Carcassonne: Star Wars

Today's review is of the 2015 release, Carcassonne: Star Wars.  For 2-5 players, it takes 35 minutes.

Overview
Explore trade routes, navigate asteroid fields, and conquer planets as you look to rule the galaxy! 

Like the original, Carcassonne: Star Wars is a tile-laying game.  On your turn, you:
- randomly draw and place a tile, laying it on the existing map and making sure edges adjacent to existing tiles 'match'.
- place one of your meeples on a trade route, asteroid field, or planet on the tile you just laid down (if you can)
- if a feature (trade route or asteroid field) is completed, or if a planet is completely surrounded by tiles, the meeple occupying it is scored and goes back into your supply, to be used again later

game in progress; image from here

There are three main differences between this and original Carcassonne:
- here, you can't lay meeples down in space (like you can in pastures in the original)
- if you lay a tile adjacent to a planet, you can place your meeple on the planet- even if someone's already on it!- and a battle ensues (you both roll a number of dice based on a few conditions; the person with the highest number wins and kicks the other off the planet)
- similarly, if a newly-laid tile creates a situation where two players occupy the same asteroid field or trade route, they battle and the loser is kicked off

Once all tiles have been laid, points are tallied, and highest wins!

Review
Carcassonne has produced several variants over the years because it's a solid and fun gaming system. Carcassonne: Star Wars is fun, though I think I prefer the base game or Carcassonne: Gold Rush to this version.  Something felt missing . . . perhaps having one fewer option (laying a meeple in space) was the gap.  That aside, the battles with dice was an interesting twist, and my kids really liked it.  It's a solid addition to the Carcassonne line.

Rating: B+