Carcassonne Game Reference

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Game reference

by Meepledrone

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Introduction

• This section serves as a high-level description of a Carcassone game.
• The word “you" throughout this section refers to the active player.
• Steps written in yellow represent deviations from the official HiG rule set.
• Steps written in blue are features from other editions of Carcassonne adapted for the preferred version with a little creativity when required.
• If playing with the Messages (Dispatches) expansion, the player scoring points chooses which scoring figure to move each time points are awarded. When you see the word MESSAGES, if one of your scoring figures has just landed on a dark space of the scoreboard, you may draw a Message tile if there were no other players' scoring figures on it (ZMG rules only.)if there were no other players' scoring figure on it. Note that resolving a Message tile could also trigger the drawing of another Message tile.
• If playing with the Robbers expansion, the robber must take points from the first allowable event. When you see the word ROBBERS, your robber must take points if possible (ignoring rogue points). When you see ROBBER CHOICE, the robber must take points unless there are multiple counting followersmeeples on the robber’s space at that time that will be scoring points during this round of scoring, in which case he may choose which followermeeple to take the first points from.

Game reference summary

Phase & Main Activities
. Preparation Set up the playing area and the elements to be used during the game. Main activities: Decide expansions and rules Prepare start tile(s) Prepare the remaining tiles for the game Set aside elements needed during the game Distribute figures and other elements to players Set scoring figures on scoreboard
. River Rounds Place river tiles. Order of PlayOrder of PlayOrder of Play: Place tile Place a followermeeple Score a feature Scoring During the GameScoring During the GameScoring During the Game (Limited scoring )(No scoring applicable)
. Game Rounds Proceed with the game until there are no tiles left. Order of PlayOrder of PlayOrder of Play: Place tile Place a followermeeple 2b. Move the dragon Score a feature Additional actions Scoring During the GameScoring During the GameScoring During the Game
. Extra Abbey Round If any abbey tiles have not been placed, proceed with one more round to allow all players to place them. Order of PlayOrder of PlayOrder of Play: Place tile Place a followermeeple Score a feature Additional actions Scoring During the GameScoring During the GameScoring During the Game
. Final Scoring Carry out final scoring. Main activities: Prepare for final scoring Resolve final scoring Scoring After the GameScoring After the GameScoring After the Game

Preparation

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Introduction

• This section serves as a guide to the set up of the playing area and the elements to be used during the game.
• Steps written in blue are features from other editions of Carcassonne adapted for the preferred version with a little creativity when required.

Preparation summary

. Decide expansions and rules

1. Decide which Carcassonne edition to use as primary for the game
   • First edition
   • New edition
   • Winter edition
2. Decide which expansions, if any, to use with the base game
3. Identify and agree any rule variants -according to the selected edition(s)- or house rules, resolve and agree any points of interpretation and clarify areas of potential misunderstanding or contradiction.

. Prepare start tile(s)

1. Set aside start tile(s) according to selected expansions, if any
   • Base starting tile
   • River tiles from:
     • River I/III (remove spring and lake tiles) (remove spring tile)
     • River II (remove spring tile)
     • GQ #11 (add spring tile and the other river tile)
   • City of Carcassonne tiles and Count figure
   • Wheel Of Fortune tiles and big pig figure
   • Orange wind rose tile
   • School tiles and teacher figure
   • Markets of Leipzig tiles
   • Spiel Doch! 02/2018 tiles (if used as starting tiles)
2. Place start tile(s) faceup in the center of the playing area
   • Place the base starting tile. Place the Gingerbread Man on the city segment.
   • Discard the base starting tile. Mix base starting tile with the rest of normal land tiles, if using the tile bag; otherwise, discard it. Be ready to place the Gingerbread Man on a city segment of the first tile placed containing at least one. (It can be on a river tile if no other start tile is used.)
   • Place the City of Carcassonne with the Count figure on the castle quarter
   • Place the Wheel Of Fortune with the big pig figure on the "Fortune" section
   • Place the Markets of Leipzig tiles
   • Place the orange wind rose tile
   • Spiel Doch! 02/2018 tiles (if used as starting tiles)
   • Place the school with the teacher figure next to the starting tile
   • Place the river spring tile and prepare the other river tiles
     • Separate the fork tile
     • Separate the lake tile (the one with the volcano)
     • Shuffle all the other river tiles and place them in a stack facedown with the fork tile on top and the lake tile at the bottom

. Prepare the remaining tiles for the game

1. Remove from game extra tiles:
   • River tiles in CG#11
   • Optionally, 2 of the 6 cloistersmonasteries in base game, if adding Darmstadt churches to the game without other expansions
   • Optionally, the 6 cloistersmonasteries in base game, if adding German monasteries or Dutch & Belgian monasteries or Japanese buildings to the game without expansions
   • Extra Bathhouses
     • 2 players: use 4 bathhouses
     • 3 players: use 5 bathhouses
     • 4-6 players: use 6 bathhouses
2. Shuffle normal land tiles (separate 17, if playing The Plague)
   • Place them in stacks facedown
   • Put them in the tile bag, as an option
   • Place them in the tile tower, as an option
3. Shuffle Halfling tiles and deal two (in total or per Halflings expansion) to each player
4. Distribute abbey tiles: 1 to each player
5. Distribute German Castle tiles, depending on the number of players
   • 2-3 players: 1 or 2 tiles
   • 4-6 players: 1 tile

. Set aside elements needed during the game

1. Tiles and tokens:
   • 50/100 point tiles
   • Trade goods tokens
   • King/Robber Baron tiles and tokens
   • Sheep and wolf tokens: placed inside the flock bag
   • Animal tokens: shuffled and placed in a stack facedown
   • Message tiles: shuffled in a stack facedown
   • Plague tokens: outbreak and flea tokens
   • La Porxada tokens if available
   • Fruit-bearing trees tokens: arranged by fruit type and placed facedown in 6 stacks by type.
2. Wooden figures and other pieces:
   • Fairy
   • Dragon
   • Wooden catapult and ruler
   • Big Top
   • Flier die
   • Ferries
   • Gold pieces and the scoring token
   • Mage
   • Witch
   • Gingerbread Man
3. Place the scoreboard off to the side of the game table

. Distribute figures and other elements to players

1. Distribute figures to each player in one color
   • Normal followermeeple: 8 (or 9, if available, when playing with the Markets of Leipzig)
   • Big followerLarge meeple: 1
   • Pig: 1
   • Builder: 1
   • Tower piecesfloors, depending on the number of players
     • 2 players: 10 tower piecesfloors
     • 3 players: 9 tower piecesfloors
     • 4 players: 7 tower piecesfloors
     • 5 players: 6 tower piecesfloors
     • 6 players: 5 tower piecesfloors
   • Mayor: 1
   • Wagon: 1
   • Barn: 1
   • Bridges, depending on the number of players
     • 2-4 players: 3 bridges
     • 5-6 players: 2 bridges
   • Shepherd: 1
   • Ringmaster: 1
   • Messenger: 1
   • Robber: 1
   • Phantom: 1
   • Abbot: 1
2. Distribute tokens to each player
   • Catapult tokens: 4, one per type
   • Castle token, depending on the number of players
     • 2-4 players: 3 castles
     • 5-6 players: 2 castles
   • Tunnel tokens, depending on the number of players
     • 2 players: 6 tunnel tokens (3 sets)
     • 3 players: 4 tunnel tokens (2 sets)
     • 4-6 players: 2 tunnel tokens (1 set) with player's colour
   • Little buildings, depending on the number of players and the rules applied
     • Normal rules (no distinction between building types)
       • 2 players: 9 buildings
       • 3 players: 6 buildings
       • 4 players: 4 buildings
       • 5-6 players: 3 buildings
     • Variant rules (distinction between building types)
       • 2 players: 3 towers + 3 houses + 3 sheds
       • 3 players: 2 towers + 2 houses + 2 sheds
       • 4-6 players: 1 tower + 1 house + 1 shed
   • Tollhouse tokens: 1 in player's color

. Set scoring figures on scoreboard and prepare to start

1. Place 1 normal followermeeple per player on space 0 of scoring board (it will serve as a scoring figure)
2. Place messengers on space 0 of scoring board
3. Choose the starting player by mutual agreement (e.g. the youngest) or at random.

Final scoring

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Introduction

• This section serves as a guide for the final scoring.
• Apply Scoring After the GameScoring After the GameScoring After the Game
• Steps written in blue are features from other editions of Carcassonne adapted for the preferred version with a little creativity when required.

Final scoring summary

. Prepare for final scoring

1. Score the circus and remove the big top MESSAGES ROBBERS
2. Add messenger points to scoring followermeeple and remove the messengers from the scoring board
3. Score 3 points per remaining robber and remove them from the scoreboard
4. Remove gold pieces still on the game board
5. Redeploy followersmeeples from the market quarterdistrict of the City of Carcassonne to farmsfields, if the Count figure is not placed on that district. Players starting from the left of the active player redeploy one followermeeple at a time until no followersmeeples are left. No followersmeeples from other quartersdistricts can be redeployed at this time.

. Perform final scoring

1. Score all uncompleted features taking into account the fairy taking into account the fairy and the ringmaster taking into account the ringmaster
   • Roads
   • Cities
     • Apply La Porxada bonus if requested by a player and the city with La Porxada is completed. The scoring bonus benefits all players who had at least one knight in the city when it was closed. Those players may have received a token as a reminder, if agreed so.
   • CloistersMonasteries
   • Shrines
   • Abbeys
   • Acrobat pyramids
   • Darmstadt churches
   • Baba Yaga's hut
   • German castles
   • German cathedrals
   • German monasteries / Dutch & Belgian monasteries / Japanese buildings with monks
   • Gardens
2. Score all end-of-game features taking into account the fairy taking into account the fairy and the ringmaster taking into account the ringmaster
   • Vodyanoy
   • German monasteries / Dutch & Belgian monasteries / Japanese buildings with abbots
   • Barns
   • Farms
3. Resolve final scoring
   • Score fruit tokens (1 point per remaining token)
   • Score golden pieces
   • Score trade good tokens to majority by type
   • Score King and Robber Baron tiles

Footnotes

For Icons explanation and licensing please visit Icons page.