[Board Games] Carcassonne add-ons that decrease its nastiness?

[capn_frank]

Magic portal rule

From the sheet that comes with the Princess & the Dragon
(bolding of words in the original rules)

The magic portal (6 tiles)
When a player draws and places a magic portal tile, he may place a follower on this or any previously placed tile. When doing so, he must follow all other placement rules, for example, not on a feature with another follower. In additionm he may not, place his follower on an already completed feature.

Cap'n Frank

 

[blargney the second]

Thanks, capn_frank! So no trapped meeple retrieval with portals. Looks like Abbey & Mayor will be in my future.
-blarg

 

[scitadel]

Huh. Oops. Thanks for the catch Asmor. I think I need to replay that expansion. I hate it when I play an expansion with bad rules that change the game.

 

[Asmor]

Huh. Oops. Thanks for the catch Asmor. I think I need to replay that expansion. I hate it when I play an expansion with bad rules that change the game.

I really don't care for P&D. The dragon is utterly useless, the magic portals change the game on too fundamental a level, and the fairy is an annoying piece to try and remember each round.

 

[HellHound]

The King and Scout expansion is a friendly one - along with the one with the resource tiles, it gives you a reason to help close a city or road because the person who closes it gets the benefit, not the person who owns it.

 

[Wraith101]

I think King and Baron is for Xbox. There is a king and Scout expansion for the normal game that introduces 'Longest Road' and 'Largest City' rules, but it does not reduce the 'nastiness' as you call it at all.

Traders and Builders does add incentive to complete others cities.

'The Count of Carcassonne' changes the game dramatically; completing others features becomes a necessity!

 

[glass]

I enjoy the struggle of competition, and I like to play to win. I'd rather find a way to change the game such that the cruel winning tactic is less effective.

But then, wouldn't the new winning tactics become the ruthless and cruel ones?

EDIT: I do believe this is my first post in CCG and board games.


glass.

 

[blargney the second]

Winning isn't cruel. Pulling a Tonya Harding in order to win is cruel.
-blarg

 

[Varianor Abroad]

Traders and Builders does add incentive to complete others cities.

Yes. There are a few other rules "incentives" in that set that also get folks to play a bit more cooperatively.

With Princess and the Dragon, you actually can play cooperatively to manuever the Dragon away from other players.

Carcassonne is a bit competitive no matter what though. Might I suggest a different game if it's just the two of you?