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Xbox X|SWe've documented 29 accessibility features for Carcassonne, including Playable Without Hearing, No Pressured Communication, No Pressured Reveals, Audio Cues Mirrored Visually (Or no critical audio signals) and High Contrast Colours. Its accessibility is strongest in Reading and Getting Started but it also has features in Physical, Audio, Difficulty and Visual to reduce unintended barriers.
This report is created with input from accessibility experts and the player community to help people find games that have the accessibility features they require. Once you have found potential games on the database, there are excellent specialist accessibility sites that offer in-depth reviews to guide your purchasing decisions.
External examiner, MIchael Heron, first checked Carcassonne accessibility 23 months ago. It was re-examined by Andy Robertson and updated 23 months ago.
Accessibility Notes
Player Figures are replaceable, but they need to be replaced in semi-large numbers. Each player will have eight figures they need to replace with accessible alternatives, but realistically almost anything can be used provided it can be placed standing up or lying down. The tiles are not replaceable, as they form the board.
As you play you need to manage the position of your Figures on roads, farms and cities which is fiddly at times.
If you play without the farmer rule, this not only simplifies the rules but also reduces the difficulties of interpreting the board.
Report informed by Meeple Like Us assessment which offers an extended review.
Game Details
Release Date: 27/06/2007
Skill Rating: 9+ year-olds
Players: 2-5
Genres: Puzzle, Strategy (Creative and World Building)
Accessibility: 29 features
Components: Bag, Figures, Placeables and Tokens
Developer: Z Man Games (@ZManGames_)
Costs: Purchase cost
Difficulty
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Difficulty in Carcassonne which deal with how you can adjust the challenge of play.
Difficulty Options
No Deceit Advantage: No game mechanic where players need to deceive each other to progress. This includes bluffing and lying.
No Mathematics Advantage: Game can be played effectively without doing more than simple counting. It doesn't require calculations or working with large numbers.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Difficulty
If you want to play Carcassonne, but it doesn't offer the Difficulty accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Difficulty accessibility:
Getting Started
We've documented 7 accessibility features for Getting Started in Carcassonne which deal with what support is offered to get started with the game.
Assistance Getting Started
These features aid your play of the game in terms of cognitive load on learning controls, dealing with pressure and coping with the environment and challenges.
Clear Manual: Game provides a manual that breaks play into number sections, groups information sensibly and uses illustrative pictures.
Electronic Version of Manual: A free online version of the manual provided by the publisher.
Getting Started Video: Game provides a tutorial video to get you started. This video must include subtitles and offer real examples of play.
Digital Version: Official version of game is available on digital platforms to both enable remote play and aid learning rules with the computer managing systems.
Assistance Progressing
These features aid your progress through the game offering different ways of managing your pieces and progression.
Reaction-Time Not Critical: Individual game actions don’t need quick reactions. This means you don't need to quickly respond to events in the game or other players.
Low Pressure: Decisions aren’t time-limited so you can take your time with each action.
Low Impact: Decisions are low impact. If you get something wrong, you can still make up for it and/or progress another way.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play Carcassonne, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Getting Started accessibility:
- Catan (8 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 8 accessibility features for Reading in Carcassonne which deal with how much reading or listening comprehension is required, how well the game provides accessible text.
Reading Level
How much reading is required to play the game and how complex the language is.
No Reading: No reading is required, other than simple titles or numbers. The game either has no text or can communicate textual content with icons or other visuals.
Necessary Text Visibility
How clear are the required text or numbers to play the game.
Large Clear Text on Board (Or no text required): Text or numbers are large and clear font at least 8mm tall (22pt) on the board and any other elements that are at a distance to the player.
Large Clear Text on Cards (Or no text required): Text or numbers are large and clear 5mm tall (14pt) on the pieces that you can hold close to read.
High Contrast Text (Or no text required): Text or number colours contrasts to the background. The text in instructions and other information is presented in high contrast ideally with a solid background.
QR Code For Text (Or no text required): QR codes that trigger voiced versions of the text to be played audibly.
Primary and Secondary Text Distinguishable (Or no text required): Game separates non-essential flavour text from essential gameplay text, to ease comprehension. Includes games that don't have flavour text.
Information Orientation: You don’t have to read text, numbers or symbols upside-down to play the game effectively.
Clear Icons: Icons are used to simply communicate and highlight important graphical elements related to gameplay. This assumes good contrast and generally familiar symbols.
Physical
We've documented 7 accessibility features for Physical in Carcassonne which deal with how you interact with the game components and how accommodating these are of different requirements.
Pieces
How the game components accommodate interactions through touch, shape, texture and colour.
Components are Replaceable: Game components can be replaced with alternatives that meet an accessibility requirement, that don’t conflict with game mechanics (needing to pick randomly from a bag) or another physical aspect of the game (board indentations).
No Non-Standard Dice (Or No Dice): The game uses standard numerical dice, doesn’t need dice to play or ensures dice are readable by touch.
No Tiny Pieces: Game pieces are not very small. This doesn't cover cards. The target size for this is not less than 20mm wide and not less than 2mm thick.
No Paper Money: The game doesn’t use paper money.
Cards
How the game assists interaction, manipulation and management of game cards.
Limited Hand Management: You don’t need to hold more than 8 cards in your hand. This includes games with larger hands that require minimal in-hand card management.
No Excessive Card Shuffling: You don’t need to shuffle the deck of cards more than twice per total play of the game. This wouldn’t include games like Poker.
No Right-Handed Advantage: Cards don't position key information in only top-left corners that favours right-handed in-hand card arrangements.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Physical
If you want to play Carcassonne, but it doesn't offer the Physical accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Physical accessibility:
- Catan (12 Physical Features)
- Santorini (10 Physical Features)
- Kingdom Builder (8 Physical Features)
Visual
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Visual in Carcassonne which deals with how well the game offers visual clarity and adjustments to accommodate visual needs.
Printed Visibility
How well the art on (and design of) components support a range of visual needs.
High Contrast Colours: Key information uses high contrasting colours between background and visual elements. This is a ratio of at least 4:1.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play Carcassonne, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Santorini (5 Visual Features)
- Ancestree (4 Visual Features)
- Catan (4 Visual Features)
- Kingdom Builder (3 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Audio in Carcassonne which deal with how the game supports player communication to meet a range of requirements.
Communication
How the game accommodates different styles of communication, particularly non-verbal.
Audio Cues Mirrored Visually (Or no critical audio signals): Where audio cues (soundtrack, player utterances and shouts) are critical for play, there are visual equivalents to ensure players with hearing impairments aren’t disadvantaged as a result of the loss of incidental sound.
No Pressured Reveals: No reliance on revealing actions or choices simultaneously. This ensures players who can’t perform the revealing action in real-time aren’t excluded.
No Pressured Communication: Game doesn’t require you to speak over (or louder or faster than) other players. The game includes gaps where only a single player is permitted to communicate and make their point.
Playable Without Hearing: You can play the game without the need to hear other players or sound made by game elements. Where other communication channels can be used if you have a supportive set of players, this is only included if communication can be low pressure.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Andy Robertson
