Caracassonne vs. Settlers of Catan?

[Saeviomagy]

Carcassonne bores me. It is a tile laying game and your only decisions during the game is where you are going to place the next random tile. No look ahead, no planning, little strategy.

Have you played the game? Carcassonne is a numbers game - you're gambling that you get the right tile, and that your opponent won't. Once you've worked out roughly how common or rare tiles that fill certain holes are, you can make some quite vicious plays.

Carcassone has more randomness. If you like randomness, go with it. Settlers has less randomness (and that makes it better in my opinion).

Isn't settlers that game where each turn a randomly generated number determines who gets resources and who doesn't, and therefore who can actually make a move? I mean sure there's trading, but by the same token carcassone players can negotiate joint ownership of assets and the like.

Aside: Randomness in a strategy game is an axis along which some people evaluate the brainyness of the game. Chess has no randomness. Candyland is completely determined by the shuffling of the cards and thus is completely random - the players have no effect on the outcome.
None of these games are "good" 2 player games. Not even Carcassonne, though it comes closest to playable at 2 players.

Eh? I've never had a problem playing carcassonne 2 player, nor have I seen much in terms of radical departures from standard gameplay - the sole exception being that multiple ownership of an asset is never negotiated.

Frankly - my recommendation is carcassonne. The expansions that I've got (the river and inns and cathedrals) are more or less superfluous - the river changes the game significantly (it reduces the pressure to compete for resources), which is more or less a flavour consideration, while inns and cathedrals big add is extra gamepieces for a 6th player, along with some interesting extra tiles.

I'd suggest if you want to try the two out, there's a website where you can play online for free:

www.brettspielwelt.de

for help in english, try

www.brettspielwelt.com

 

[talinthas]

i can't imagine why any discerning gamer wouldnt have BOTH of these in their collection. Carcassonne for smaller groups, Catan for bigger ones. both have seen equal use in my house, and both are regarded with equal joy =)

 

[babomb]

Carcassonne bores me. It is a tile laying game and your only decisions during the game is where you are going to place the next random tile. No look ahead, no planning, little strategy.

There's a fairly common (in my experience) house rule where each player is dealt a hand of 3 tiles and can choose any one to play on his turn. Try it!

As to the original post, I like them both, but I've played Settlers a bit more and lean slightly toward that game. This online version of Settlers might help ease your decision (but I say get both if possible).

 

[d20Dwarf]

I didn't say there wasn't strategy to Carcassonne. I just find the game too reliant on randomness. I like games that are purer in strategy. (Though chess goes to far that direction) The less randomness in a strategy game, the more I like it.

I find Carcassone has less luck the more you play it, because you get to know the tileset. This is especially true, I think, with Carcassone: Hunters and Gatherers, which is my favorite of the games (it's a standalone, not an expansion). My 90%+ win rate on Brettspielwelt speaks to the amount of strategy over luck.

If you're going to play Carcassone, I highly recommend playing it with both Traders & Builders and Inns and Taverns. The river is weird to me, but I don't think it adds or detracts from the game (I prefer without, though).

I wore out of Settlers really fast, talk about a luck game!

 

[SpringPlum]

I really, really like Settlers of Catan but I have not played Carcassone. Settlers is great and the Seafarers expansion is nice.

However, although Settlers says it is for 2-4 players, the board gets really crowded if you have more than 3 players and no expansion set.

But don't take my word for it...

 

[billd91]

They're both awesome games. Carcassone is better for 2 player options (important if your wife or other significant other is a gamer) and there are a few expansions for it that increase the complexity of the game. There's also a 2-player only version called Carcassone Castle in which the tiles are all played inside a puzzle border.

They both kick the ass of most current Avalon Hill Games (with the possible exception of Diplomacy). But they also play very differently. They're both quicker than many other board games with faster setup and takedown (especially with Carcassone).

I would also classify both games as rules-lite. That's good for casual gamers (while Advanced Squad Leader is not for the faint-hearted). And the fact that there is a significant random element in them means that inexperienced players have a fighting chance of doing reasonably well. I find that the people who complain about that element the most (I know 2 who prefer a house-rule version with a 'hand' of tiles) are the most competitive at board gaming in general. A greater random element means that their highly-developed skills won't necessarily allow them to dominate the game. One player I know is particularly like this. I think he's getting mellower in general (parenthood, I think, is helping) but you can still see it from time to time.

I own both games and a number of expansions (Cities and Knights is my favorite expansion of Settlers) and find both games well worth owning. If you can only afford one, buy one now and plan to buy the other later when you can work up the scratch for it. You won't be disappointed.

 

[d20Dwarf]

They're both awesome games. Carcassone is better for 2 player options (important if your wife or other significant other is a gamer).

This point can't be overstated in a comparison of the two. If you think you're going to have the opportunity for some 2-man gaming, Carcassone is the clear winner. It plays excellent with 2,3,4, or 5.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I had a holiday in Carcassone a couple of weeks ago, and visited some of the wonderful, precariously perched fortresses in that region of France. Very inspiring in a fantasy-setting sort of way.

I might look into Carcassone the game, since although Settlers is great it can't be played with just two people - and the name of Carcasonne might convince my wife that it is worth giving it a go

Cheers

 

[reanjr]

So, which is it? Caracassonne or Settlers of Catan?

I don't know about Caracassonne, but there is an online Java version of Settlers that you can play to see what the game play is like.

 

[Ed Cha]

They're both great games. I own Carcassonne: Hunters & Gatherers and Settlers of Catan: Travel Edition. I'd say Carcassonne is better for quick games, while Settlers of Catan takes a little bit longer and generally requires more players. I prefer Settlers of Catan though. It's more mathematically-oriented with lots of strategy and yet easier to pick up in some ways. If you can, get both!