Map-Chips Benelux
General info and comments
Carcassonne Map-Chips was originally released by Hans im Glück in 2019.
It is a mini-expansion with different rules for each Carcassonne Map. In the case of Carcassonne Maps - Benelux, players can sail to different islands in the North Sea to pick up face up land tiles which can be placed instead of the tiles drawn from the stack.
Contents
- 30 Map–Chips (10 each in purple, light blue and orange.)
It is recommended to play with 110–120 tiles, for example with the basic game and the first and second expansions, that is, Exp. 1 - Inns & Cathedrals and Exp. 2 - Traders & Builders.
Rules
Preparation
Use 2 of the 3 available start-squares (Meppel, Eindhoven and Charleroi).
Shuffle all 30 Map-Chips face down. Place 20 of them evenly distributed on the squares of the map and stick to the following rules:
- Place the chips face down
- Place only 1 chip per square
- Place no chips on the large city squares or town squares
- Place no chips next to each other vertically or horizontally (only diagonally)
- Place no chips vertically or horizontally adjacent to a used start square or to an open edge of a large city
The remaining 10 chips are taken out of the game without looking at them.
Now you shuffle all land tiles and make 6 stacks with 5 tiles each. Place all of them on the 6 island squares (2 stacks per island) on the map. Place the first tiles of the stacks face up.
Finally, you make the usual stacks with the remaining land tiles.
Gameplay
1. Placing a tile
Waves
There are three squares marked with waves on the map. You cannot place a land tile on these squares.
Collecting chips
If you place a tile on a square with a chip, you take the chip, flip it over and score 1 or 2 points immediately. Then you place the chip face up in front of you.
Taking a face-up island tile
If it's your turn and you have at least one chip in front of you, it is up to you to decide...
a) ...if you want to take a face-up island tile from an island of the respective color instead of one from the usual stack.
- If both stacks are still on the island, you can choose to take the first tile on any of them. If there is only one stack left, you pick up the first tile of the remaining stack. Then you get rid of your chip (it's no longer in the game anymore) and you place your tile. At the end of your turn, you reveal the top tile of the island stack used.
OR
b) ...if you take a face down tile as usual.
- Note! Once you draw a face-down tile, you cannot change your mind, so you have to use the tile you've just drawn.
You may collect chips and use them later in the game. [1]
End of the game
The game ends as usual after the last face-down tile has been placed. Remaining chips or island tiles don't matter.
2. Placing a meeple
After having placed a tile, you are allowed to place a meeple according to the general rules.
3. Scoring a feature
The scoring is done as usual.
Tile distribution
Footnotes
For Icons explanation and licensing please visit Icons page.
- ↑
The chips you collect during a turn cannot be used until a later turn, since:
- You may collect chips as a result of placing tiles.
- You may use a chip to pick the source of the tile you will place: an island tile (by using a chip) or a regular drawn tile.