A few words about the Castle
Castle is definitely one of the best two-player games available on the Polish market. In my opinion, however, it is also the best position in the Carcassonne series , and I have already had the pleasure to play the stand, the Big Box , and the Gold Rush . The main advantage of the Knizii Reiner version is the limitation of the board area. The second plus is the need to match only roads. We no longer have to wait for a specific element at all costs to close an area! The last most important change is the introduction of bonuses that can be obtained for exceeding a certain point threshold. But of course you have to remember that for these bonuses the principle of “first come, first served” applies.
The castle looks like a normal Carcassonne castle , but thanks to these few changes it is incredibly sweet! At the end of the presentation of the stand, I will mention that I always play this series of games with a fan modification. Namely: instead of picking and adding a randomly drawn tile, I play with three tiles in my hand, and each time I add I make up my hand to three. This gives me more control over the game! For me personally, without this simplest home rule , this board game loses one point in the gameplay category.
What’s new is Sokół introducing ?
Falconit is primarily new tiles, and thus a slight expansion of the playing field. In addition, there are falcon nests and two new pieces, i.e. the prince and the falconer. A new area also comes into play – the green chapel. The higher it is, the more points it generates, which is checked in the table. So, for example: if it consists of one tile, it gives 1 VP, from three – 6 VP, and from eight or more it is 36 VP. Some tiles have a nest falcon printed on them, if you close the area with this element, you take one nest token from the supply. It can also be obtained by scoring a region with a falconer. The prince, on the other hand, doubles the number of points. Of course, new subjects cannot be placed if they are to score immediately! What do falcon nests give? At the end of the game, the player with the most points scores points in the same way as for the largest house.Stop! Who is going ?.
Falconry
The falcon doesn’t really make any dramatic changes. Its main advantage is the extension of the game time. It’s still a quick board game, but with eighteen extra tiles, you can do better and score more points. For the first time, I got the bonuses placed at the end of the scoring track! I really enjoyed the hawk nest hunting as well as the additional helpers. Placing a prince on a large area can bring you a lot of points, but on the other hand – maybe it’s better to score a few smaller ones?
There is something to think about and work on. I won’t say that this add-on is a must have , but it does add some interesting elements, and the larger playing field offers even more fun. Thanks to the add-on , the Castle from me receives the whole notch in the gameplay category! And I can say the same about replayability, because new subjects are new strategies to learn and test!
Fun fact: There are seventy-eight tiles in the game with the Falcon , which is more than the base Carcassonne . With a bit of good will, you could try to play four people, although of course you will need additional pawns.
Is it worth hiring a falconer?
In my opinion, the castle is an outstanding game! It stands out from other games in the series, and for me personally, it is much more fun than Big Box . The additions are nice, but they introduce a lot of elements that sometimes blur the main idea of the game, and the Castle in this simplicity is simply brilliant. Reiner Knizia perfectly sensed the spirit of this series and improved it to the maximum. The add-on only confirms that sometimes it doesn’t take much to make the game even better! I will also mention that the Falcon fits entirely in the stand!
All in all, I would love to play Castle with or without an add-on. This is one of those items that I will never get rid of. A pearl in the collection of two-player games!
