Black Tower (Fan Expansion)

Black Tower introduces new black and white tower floors for  Carcassonne The Tower expansion, which allows to trap meeples diagonally when using black floor or permanently lock tower with white floor on the top.

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Black Tower introduces new black and white tower floors for  Carcassonne The Tower expansion, which allows to trap meeples diagonally when using black floor or permanently lock tower with white floor on the top.

The construction of a tower in the province of Carcassonne was a greatly feared sight. Watchmen would scout over the land for would-be invaders and take them prisoner. Although some aggressors thought they were safe from the watchmen’s ever prying eyes, recently new towers have been erected allowing the watchmen a different perspective of the land, causing some towers to be abandoned altogether, in favour of these new edifices.

General info

Black Tower fan-expansion for  Base Game and  Exp. 4 - The Tower was released by Carcassonne Central member Jonathan Warren (CarcC).

Downloads

Please be aware that WikiCarpedia does not assume responsibility for the content of the links provided. The expansions listed are governed by the regulations of their respective websites.
Commercial use of fan expansions is prohibited. These expansions are intended solely for personal use and may not be sold under any circumstances, including at cost price.

Download(s) is/are available from the following site(s) (registration may be required):

PDF Rules

Contents

• 12× Black Tower floor

• 6× White Tower floor

Required expansions

Black Tower requires a copy of  Exp. 4 - The Tower large expansion.

Rules

Preparation

At the beginning of the game, each player receives a number of Black, White and Normal Tower floors, according to the total number of players.

Number of players	Black Tower floors	White Tower floors	Normal Tower floors
2 players	4×	2×	8×
3 players	3×	2×	7×
4 players	3×	1×	6×
5 players	2×	1×	5×
6 players	2×	1×	4×

Gameplay

1. Placing a tile

Whenever you draw a tile, place it normally.

2. Placing a tower floor

In addition to normal placement options, players may choose from any of the following additional options.

Placement of Black Tower floor

The player may now place a Black Tower floor on any tile with a tower foundation, or on a tower that is already under construction, unless a meeple guards the top. The Tower already under construction can be either a normal or a Black Tower, but not a White Tower. When a Black Tower floor is the uppermost floor of a tower, the tower becomes a Black Tower. There is no limit to the height of a Black Tower. A Black Tower’s range is determined by the total number of floors, regardless of the colour of each floor.

To finish the construction of a Black Tower, a meeple can be deployed to the top of it in the usual way.

A Black tower is used in the same way as a normal Tower, but captures meeples along the diagonals. A Black Tower cannot capture meeples horizontally or vertically.

Example 1: Diagonal distance of a 2-floor tower with black tower floor on top as a Black Tower.

Restoring a Black Tower to a Normal Tower

Adding a Normal Tower floor to the top of a Black Tower restores it back to a Normal Tower with Normal Tower properties (i.e. it captures horizontally or vertically, not diagonally). It is the uppermost Tower floor that designates the type of Tower in play. There is no limit to the height of a Normal Tower. A Normal Tower’s range is determined by the total number of floors, regardless of the colour of each floor.

Example 2: Horizontal distance of 2-floor tower with normal tower floor on top as a Normal Tower.

Placement of White Tower floor

After placing a tile, a player may now place a White Tower floor to any tower which is already under construction, unless a meeple guards the top. When a White Tower floor is placed the tower is ‘capped’. A tower that has been capped becomes a White Tower and cannot be built any higher and has no power to capture meeples. A meeple cannot be deployed to the top of a White Tower.

Example 3: Zero distance of a 3-floor tower with white tower floor on top as a White Tower.

Placement a Meeple to Black Tower floor

Just as a player can place his meeple on a Normal Tower to close the tower, this is also possible on a Black Tower (with a black tower floor on top). The tower is closed when the meeple is on top of the tower.

Example 4: Closed Black Tower with meeple on the top.

3. Scoring a feature

Black Tower (Fan Expansion) does not affect scoring.

Other Expansions

General rules

All rules for interactions with other expansions are the same as Exp. 4 - The Tower expansion, with the difference that meeples are captured diagonally when the uppermost tower floor is black.