Carcassonne’s latest Big Box packs in the tile-laying modern classic and 11 expansions

If you’ve somehow avoided getting sucked into beloved tile-placer Carcassonne in the 17 years since it debuted – or missed some of the many, many expansions released since – the title’s Big Box is a quick way to get up to speed.

Publisher Z-Man is updating its bumper collection this year, throwing together the original Spiel des Jahres winner and 11 of its expansions.

The add-ons span from the first two sets for the game, Inns & Cathedrals and Traders & Builders, which introduce new building tiles, meeples and mechanics, through much-loved fan favourites such as The River up to the weirder later additions, including The Crop Circles and The Flying Machines.

Other mini-expansions in the set include The Abbot, The Ferries, The Messengers, The Gold Mines, Mage & Witch and The Robbers, adding everything from pig meeples and the need to deliver messages to the game. The small packs can be mixed and matched in any combination.

The latest Big Box features the revised artwork applied to the game a while back, meaning it will support expansions such as Princess & Dragon – arguably one of the best add-ons for the game, which isn’t included in this collection.

The 2017 edition of the Carcassonne Big Box is planned for release this October, priced at $80 (£61).