Carcassone: Princess & Dragon Expansion

Other products by Rio Grande Games

Product Features

• Games Magazine GAMES 100, Family Game Nominee - 2006
• 30 New Landscape Tiles, 1 Wooden Dragon, 1 Wooden Fairy
• Ages 8 and up
• 2-6 players
• 30-45 minutes

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6 x 2.5 x 4 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0009K6T2E
• Manufacturer recommended age: 10 - 12 years
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #30,284 in Toys & Games (See Bestsellers in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Product Description

In this expansion from the prize-winning Carcassonne, we move into the realm of fantasy. The land around Carcassonne is being visited by a dragon, making life very difficult for the followers. Brave heroes venture forth to face the danger, but without the aid of the fairies, their chances are not good. In the city, the princess seeks help from the knights, and farmers build secret passages to move about undetected by the dragon. We hope you enjoy this special trip into the land of Carcassonne!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice expansion - a bit complex, January 16, 2007

By	Kimberly - See all my reviews

This is a nice expansion to the Carcassone game - especially for 2 players, as it adds the possibility of having pieces removed from the board before they can score. That also means the opportunity to steal points from your opponent.

However, the rules to this one are a bit overly complex. There is a lot of "do this instead of what you would normally do" making a lot of things to think about and a lot more decisions to make every turn. That makes the game last longer, as each turn takes longer. The rules are also somewhat ambiguous on a few points, especially when mixing with some of the other Carcassone expansion.

I don't recommend combining this with the Tower expansion, in the same game. Our last one took over 2 hours for 3 players! Both expansions are fun on their own, though. I think I'll alternate a few games.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Average expansion, better suited for experienced players., December 29, 2007

By	M. DiGioia (Bothell, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars Educational:2.0 out of 5 stars 

Princess & Dragon adds an element of random disaster to Carcassonne. The primary addition to game play is a dragon that "eats" pieces, removing them from play. Secondary aspects include, a fairy to protect players from the dragon's attack, magic portals that allow players to teleport to other available map features, and princess tiles to help opportunists capture an opponent's incomplete city.

The Dragon element can be fun and does make for some tense situations as you wait to see if a dragon tile is coming out of the bag, but I find it only really adds to game play of four or more players.

The secondary aspects offer limited enjoyment and really don't add much to game play aside from complicating strategy and making the game last longer.

Overall, I consider it to be one of the lesser Carcassonne expansions and don't play with if very often. It is best suited for a more experienced player looking to add something new to the game. For newer players, I recommend purchasing Inns & Cathedrals, Traders & Builders, and Abbey & Mayor before picking up Princess & Dragon.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not so much fun, May 2, 2008

By	Kris Lockyear "great_uncle_romania" (UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars 

On the whole this is the least successful of the various expansions I have tried, and really does not work when there are only two playing (which is the normal circumstance with me). We adapted it by adding the extra tiles into the bag (minus volcanoes) but only paying attention to the magic portal tiles, i.e. all the other tiles were just extras for the fun of having more, and weirder shaped, tiles in the game. The builders and traders expansion adds much more to the game.