The rules are brief and an enclosed, separate score chart summarizes the scoring, allowing you to begin playing in a very short time (probably 5 minutes if you have played the basic Carcassonne game previously). Carcassonne: The Discovery is a great game for experienced game-players to introduce their friends to the world of gaming in a simple yet strategic format that is family-friendly and comfortable for players of all levels.
The plot of the game is that the people of the Carcassonne region have decided to expand to distant lands. The players explore and discover the geography of the surrounding area, facing the dangers of the sea and the mountains and exploring the vast grasslands. The skill and strategy of the players exploring these new territories and their approach to controlling them by deploying their followers as brigands, navigators, and explorers will determine who is victorious.
Unlike the original Carcassonne game, regions are not automatically scored when completed. In a strategic twist unique to this game, you get to choose when your regions score. They are worth more if they are completed vs. left incomplete, but to complete them requires precious time and resources, so when do you choose to score your regions and free up the scarce and always-needed "meeples"?
From award-winning game designer Alan R. Moon: "CARCASSONNE: THE DISCOVERY is an example of how a designer can take a great game, change it a little, and create a game that is both familiar and new at the same time, and just as good as the original."