Day 9: Today's Pick — A Brazilian Edition of Carcassonne That Slowed Down My Friends
A Portuguese-language reissue with custom tile art replaces the medieval French countryside with the streets of Rio. The art alone is worth $42.
Today's thing — A Brazilian Edition of Carcassonne That Slowed Down My Friends
The good stuff
- ✓Beautiful tile art that depicts real Rio neighborhoods
- ✓Same proven Carcassonne ruleset
- ✓Comes with a small printed neighborhood guide
The shrug
- !Rules booklet is Portuguese-only (English PDF available online)
- !Slightly fragile box; mine is taped at the corners after 8 plays
My friend Rafa brought a copy back from a trip to São Paulo. We played it on a Tuesday and again on Friday and again on Sunday. We have not played the standard edition since.
What this is
The standard Carcassonne ruleset (tile placement, meeple deployment, scoring at completion) — but the medieval French countryside is replaced with Rio de Janeiro. Streets are streets. Cathedrals become favela churches. Castles become hillside neighborhoods. Each completed feature scores the same points; the iconography is just completely different.
Why it matters
The art changes how the game feels. The standard edition's tiles are pretty but generic — vague stone, vague green. This edition's tiles are specific. You're laying down a piece of Lapa, then a piece of Santa Teresa, then a piece of Copacabana. The board you build at the end is recognizably a tiny stylized Rio.
The first time we played, my friend (who had never been to Brazil) finished the game and immediately googled half a dozen of the neighborhoods. The second time we played, two more friends did the same. By the fifth game, we had collectively learned more about Rio's geography than any of us had absorbed in our entire lives.
This is, I am increasingly convinced, an under-appreciated thing board games can do.
What's in the box
- 84 tiles (standard count)
- 7 sets of meeples in colors that match the city's flag
- A scoring track shaped like a coastal road
- A small bilingual (Portuguese/English) printed booklet about each neighborhood depicted
- A Portuguese-only rules booklet (English PDF online)
Build quality
Solid except the box, which is a slim cardboard sleeve that wears at the corners. After 8 plays mine is taped. The tiles themselves are heavier than standard Carcassonne tiles and feel great.
How to actually buy it
Direct from a small Brazilian publisher called Devir Brasil, or from a few specialist board-game importers in the U.S. About $42 with shipping. Worth it for the tiles.
A small ask
If a publisher reading this wants to do an Istanbul edition, a Mexico City edition, or a Mumbai edition — please. We are ready.
Tomorrow: a $9 ceramic spoon rest that I think about more than any other object in my kitchen.
Reader reactions
(5)This is so cool. Devir does great regional editions — their Catan-Salvador is also worth a look.
Got it. Played twice this weekend. The neighborhood guide is a small touch but it makes the game feel meaningful.
Carcassonne is my fav and I want to try this. Anyone know a US importer with stock?
Brought it home for my dad who's been to Rio. He spent an hour talking about each tile.
Slightly off-topic but: a great Carcassonne expansion newsletter would be a thing I'd subscribe to.
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Keep going
Day 271: Today's Pick — Watching Kabuki at the Kabuki-za in Tokyo
Day 45: Today's Pick — A Regional Cookie From My Abuela's Town
