Carolingi Playthru

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[Ludendum]

Dear Ryan, Sarah, Jona and Kevin,
it’s so great to see you playing Carolingi! Thank you so much for that marvelous playthrough! And I’m flashed, that you guys read the rules so thoroughly: Respect to the crew!
Having said this, please allow me to do some comment, only to avoid misunderstandings for those who watch your great video and wonder about some things. I will do this in order of the film, so every one can see what my comment is referring to.
But let me say something before: You did a great game play, but you misunderstood some rules and always in a way that made the game MUCH HARDER harder, than Christoph and I would have dared to design it. That only makes your will to play it through only more admirable!
Okay, here it comes:
3:30 - Following the original rules, you are not allowed to put development-counters on the country carrying your palace, because that country is already developed to the highest level. But hey, you decided to do so and it brought you higher income. If it worked out fine for you, it’s all right. … Later on 35:43 your realize, but still: The game worked out fine with this.
5:45 - Playing the influence-tile, you can put as many missi on the card as you want to. It’s only onto the homeland you can put a maximum of three.
And talking about setting missi on country-cards: It’s better to have at least two of them, because when they come down to the country you need to have a majority there to rule the country.
7:10 – Oh yes, the missi! You always have too small a number of them… I’m sorry, Jona! That can be frustrating!
8:20: It is better to put the tiles on the scriptorium and not directly into the bag because you see clearly who hasn’t joined in yet. It also allows the use of the hourglas for higher pressure – if you want. Looks like Kevin would love this … .
9:36 - The no-actions-tiles go back to the displays of the Carolingians, so you can use them every round.
14:40 – If you trade an action-tile, you take back the tile you want from the seasons, but you put the one you trade into the slot on the right of your display. So you can see wether you already have traded – and nobody sees what you gave away.
15:35 You always have enough tiles, because the no-action-tiles come back to you immediately (see 9:36). In fact, you must play two tiles every saison!
16:15 – see 9:36
18:00 You don’t put a grey cube into the glory-Slot, but a cube of your own color from Leudes.
18:20 It’s better to have the dotted actions-tiles face down, so only you can see what tile you’re activation when you use the development-tile.
19:35 – see 9:36
20:15 – see 9:36 (and so on …)
22:21 – Sarah, fighting doesn’t cost you any missus – one of the few actions, you can do without missi.
22:49 – You put another two (!) messenger-tiles on the scriptorium instead of only one (!). That means a huge amount of unrest in the game, because from now on, every year there will be 12 (!) event-card instead of 8. You will have massive problems from now on to keep the grey stones away. With two to four player it’s 1 tile in the first and 2 tiles in the following year. With five to six players it’s 2 in the first, and 3 in the following. And that is managable, because that you have more players to fight rebells. On the other hand you are doing so good until now that I’m keen to see if you will survive this very advanced playing mode …
24:15: About the glory-victory-condition: You have that in any case, if you have 4 cubes in the trophy raw, as your said, Sarah, but you have it also, if you have more that any other player. That’s not the case at this moment, because Sarah and Ryan have one each. So nobody has the glory-point.
34:20-25 Kevin is right: Yellow does not control the Champagne, because Kevin doesn’t have the absolute majority. You always need absolute majority except for fighting, as Sarah pointed out. There you need simple majority.
34:39 Now Ryan has the glory-victory-point.
35:43 Very smooth solution, I must say.
36:41 Dear Jona: It’s more fun, if the other don’t know what you are activating. Think about the definite peace-tile. Nobody should know, if you alread have activated it or not (see 18:20).
36:45 The throne is for the semicooperative expansion. The should be a secound equip tile, which would have give your game a different momentum.
38:07 Sorry, Kevin: You only “deploy”, that is move followers from a country where you have the absolute majority. So the rule says. But … it’s a nice rule-change, which seem to work out for you.
39:02 A comment on your strategy: You develop your countries a lot, which is good for the hunger. But developing your power, that is activating more tiles, would be a good option, too.
39:25-35 To Jona: No, you don’t need a follower on your homeland. It remains your even without one. Sorry Sarah, to correct you: You already have the Bourgogne 
41:14 I love your face right now, Ryan. I know, the peace-rule sounds complicate, and yeah, it kind of is, but believe me, it gives the final stage of the game a very unique momentum!
43:49: You folks realy do it the hard way! The neighboring-rule ONLY goes with woodlands that takes a rebel-cube. (But see Ryan on minute 50:14.)
43:53: Never goes a rebel cube on a homeland. In fact, on your homeland there ist only your palace and cubes of your own color.
45:00 – No, sorry Ryan! Now I see, why you folks don’t develop the extra action-tiles: “Buying” an extra-tile (the ones with the dot), means, that you can add them to your current action-tiles, and use them for the rest of the game. Seeing it that way, two missi is not too much for a further action-tile, is it? – And by the way, it is an explanation, why the game doesn’t move forward the way it could, because: more action-tiles, more action, more results, more victory-points. And yeah, I can see the frustration in your faces: I’m sorry, folks!
48:00 Here you got it.
49:32 see 43:53.
50:14 Bingo, Ryan: Superb!! (see 43:53) I must say: You guys do a real throrough work. I’m really impressed. I don’t know if I would have been so acurate with a new game: Really great, if I might say.
51:32 see 43:53 and so on …
51:39 Comment on your strategie: You have the Sooth riot-action-tile, but as you don’t know how to activate extra-tiles (see 45:00), you don’t use it. That would be of great help to overcome the rebels. See e.g. Kevins frustration to be stuck in 52:44. Sooth riot would help.
Okay, guys, if have to stop here to pack my bags for the Spiel in Essen tomorrow. My comments should be enough to point out, that you have played the game in a much harder way that it should be following the original rules. But let me finish by expressing again my admiration for your game play. Maybe we meet in Essen? I would love to thank you in person.