Next Board Game

I'll make this short -- since I have yet to actually play the game Carcassonne live against human opponents. So, I couldn't reasonably review it. But, I think I'm going to get it soon and I've taken it upon myself to read the admirably short rules (PDF). Then, I went a step further and found JCloisterZone, a free java version of the game which will allow you to play against your computer.

Here's what I like so far:

• Takes from 2-5 players.
  
• Isn't very long
• Well regarded, very successful game
• Relatively simple rules
• Fairly complex/interesting strategy

Those last two are key. The perfect game is the one with the combination of the most simple rules and the most strategic depth. This is not "the" perfect game. But, for what appears to be a light, sociable game, it is outstanding in both of those areas.

For anyone who wants still more information, the Carcassonne page on BoardGameGeek should be helpful.

Update:

I've played the game several times now, and it is as great as it looked! It's easy to learn and easy to play. It plays pretty quickly; there's not the huge amount of computation needed that cause some games to be slowed down by a lot of thinking. A really great aspect of Carcassonne, is that it plays pretty much the same way whether you have 2 or 5 players (or 3 or 4). That's a huge, and rare, advantage for a multi-player game. There is an element of luck (in drawing good or bad tiles), but it's not as large as you'd expect and, at any rate, perfectly acceptable if you just take this as a lighter game, which can be enjoyed with non-hardcore gamers and serious gamers alike.