This is a Klaus-Jurgen Wrede game in the Carcassonne line. It has new graphics, a new set of components, a theme set in the Stone Age, and new rules to match the theme. As in Carcassonne, players place tiles and put game figures on them, but with different strategies and results. Players have figures that can represent hunters, gatherers, or fishermen and place them in meadows, forests, or on rivers. They also have huts, which can be placed on rivers or lakes and are scored at the end of the game as are the hunters. Gatherers and fishermen are scored when forests or rivers are completed. There are special forest tiles that give the player who plays a tile completing a forest an extra tile laid of special tiles with special features. Players will like this game that features the tile-laying and token placements of Carcassonne with many new twists. The game is for 3-5 players ages 8 and up and takes about 60 minutes to play. |
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33 of 33 found the following review helpful:
MUCH better than the original!Nov 27, 2004
By Alan Friesen
Carcassonne: Hunters & Gatherers is a brand new product in the Carcassonne line of games. The original game uses medieval tiles (castles, roads, monasteries, etc.), whereas this one takes place in prehistoric times (forests, lakes, meadows). In order to score, you need to actually close off the rivers and forests, unlike the original Carcassonne where you can keep on building and building onto a city in order to get more points. Also, if you complete a forest with a gold nugget, you get a bonus tile - basically an extra turn, but the bonus tiles sometimes have a huge bonus.
The original is fun, but if you're just getting into the game you definitely want to try this first. Scoring is different, as well as the addition of a new type of "meeple," but it plays a lot faster and just makes a little more sense. The original is good, but Hunters & Gatherers is *terrific*!
21 of 21 found the following review helpful:
Great gateway game, great for 2 playersApr 20, 2007
By Teddy Bird
We are two new gamers, and this game was one of the first we bought. We also bought Lost Cities, Ingenious, Knights, and Through the Desert.
We have enjoyed all of those games to varying degrees. This game has risen to the top of our list, though. It's not overly complicated, and so is accessible to beginner-level board gamers. It's meatier, though, than a Lost Cities or Ingenious. Our plays have been about 75 minutes, which is a nice length.
The instruction manual seems a little hefty, but please don't be deterred. If we can play this game and understand it, anyone can. I highly encourage any new gamers to use this as a gateway game. It's really fun and quite easy to get your arms around. Please give it a try -- it's completely renewed our interest in board gaming.
21 of 21 found the following review helpful:
Better than the Original CarcassonneDec 05, 2003
By K. Sampanthar
"Inventor of ThinkCube"
This is from the Carcassonne Series of games. This is not an expansion and is a stand alone game which draws from Carcassonne but is also very unique. The differences between the original and this version is that there is a more strategic element to this game and it has a little more depth. Similar to the original it plays within 30 - 40 minutes.The tiles are a little bit busier, and the game play being only subtly different means you can't use the same strategies as you would do in Carcassonne. Personally, I prefer Hunters and Gatherers to the original Carcassonne, but it is very close, especially when you add the expansions sets to the original (i.e. Traders and Builders, and Inns & Cathedrals) A must for anyone who loved Carcassonne, this is a welcome addition to the series....
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Similar to the original but differentJun 07, 2005
By Bill Huebsch
If you have played the original Carcassonne you will notice a lot of similarities. Forests score similarly to castles and rivers score similarly to roads. There are also hunters who somewhat match the farmers of the original. If you have not played the original this is a stand alone game of the same type. You lay square tiles next to each other to form a landscape of forests, rivers and fields, scoring points for completing these landmarks.
There are a lot of differences too though. Incomplete forests and rivers get you no points at the end of the game. The hunters get points not for completed forests, but for creatures that live in the open spaces of the tiles. And there are tigers that can eat some of those creatures, negating their points. There are also bonus tiles that give you an extra turn when a forest is completed. And there are special pieces that allow you to get points for an entire river system at the end of the game.
I found the extra ways of scoring to make this a more interesting and involved game than the original. My six year old likes this one more than the original too. As with the original your points can be "stolen" by the other player through clever tile laying. Your opponent can also get a benefit from completing you forest by laying the final piece and getting to play the bonus piece that comes with the completion. Some of the bonus pieces are quite powerful, although others are similar to the standard ones.
As with the original there is an element of luck as drawing the "right" tiles while your opponent draws the "wrong" ones can make a difference, however I found this to be less true in Hunters and Gatherers than the original.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Wow! This is my favorite Carcassonne game by far!Dec 15, 2007
By Bob
"Bob"
I love this game. For some reason it is more enjoyable than the original Carcassone (even with all its various expansions). I play it all the time with my wife or with my daughters (ages 6 and 8). It's can be quite difficult to find an excellent game for two people, but this is it. The game is just fun; it keeps you involved and engages all the way until the end. It is usually unclear who has actually won until the very end, so unlike other games there isn't that long period of boredom after you realize you've already lost but the game hasn't finished. This game is also quite aesthetically pleasing, and overall a joy to play. It is not only my favorite Carcassonne game; it is my favorite game period.
Enjoy, Bob
p.s. Another way to stay even more involved in the game is to pre-pick your tile, so that you're ready to play when it's your turn. This really keeps the game moving, and we can finish the game in almost 30-45 min.
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based on 26 reviews
