Meeples on Main: Board game tournament to be held in downtown Corbin Saturday

Meeples on Main Carcassone Tournament organizer Trent Knuckles, who is also publisher of The News Journal, holds the special sculpted trophy made to present to the champion of the Tournament. The event will be held at You and Me Coffee and Tea on Main Street in Corbin, KY.

The popular board game Carcassonne will be the subject of a first-of-its-kind tournament in downtown Corbin Saturday, and organizers are offering an impressive array of prizes to entice players to take part in the event.

It’s being called the “Meeples on Main” Carcassonne Tournament, and it will be held at You and Me Coffee and Tea on Main Street in Corbin, beginning at 1:00 p.m. Registration for participants is just $10 and can be done now at You and Me Coffee and Tea, or the day of the tournament.

“I love playing Carcassonne and it seems like the type of game that would be perfect for a tournament format,” said Trent Knuckles, organizer of the “Meeples on Main” tournament.

“It plays fairly quickly, is great for two players and isn’t too complex, yet rewards good play,” he added. “I’m hoping to cultivate something with this and, if it’s successful, I’d like to organize more gaming tournaments in downtown Corbin.”

Carcassonne is ubiquitous. It can be found in many “big box” stores as well as specialty shops. The base game has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.

The theme of the game is based on a scenic medieval French fortress city with iconic walls and towers that provide a striking profile against the backdrop of the beautiful and verdant countryside.

It is a huge tourist attraction in France and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the board game, players draw square tiles that depict various elements of the southern French countryside and place them together in the center of the table, thereby creating the board when they play: green pastures, roads, portions of cities and cloisters. Players use small, colorful wooden pieces called “meeples” (miniature people) to place on the tiles, hoping to finish cities, roads and other features in order to score points.

The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Knuckles said he plans to play the initial rounds of the tournament in Swiss format in order to determine a number of top players who will go on to the knockout rounds.

“This format allows us to determine a number of rounds we want to play, and accommodates any number of players,” Knuckles said. “I think it’s great because players won’t be immediately eliminated. They are going to get to play at least four or five game of Carcassonne so they will feel like they got their money’s worth.”

The eventual tournament champion will receive a custom-made trophy designed by Corbin artist Debra Klopp Kersey.

“It’s just an amazing, unique, original piece of artwork that would look great in anyone’s man cave or as something to brag about to your friends,” Knuckles said. “I wanted something special for the tournament … something I thought would get people to really compete to win it, and I think Debra did a fantastic job. It’s actually quite valuable in its own right, so the champion of this tournament is getting a real prize.”

Other prizes include copies of two Carcassonne variant games: Carcassonne Over Hill and Dale, and Carcassonne The Winter Edition, a $25 gift certificate to The Wrigley Taproom and Eatery, and gift certificates to You and Me Coffee and Tea.

On-site registration for the tournament will begin at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday. Copies of the game will be available at the tournament, but players are also encouraged to bring their own copy of the game in order to ensure everyone can play simultaneously.

Only the base game, without expansions, will be used for tournament play

More information about the tournament can be found on Facebook, just search for the event “Meeples on Main.”

No outside food or drink will be allowed at the tournament.