Mists Over Carcassonne: Ghostly Halloween Puzzles
Manage the ghost-filled mist that descends across the growing countryside with the challenges in Mists Over Carcassonne.
Time for a little spookiness… A day late for Halloween. Ha! I still managed to play Mists Over Carcassonne on the day I intended to, but as always, writing about it took me into a new month. No worries! I was surprised I hadn’t brought this back to my solo table in a long time, as it offers a wonderful puzzle with just the right balance of cute and scary!
Game Overview
Game Name: Mists Over Carcassonne
Publication Year: 2022
Designer: Klaus-Jürgen Wrede
Artists: Marcel Gröber & Anne Pätzke
Publisher: Hans im Glück
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Watch out for the ghosts! The standard tile-laying formula is here with similar scoring goals, yet the twist involves a good deal of extra choices. Increasing levels open up new challenges, and managing to keep the ghosts at bay is never easy, especially when played on Halloween!
First Play
February 3, 2024
Complexity
2
Latest Play
October 31, 2024
Expansions
0
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
22
Play Time
20 Minutes
High Score
113
Game Area
32" x 20"
Low Score
0
Happy Halloween!
I might be a day late, but there were certainly some visitors out and about to celebrate Halloween. Look at all of those ghosts! And witches! And… A pumpkin. Ha!
For me, I tend to steer clear of a lot of scary stuff most of the time. I prefer the cuter and sillier side of the holiday.
This game fits that mold quite well, in that the ghosts aren’t too menacing and the little meeples are pretty cute.
It was only a shame these extra Calico Critters couldn’t count as extra ghosts for gameplay purposes. Definite advantage right there, and I needed some help. Ha ha!
Excellent Summary
The back of the rulebook includes a summary of all of the main steps and important details to keep in mind. With 6 different levels, elements are steadily added.
Level 4 was where I was! This didn’t add anything new, but the scoring thresholds went up significantly.
Cemeteries proved to be tricky, as I never could quite plan ahead for managing the ghosts. And each time I tried to close one off, I needed the tile for something better.
Decisions were always tough, though, which I enjoyed. Certainly not a walk through the park… Or mist!
Ghosts Everywhere
Getting back into the swing of things took a few tries, as I forgot how quickly the ghosts could overwhelm the area.
The perfectionist in me tried to connect all of the mist regions as much as possible… Which didn’t always work out! I adapted a bit and removed ghosts in other ways.
Controlling all of the different meeple colors gave me interesting choices, too, as I enjoyed the shared scoring. I had that almost set up in the bottom right before…
Too many ghosts! There were a couple of frustrating moments, especially when I was just shy of a victory.
A Spooky City
Despite my endless defeats, I had a great time seeing how I was slowly improving. To make it all worthwhile, I liked picking out the most haunted city on the map each time!
The ghosts tended to descend on lots of central cities, which might be a telling strategic misstep. No matter!
I had a great time working through the choices, especially about whether to score or remove ghosts. That was an agonizing decision at times, but so very useful.
Hopefully, it won’t be a year until I play again. Although perfect for Halloween, this one is always a fun challenge!
Is There a Season for Every Game?
I’ll admit that I love to come up with different themes and pair my games with whatever I can at the moment. Often, it involves finding the solo games that seem to fit the current season… Or even the complete opposite. But at this point, I’m simply happy to find the time to play any of my games! And maybe that’s why I like getting transported to worlds.
Getting immersed in the theme or building a narrative, no matter how small, brings me a lot of joy. I tend to focus my solo gaming time on those moments that are fun and happy. Definitely makes the experience better for me! So although I think there might be some excellent seasonal pairings, I’m choosing to play whatever feels right in the moment.
Session Overview
Play Number: 15-22
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Level 4
Outcome: 38, 3, 2, 6, 20, 6, 95, 25 (8 Losses)
I loved the reminder about some of the important aspects of these higher levels. Alas, I managed to use all of the tiles at one point without reaching the scoring threshold. Close! This is a wonderful solo experience that I often overlook on my shelf, thinking it might only work during October. Not so! There is a solid puzzle design here with lots of levels to work through… Just steer clear of ghosts!
%
20 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
9
+ Pros (Positives)
- The progressive levels start off very simple with limited rules, then ramp up to offer greater challenges.
- Although ghost-themed, the artwork is fairly tame and the ghost meeples lack any sort of scary elements.
- Choices are rarely obvious and there is a nice amount of thinking required for the optimal tile placement.
- Familiar mechanics make the rules foundation fairly straightforward with some neat twists on the old formula.
- Managing the different meeple colors adds an interesting strategic layer without feeling overwhelming.
- Helpful references are included to reduce the need to flip through the rulebook at regular intervals.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Bad luck can spell disaster pretty early on, purely due to the order of the tiles, and reshuffling takes a little time.
- At the higher levels, there are a lot of elements to keep track of and understand to make the best decisions.
- The meeples are a little too large for the tiles, which can make seeing the ends of roads a little difficult from afar.
- Some tile configurations aren’t included and can lead to building some areas that are impossible to complete.
Victory Conditions
Reach the Victory Threshold
- Overall Goal Progress 75%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game at Level 1.
Win at least 1 game at Level 2.
Win at least 1 game at Level 3.
Win at least 1 game at Level 4.
Continue the Conversation
What is your favorite aspect of Mists Over Carcassonne? Have you reached the highest levels, or do you have one you prefer? I’m having a great time working through the challenge of figuring out how to reach the victory threshold… Still not there yet, but I’m hopeful I’ll get there someday! This is one I’m glad to have for Halloween and all year round!
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