Under the Big Top: Carcassonne

Roll up, roll up: the Big Top is in town! And the town in question is, of course, Carcassonne. Carcassonne: Under the Big Top is an expansion for Klaus-Jürgen Wrede’s classic. With Z-Man Games, these two continue to deliver new ways to play the tile-placement game.

The core mechanisms of Carcassonne remain in Under the Big Top. You’re still competing to place tiles into a communal area, placing meeples onto the ever-growing scene. Complete roads and cities, or surround monasteries with tiles for VPs. Whoever earns the most points – once the tiles run out – wins the bragging rights!

So what do you get in Under the Big Top? It goes without saying that you get new tiles in the box, of a circus nature. You’ll add these alongside your regular Carcassonne base game tiles. These feature recognisable roads and city shapes. But they also show tell-tale signs of a travelling circus. Some tiles, when placed, get the Big Top tent itself placed on it. A mystery circus animal chit gets placed underneath – the elephant being the most valuable!

Elsewhere, you can place a meeple as an acrobat on different tiles. In a twist, up to three different players can place on the same tile, forming a meeple ‘pyramid’! Each player also starts with a Ringmaster meeple (wearing a recognisable top hat). When he’s in the vicinity of other acrobats and the Big Top, that’s when he makes it rain victory points…

Carcassonne: Under the Big Top is another ‘large’ expansion for Carcassonne. It’s comparable to the likes of Inns & Cathedrals, for example. Please note that this is an expansion and not a standalone product. You’ll need the base game of Carcassonne to enjoy Carcassonne: Under the Big Top.

Player Count: 2-6 Players
Time: 45 minutes
Age: 7+