Board Game Arena

Arena play of Carcassonne is pretty dull right now. Without the two main expansions - especially with only 2 players, everyone uses the same tactics with little variance. If you could add the two major expansions already incorporated into BGA, I would enjoy Arena mode much more. Carcassonne is also more interesting with three or four players, because you can't use the same base tactics without giving up scoring.

High rated players wouldn't exist if everyone was using the same tactics.

Ceaseless wrote: ↑15 October 2024, 13:53 High rated players wouldn't exist if everyone was using the same tactics.

Even if all players use the same tactics, the rating can be decided by precision of the performed tactics.
For example, everyone's going for heavy resources tech in 2p Tzolk'in.
However, the rating vastly differs according to their skill.

ufm wrote: ↑15 October 2024, 15:28

Ceaseless wrote: ↑15 October 2024, 13:53 High rated players wouldn't exist if everyone was using the same tactics.

Even if all players use the same tactics, the rating can be decided by precision of the performed tactics.
For example, everyone's going for heavy resources tech in 2p Tzolk'in.
However, the rating vastly differs according to their skill.

I guess it comes down to how broadly you want to paint the same tactics then. I would think execution is a rather significant part. Without that, there's a question to how well you really understand the tactics being used at that point. With many games, at a certain gap in skill the players don't even seem like they're playing the same game anymore. Granted, I don't know anything about Tzolk'in specifically.

I agree. The best players >500 ELO are playing the strategic variant with traders and builders expansion. Too much randomness in the base game for me.

no players above 500 play only the base game because you can create tactics, blocks, count tiles, use statistics and there is less luck involved, never the strategic variant, the arena is very good as it is now

Well, I think that only lazy and boring people don't want to use expantion, I'm feel really sorry for them, the game is really much better with expantion, without the games are allways the same.

P.S.: To learn an expantion you need like 5 minutes...

Yes, we need the 2 essential expansions in Arena mode... I don't even understand the ones that would play without it.

giustino98 wrote: ↑20 January 2025, 13:49 Well, I think that only lazy and boring people don't want to use expantion, I'm feel really sorry for them, the game is really much better with expantion, without the games are allways the same.

P.S.: To learn an expantion you need like 5 minutes...

1vs1 Base version is used on:
National championships
World Championhsip (Individual) - https://carcassonne-meisterschaft.de/
Carcassonne Champion League - https://carcassonne.gg/CCL2025/
Online National team competitions (World cup - https://www.carcassonne.cat/wtcoc/, European Cup, Asian Cup, Copa América, maybe some more I might be forgetting)
Mind Sports Olympiad Grand Prix and Mind Sports Olympiad in person (however, I believe these have a variant for multiplayer and expansions)

The base version has top level recognized competition whilst the expansions are way behind in terms of visibility and competition. One would argue that makes sense to have an Arena (Online competition) with the same setup as the existing competitive scene.

You don't see top level players making this sort of comments, because it is an international recognized format.

At most, there could be an separate Areana for expansions.

I agree, a separete Arena with expantion it can be cool!!!! Thanks for the informations