Under the Big Top
General info and comments
Under the Big Top was released by HiG in 2018.
You can integrate this entire expansion into the game, or only parts of it if you choose. You can also combine this expansion with any other Carcassonne expansions.
Contents
- 20 Land tiles including
- 12 Circus tiles with one circus space each
- 8 Acrobat tiles with two acrobat spaces each
- 16 Animal tokens: 1 Elephant, 2 Tigers, 3 Bears, 5 Seals, 4 Monkeys, 1 Flea
- 1 Big Top
- 6 Ringmasters, 1 in each color
Rules
Preparation
Shuffle the 20 new Land tiles with those from the base game (and any other expansions you wish to use). Shuffle the 16 Animal tokens and place them in a facedown stack within easy reach of all players. Place the Big Top near the stack of Animal tokens. Finally, players add the Ringmaster in their color to their supply of meeples.
Circus tiles, animal tokens and the big top
1. Placing a tile
Circus tiles are placed like normal Land tiles.
Special case: When the first Circus tile is placed, take the top Animal token from the stack, place it facedown on the circus space, and place the Big Top on it. From this point on, the Big Top moves only when a player places a new Circus tile (after 3. Scoring a feature.)
2. Placing a meeple
3. Scoring a feature
Whenever you place another Circus tile during the game:
1) Score any features that were completed when the Circus tile was placed.
2) Then score the circus on the Big Top’s current tile:
First reveal the Animal token on which the Big Top stands. Then, for each of your meeples on the Circus tile itself and the eight surrounding tiles, score points equal to the value on the revealed Animal token.
Note: Ringmasters also count as meeples so, if they occupied a space surrounding the Big Top when scoring the circus, they would score points.
Important: When scoring the circus, meeples that score points are not returned to their owner’s supply. Instead, they stay on their tile.
3) After scoring the circus, remove the Animal token from the game by placing it faceup next to the scoreboard. Finally, take the top Animal token from the stack, place it facedown on the new circus space, and place the Big Top on it.
Game end
At the end of the game before final scoring, score the circus one last time.
Note on circus spaces
Circus spaces close roads and separate fields from each other.
Acrobat tiles
1. Placing a tile
Acrobat tiles are placed like normal Land tiles.
2. Placing a meeple
After placing an Acrobat tile, you can place your meeple on the road or in the field, as usual.
You also have another option: you can place your meeple as an acrobat on one of the two acrobat spaces.On a later turn, if you place a tile adjacent to one or more Acrobat tiles (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally), you may place a meeple as an acrobat on one of those Acrobat tiles.
If the two acrobat spaces are already occupied, you can add a third meeple on the shoulders of the other two meeples. At that point, the pyramid is complete, and no more meeples can be added to it.
The color of the meeples in the pyramid does not matter. Pyramids can have meeples of one, two, or three colors.
If you place an Acrobat tile adjacent to one or more Acrobat tiles and you wish to place a meeple as an acrobat, choose on which of those Acrobat tiles to place your acrobat.
3. Scoring a feature
When there are three acrobats in a pyramid, it is ready to be scored. However, pyramids are not scored immediately after completion because the acrobats wish to display their skills for a little while.
Instead of placing a meeple or any other figure during 2. Placing a meeple, you can score a completed pyramid. Each acrobat in the completed pyramid scores its owner 5 points and then returns to its supply.
Additional rules:
- After a pyramid has been scored, players can start a new pyramid on the same tile by placing a meeple as an acrobat on it.
- You can score a completed pyramid even if you have no acrobats in it.
Game end
During final scoring, each of your acrobats scores 5 points, regardless of the pyramid’s size.
Note on acrobat spaces
Acrobat spaces close roads and separate fields from each other.
The ringmaster
2. Placing a meeple
You can place your ringmaster (instead of a meeple) on a road, in a city or a monastery, or lay him down in a field. The ringmaster counts as a normal meeple in all cases except that it cannot be used as an acrobat.
3. Scoring a feature
If the feature with your ringmaster becomes completed, first score points for the completed feature.
Then, for each Circus and Acrobat tile that your ringmaster is on or adjacent to, score 2 points. You also score these ringmaster points even if your ringmaster did not score any points from the completed feature (e.g., someone else had majority). The Big Top and acrobats in a pyramid do not affect ringmaster points. After scoring, return the ringmaster to your supply.
Game end
At the end of the game, ringmasters in fields or on incomplete features score ringmaster points.
Other expansions
This section contains additional information about the interactions with other Carcassonne expansions.
Circus tiles, animal tokens and the big top
- When scoring a circus, these figures score points:
- Normal meeple, the standard option (Base game)
- Abbot (Base game - The Abbot)
- Large meeple (Exp. 1 - Inns and Cathedrals)
- Wagon (Exp. 5 - Abbey and Mayor)
- Mayor (Exp. 5 - Abbey and Mayor)
- Ringmaster (Exp. 10 - Under the Big Top)
- Phantom (The Phantom)
- When scoring a circus, these figures DO NOT score points:
- Builder (Exp. 2 - Traders and Builders)
- Pig (Exp. 2 - Traders and Builders)
- Barn (Exp. 5 - Abbey and Mayor)
- Shepherd (Exp. 9 - Hills & Sheep)
- Exp. 8 - Bridges, Castles and Bazaars:
- You can build a bridge on a Circus tile (with or without the Big Top) following the normal rules.
- If at least one tile forming a castle is adjacent to the Big Top, a meeple in that castle will score points when a circus is scored.
Acrobat tiles and acrobats
- General: Only normal meeples can be part of a meeple pyramid. Neither the large meeple (Exp. 1) nor any other figures are allowed.
- Exp. 3 - The Princess and the Dragon:
- You may assign the fairy to an acrobat, in which case it counts for all acrobats in the pyramid (regardless of color). If the fairy is still there at the beginning of your turn, you score 1 point for each of your meeples in the pyramid.
- You can use a magic portal to place one of your meeples on an acrobat space/pyramid.
- Exp. 4 - The Tower: If you capture an acrobat with the tower, you can choose any meeple in the pyramid (regardless of its position).
- Exp. 8 - Bridges, Castles and Bazaars:
- You can build a bridge on an Acrobat tile only if no acrobats are on it, and you cannot place an acrobat on an Acrobat tile with a bridge on it.
- A meeple pyramid in a castle’s fief does not count as a "feature" that can cause a castle to score.
Ringmaster
- General: The ringmaster counts as a normal meeple. He has the same uses as a normal meeple in all expansions.
- Exp. 4 - The Tower: You can place your ringmaster on a tower (even if it will be a little wobbly.)
- Exp. 5 - Abbey and Mayor: If you use your ringmaster as a farmer, you score his ringmaster points in all cases (during final scoring, after a barn is placed in the ringmaster’s field, or after the ringmaster’s field is connected to a barn.)
Tile distribution
Total Tiles: 20
Total Tokens: 16
Monkey
Elephant