Breaking Carcassonne - A Double-Take Review of The Broken Token's Carcassonne Insert

If there's a game that rivals the popularity and accessibility of Catan, it's the classic tile-placement game Carcassonne. So It only makes sense that The Broken Token would create one of its clever, ingenious inserts for the game. Today we're taking a look at that insert! 

Should you stuff this insert in your Carcassonne box, or just stuff it?

Let's find out!

Let's start with a little bit of information to set the stage here. I (Jeremiah) have an older copy of Carcassonne, from the days of Rio Grande Games and quite a few expansions. While I (Firestone) have the base game, Inns & Cathedrals, and Traders & Builders--all the Rio Grande Games version. 

The insert consists of two trays, one tray is for your standard base game meeples, and features six compartments for the six colors (including the sixth color that comes with Inns & Cathedrals). The secondary tray has just two compartments that are about a 60/40 split of the tray (these don't have an obvious designated use, but are good for tokens, expansion meeples etc.). The rest of the insert is made up of rows to hold tiles stood on end. There are three rows that run the entire width of the box, and are bisected in half, as well as another row that runs perpendicular to those rows and along side the side of the trays. 

the before of the box--chaos!

Construction

Jeremiah--The insert took me about 25-30 minutes to complete and then sort all of my pieces into the insert. As with the last insert I put together (King of New York) TBT recommends you tape the corners, however once I had everything snapped together it held (and is still holding) together just fine.

Firestone--It was a VERY tight fit getting the organizer into my box--so much so that I was afraid the insert was only intended for the Z-Man Games version of the game. But I eventually crammed it in there, and it's going to budge, so no tape here, either. 

Organizing   

Jeremiah--I think the row that runs along side the tray is intended to hold the entire base game tiles. At some point I bought a set of 12 convention/promo tiles and threw them in with my base set (and have no earthly idea of how I would separate them) so it doesn't quite hold them all, so I moved them over to the first row that runs the width of the box. I used the  row that runs along the side of the tray to stuff in my draw bag, the score keeping and starting tiles, as well as my Phantom expansion. There are also a slew of dividers that can break up all of the rows, so I used the remaining rows to put in the other expansion I own. 

After

I was able to put in: Inns & Cathedrals, Abby & Mayor, Traders & Builders, and The River II. With plenty of room leftover to add more. Somewhere I've got: The Count, and The Princess & Dragon expansions that I wasn't keeping in with my set because there wasn't enough room. It's time to dig them out and slide them in!

Firestone--I have fewer expansions than Jeremiah, so I have plenty of room. In fact, I'm thinking of seeing if my Carcassonne South Seas will fit in here, too. I'd love to have it all in one place. 

The Verdict

Jeremiah--To be honest, I've had my Carcassonne set "organized" the same way for so long it is taking some time to get used to how it's organized with the new insert. That's not saying anything bad about the insert; I've just had this game so long it's a bit of a change. I like having all of my meeples sorted by color right from the get go, and also being able to grab the expansions quickly and easily. While some inserts seem to affect (in a good way) both storage and gameplay, the Carcassonne insert speeds up the setup of the game, which is always a plus!

Firestone--I love how fast setup is now, for sure. The thing this organizer has changed for me is that now I'm getting my other expansions on the table. They used to just sit in bags, and I'd ignore them. Now that it's all in one place and visible, I've been pulling out expansions to try with the kids, and they, of course, love them. So if nothing else, it's helped me play expansions. It's much more, of course. I'm a pretty unorganized person, by nature--just ask Jeremiah! So anything that helps me easily stay organized is much appreciated. 

Mmm...  organized...

Jeremiah--If there's one thing I thought could have been thought out a little more, it was the secondary tray. It's kind of big, and nondescript. I wasn't sure if I wanted to mix in a bunch of meeples/tokens in there, or just split them between two different expansions.

Firestone--Yeah, but if you have extra room, you may as well add a tray--even if it doesn't have a specific function. 

Jeremiah's Final Verdict--I have a decent amount of Carcassonne expansions, and the Broken Token insert fits them all, with room for plenty more! Setup goes much quicker, and easier with this insert, and it uses the space inside your base set box highly efficiently! Not only that, it looks super slick when you bust it open! Carcassonne is definitely a game that gets a lot of play in my collection, and being able to organize it well, and quickly makes this insert well worth the price tag!

Firestone's Final Verdict--Once again The Broken Token has made a super-useful insert for a beloved game. This organizer has made it easier for me to incorporate the expansions that I rarely play with--and it's spurred me to track down some of the expansions I'm missing, since I've got all this awesome room now! I want a Broken Token insert for every game I own!

Theology of Games would like to thank The Broken Token for providing review copies of their Carcassonne insert. This in no way affected our opinions of the game. 

Thanks for reading!