As someone who’s a big fan of using Carcassonne as in introduction to the world of board gaming, I’m always happy to see a new title in the series arrive from Z-Man Games. Late this year we’ll see a standalone title, which seems perfect for younger gamers, Carcassonne: Safari. In the game, players will be looking to see as many animals as possible during their African safari. Carcassonne: Safari is for two to five players, ages 7+, plays in around 30 minutes, and will carry an MSRP of $39.99 when it arrive later this year.
From Z-Man:
The lion roars from the shadows of the baobab tree as the zebra darts past. The ground shakes with the thunderous footballs of elephants. Looking through your binoculars, you zoom in on the towering giraffe slowly lowering its neck to the edge of a pool of clear water. The watering hole is key to survival under the sweltering African sun. You wait patiently, excited to see even more animals on your safari.
Travel to the African savanna and experience the classic tile-laying game with a new twist in Carcassonne: Safari!
From the mischievous monkey to the proud lion, many different species of animal roam the African savanna. With 72 land tiles and 50 animal tiles, you and your fellow safari-goers will have a lot of ground to cover to see the diverse wildlife scattered around the plains. Climb the baobab tree to get a birds-eye view, walk the trails and spot the animals hiding in the bush, blaze new trails with the ranger vehicles, and dig watering holes where wildlife can peacefully gather.
With the heat of the sun beating down, even the fiercest predators will pause to share the watering hole. As you continue exploring the plains, help the local wildlife by digging or expanding a watering hole. After placing a tile, you can choose to start digging a watering hole instead of placing a meeple. After the watering hole has been started, each new animal tile will score points. The second tile will score four points, the third will score five points, and the final tile will score six points. Since the watering hole is a gathering place for many creatures, it can only be completed by placing four different animal tiles. Once complete, the owner of the watering hole will score three points.
Founder/Editor-in-chief of The Gaming Gang website and host of The Gaming Gang Dispatch and other TGG media, Jeff tackles any and all sorts of games but has a special fondness for strategy, conflict sims, and roleplaying games. Plus, he's certainly never at a loss for an opinion...
