buying one, don't buy this one. If you already have other expansions and you're just looking for more variety, this would be a nice addition.

I find that the river expansions help the basic Carcassonne game. The river divides the fields so that it is harder for one person to dominate the end of game scoring for the fields.

I love the original game, and this just makes it all the more fun. The river is much bigger than the original river, and, personally opens up many strategic opportunities, and lengthens the game. It's a must have for lovers of the game.

My guess is that people who like the river are those who always seem to come up short in the fields. To me, sneaking more meaples into the main field is the best part of the game. The river ruins this by making things too congested. It's also a boring start to the game, so there's that too.

I bought this with the basic Carcassonne game to get me over the (...) Free Super Saver Shipping mark. I have been very glad to have the river. My wife and I played first without the river that is included in the Carcassonne box, and then with this river the second time we played. Adding the river makes the game significantly more fun for two players, and it helps break up the game for larger groups. I recommend buying this as it comes with a T river piece that the river included in the Carcassonne box does not have. We play with all the pieces from both rivers except the unnecessary beginning and end of river pieces. It helps to divide up farmland, and adds some structure to the board that makes the game significantly more fun.