This game is a absolute must own for every household. Seasoned board gamers and people looking to enter the hobby (newbies) will both thoroughly enjoy this edition of Carcassonne. When having friends over I always find myself reaching and going back to this game, I consider it old reliable.
As opposed to just the base game this version allows for newbies and veterans to find enough substance and pleasure for playthroughs. When playing with newbies you can start with just the base game and after the second time you/they will be ready for a expansion to add some more complexity to your games. For those more experienced gamers who have played before and enjoy nitty gritty rules and more complex play will also find value here. Simply have them play with ALL expansions. And that is where this version completely shines, you can tailor it to every skill level. Furthermore the design and pieces are both of good quality and aesthetically pleasing. Such a great package in a well priced box.
Now for the shortcomings: Firstly, I kept wishing I could play with more players. This applies to every version of Carcassonne. I think the game could support an extra two players quite easily. Secondly, adding up the points at the end can be slow and quite frankly a unplesant experience. It takes a while and only becomes more boring, confusing and longer with the more expansions you add. Ill be honest this has left me to not want to play with certain expansions because of this. This however can be negated if you share the responsibility of being the “score counter” at the end.