The Princess & the Dragon
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Enter a realm of chivalry and sorcery with this Carcassonne expansion. The Princess sends knights out to perform acts of chivalry; meanwhile, a fearsome dragon threatens meeples unprotected by the magic of the fairies! The Princess & the Dragon expansion introduces princesses, dragons, fairies, and other storybook elements that add surprising wrinkles to your Carcassonne game. You can use thirty new tiles to unleash a dragon that devours anyone in its path, summon a fairy to protect your meeples, or remove rival knights from a city. No matter what tile you draw, you’ll have plenty of options to disrupt your opponents’ plans and claim more points for yourself.
General info and comments
The Princess & the Dragon was released for the New Edition by Hans im Glück in 2016.
This expansion was originally released for the 1st Edition, known as C1 for short, in 2005.
All in all, this expansion introduces you to the world of fantasy, the land of fairy tales and where knights fight big dragons with the following new features:
- The dragon, a neutral figure that moves along the playing area eating meeples and other figures.
- The fairy, a neutral figure that provides protection against the dragon and also grants additional points.
- The princess, that allows players to remove knights from them.
- Magic portals, that allow players to place meeples on any tile of the playing area.
Contents
- 30 landscape tiles (identified with a fairy symbol)
Tiles showing different features of this expansion
- 1 dragon
- 1 fairy
New land tiles
The new land tiles are played like those in the base game.
The land tiles depict 4 new symbols (explained in further sections):
 Volcano (The dragon appears.) |
 Dragon (The dragon moves.) |
 Princess (A knight leaves the city.) |
 Magic Portal (A meeple appears.) |
Rules
Preparation
Shuffle the new landscape tiles in with those from the basic game and stack them normally. Place the dragon and fairy to the side for now – they do not belong to any player.
The dragon: volcano and dragon symbols [4]
The volcano tiles
1. Placing a tile
2. Placing a meeple
3. Scoring a feature
The volcano symbol has no effect on scoring.
The dragon tiles
1. Placing a tile
2. Placing a meeple
You may place a meeple on a Dragon tile, unlike Volcano tiles. [7] Then the dragon moves.
2b. The dragon moves
Starting with the active player and proceeding clockwise, players take turns moving the dragon one space at a time (vertically or horizontally) until the dragon has moved 6 spaces or is unable to move.
The dragon may not move to a tile that it has already visited this turn. It also may not move to the tile the fairy occupies (see below). Whenever the dragon moves to a tile occupied by one or more meeples (or other figures), it eats those meeples (or figures), which are returned to their respective players. After the dragon has finished moving, it remains where it is on the board until the next Volcano or Dragon tile is played, and the game continues as normal. A list of figures the dragon does and does not eat can be found below.
Dead end: If the dragon is unable to move (it is only adjacent to tiles it has already visited), its movement ends prematurely.
The dragon begins at the bottom right.
1. Player A moves the dragon up,
2. Player B moves the dragon left,
3. Player C moves the dragon down,
4. Player D must move the dragon left. The dragon already visited the other tiles.
5. Player A must move the dragon up.
6. Player B must move the dragon up.
The blue and red meeples are returned to their respective players.
Important: The dragon is not added to the game until the first Volcano tile has been drawn and placed. If you draw a Dragon tile before such time, set it aside and draw a new tile. As soon as the first Volcano tile is placed and the dragon is added to the game, reshuffle the previously drawn Dragon tiles with the supply before continuing.
The following list illustrates what the dragon does or does not eat. [8] You are welcome to skip them for now and refer to them as necessary.
Rule of thumb: The dragon eats all that is flesh and blood!
| Set / Expansion | Figure | |
|---|---|---|
| Meeples | ||
 Base Game | Normal meeple |  |
Base Game -  The Abbot | Abbot |  |
 Exp. 1 - Inns & Cathedrals | Large meeple |  |
 Exp. 4 - The Tower | Meeple on a tower |  |
 Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor | Mayor |  |
| Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor | Wagon (A tasty meeple is pulling the wagon.) |  |
 Exp. 10 - Under the Big Top | Ringmaster |  |
 Exp. 11 - Ghosts, Castles & Cemeteries | Guard meeple |  |
 The Phantom | Phantom |  |
| Special figures | ||
 Exp. 2 - Traders & Builders | Builder |  |
| Exp. 2 - Traders & Builders | Pig |  |
 Exp. 9 - Hills & Sheep | Shepherd (incl. the sheep next to the shepherd) |  |
| Neutral figures | ||
| Exp. 11 - Ghosts, Castles & Cemeteries | Ghost [9] |  |
 Mini #5 - Mage & Witch | Mage [10] |  |
| Mini #5 - Mage & Witch | Witch [11] |  |
 The Gingerbread Man | Gingerbread Man [12] (Winter Edition) |  |
2b. The dragon's diet plan (what the dragon does not eat)
The dragon is afraid of the fairy. Besides, the dragon won't eat anything in the following list.
2b. Protection against the dragon
Figures in the following places are safe from the Dragon
| Set / Expansion | Figure / Tile | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exp. 3 - The Princess & the Dragon | Tile with the Fairy |
|
||
 Exp. 6 - Count, King & Robber | The interior of the City of Carcassonne |  |
||
 Exp. 8 - Bridges, Castles & Bazaars | A castle |  |
||
 The Wheel of Fortune | The Interior of the Wheel of Fortune (including the crown) |  |
||
 The Markets of Leipzig | The interior of the City of Leipzig |  |
||
 The School | The school |  |
3. Scoring a feature
The dragon symbol has no effect on scoring.
Additional clarifications
The following table illustrates the actions affecting the dragon, which are triggered by the placement of volcano and dragon tiles. Note that the dragon is not in play at the beginning of the game. It won't be placed on the board until the first volcano tile is placed and any dragon tiles drawn before that moment will be set aside and shuffled with the remaining tiles. Once the dragon is in play, placing a new volcano tile will change the position of the dragon and placing a dragon tile will trigger the movement of the dragon from its current position. Once the dragon stops moving, it will stay on the same tile until a new volcano or dragon tile decides its next action.
Last volcano or dragon tile placed Tile just placed No tile
(Dragon not in play)Volcano tile Dragon tile Volcano tile - The dragon is put in play for the first time on the volcano tile
- Any dragon tiles set aside are now shuffled with the remaining tiles
- The dragon flies from its location on the previous volcano tile to the new one
- The dragon flies from its current position to the new volcano tile
Dragon tile - The dragon tile is set aside for later use
- Another tile is drawn
- The dragon starts to move from the volcano it is placed on
- After moving, the dragon stays where it ended
- The dragon starts to move from its last position
- After moving, the dragon stays where it ended
Each volcano tile placed makes the dragon fly to it. Each dragon tile placed makes the dragon start moving from its current location.
Question: What happens with the dragon after it finishes moving?
Answer: The dragon stays on the tile until a new volcano tile is placed and moves to it, or another dragon tile is placed and starts to move again from its current location.
The placement of a new volcano tile forces the dragon to fly to it, even if its previous movement was jumping to another volcano tile.
Question: The dragon is placed on the first volcano tile and, as soon as one dragon tile is placed, it moves. But if a new volcano tile is placed, does the dragon need to be moved to the new volcano tile, or does it stay where it was ended its last move?
Answer: The dragon moves to the new volcano.
The fairy may be moved when placing a volcano tile.
Question: When placing a volcano, can the fairy be moved even if no meeple placement is allowed by definition? Does that de-facto mean the fairy now must be moved by the current player if not already protecting one of their meeples?
Answer: When placing a volcano tile, the fairy is allowed to move but it is an optional action.
The fairy may be moved when placing a dragon tile and no meeple is placed.
Question: May a player who places a dragon tile, and doesn't deploy a meeple, move the fairy to one of their own meeples before the dragon moves?
Answer: Yes! It's a big advantage, but the rules allow it.
The dragon moves between phases 2. Placing a meeple and 3. Scoring a feature.
Question: A dragon tile triggers the movement of the dragon. When does it happen in the turn sequence?
Answer: The dragon will move right before scoring.
The princess
1. Placing a tile
There are 6 princess tiles. Princess tiles are placed exactly like those in the base game. If a Princess tile continues a city occupied by one or more knights, you may remove one knight of your choice (even your own) from the continued city and return it to its player's supply. [17]
Question: Does the Princess symbol affect both city segments on this tile or just the one with the symbol?
In case this tile is placed connecting both separate city segments to one larger city, the Princess may remove any knight in the resulting city.
2. Placing a meeple
If you chose to remove a meeple during step 1, you may not place a meeple this turn (not even on a different segment of the tile). If you did not remove a meeple during step 1, you may place a meeple as normal. [18]
3. Scoring a feature
The princess does not affect scoring.
The magic portal
1. Placing a tile
There are 6 tiles with magic portal symbols. Place a tile with a Magic Portal in the usual manner.
2. Placing a meeple
After placing a Magic Portal tile, you may place a meeple on that tile or on any other previous placed tile. When doing so, you must follow all other placement rules. For example, you may not place a meeple in an already occupied or completed feature. [19] [20]
All figures that are used like meeples (normal meeples, abbot, large meeple, mayor, wagon, ringmaster, guard meeples, and phantom [21]) may be placed via the magic portal.
Question: If you place a magic portal tile, could you use it to send a meeple as a farmer to a closed field?
Answer: Since fields are never completed, you can use other mechanics to place a meeple in a field (magic portals, crop circles...). (1/2021)
3. Scoring a feature
The Magic Portal does not affect scoring.
Additional clarifications
You can only use a magic portal to place a meeple on a feature still uncompleted after placing the tile.
Question: If there is a completed feature that no-one scored for, for example a monastery that was never occupied, or a city where the all the knights were eaten by the dragon before they would score, then can I use a magic portal to occupy it and score for it?
Answer: No. The magic portal rules state that you cannot place a meeple on a completed feature. This applies even if no-one scored for it.
You can place a meeple on a volcano tile with a magic portal if the dragon is not on the tile.
Question: Can I use a magic portal to place a meeple onto a volcano tile?
Answer: If the Dragon has left the tile: Yes.
You cannot use a magic portal to place a meeple on the tile with the dragon.
Question: Can I use a magic portal to place a meeple onto the tile where the dragon is?
Answer: No, the dragon feasts on all meeples on the tile. His appetite is insatiable. This is the reason why a player isn't allowed to place a meeple when placing a volcano tile.
The fairy
The fairy is a neutral figure that belongs to no player. It begins the game in the supply.
2. Placing a meeple
The fairy moves
On any turn in which you do not place (or move) a meeple, you may assign the fairy to one of your meeples by placing the fairy directly next to it.[22]
When the fairy is standing next to one of your meeples, it can help that meeple in 3 different ways:
1. Placing a tile
- 1 point at the beginning of your turn
- If the fairy is still assigned to your meeple at the start of your turn, you immediately score 1 point.
2b. The dragon moves
- Protection from the dragon
The dragon may not move to a tile occupied by the fairy. All figures on the fairy's tile are protected from the dragon's hunger.
3. Scoring a feature
- 3 points for feature scoring [23]
When scoring a feature (city, road, monastery, field, etc.) where the fairy is assigned to one of your meeples, you score 3 points, regardless of whether or not you score points for the scored feature. [24] [25] Your meeple returns to your supply, as normal, but the fairy remains on its tile.
Additional clarifications
You may move the fairy to score its bonus on the same turn you complete a feature.
Question: If I complete an area that I already own and don't place a meeple, can I move the fairy to my existing meeple and score the 3 fairy points on the same turn?
Answer: Yes, moving the fairy takes places before scoring.
Note: You would score the fairy bonus even if you don't have the majority in the feature.
The fairy may be moved when placing a volcano tile.
Question: When placing a volcano, can the fairy be moved even if no meeple placement is allowed by definition? Does that de-facto mean the fairy now must be moved by the current player if not already protecting one of their meeples?
Answer: When placing a volcano tile, the fairy is allowed to move but it is an optional action.
The fairy may be moved when placing a dragon tile and no meeple is placed.
Question: May a player who places a dragon tile, and doesn't deploy a meeple, move the fairy to one of their own meeples before the dragon moves?
Answer: Yes! It's a big advantage, but the rules allow it.
The fairy does not provide any protection from the princess tile.
Question: If the fairy is next to a knight (a meeple placed in a city), does it provide any protection against the princess tile?
Answer: The fairy offers no protection from the princess tile.
A meeple removed by a princess tile will not be entitled to score any points for the city it occupied or the fairy bonus.
Question: If a princess tile completes a city with one meeple previously placed in it with the fairy, does the player receive the 3-point fairy bonus for the completed city?
Answer: No, you would need a meeple in the city to score it, or to get the fairy scoring bonus.
The fairy may be moved if a player does not remove a meeple with a princess tile and no meeple is placed on it.
Question: If the player placing the princess tile doesn't decide to place meeple on the tile, is this player allowed to move the fairy next to one of their meeples? Or does removing an opponent's meeple with the princess tile constitute an action that nullifies their ability to move the fairy?
Answer: When placing a princess tile, the fairy can be moved if no knight is removed and no meeple is placed on the tile.
Other expansions
This section contains additional information about the interactions with other Carcassonne expansions.
When a tile with a volcano is placed, the player may perform one of the following actions:
- Placing a meeple (on features not on the tile just placed):
- A meeple on a tower ( Exp. 4 - The Tower)
- An acrobat on an adjacent acrobat space or pyramid ( Exp. 10 - Under the Big Top)
- A meeple to the Wheel of Fortune ( The Wheel of Fortune)
- A meeple to another tile if you activated a Place Meeple symbol (
20th Anniversary Expansion) - An additional meeple on another tile if you activated an Add Meeple symbol ( 20th Anniversary Expansion)
- A meeple on a tower (
- Placing a special figure (on features not on the tile just placed):
- A barn ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor) - A volcano does not prevent the normal placement of a barn, since that is not fully on the tile.
- A barn (
- Placing a neutral figure (on features not on the tile just placed):
- A tower piece ( Exp. 4 - The Tower)
- The fairy (or move it)
- A tower piece (
- Placing a token (on the tile just placed):
- A Little Building, since they are not figures (
Little Buildings)
- A Little Building, since they are not figures (
- Other possible actions:
- Remove their abbot (Base Game - The Abbot)
- Trigger the scoring of an acrobat pyramid ( Exp. 10 - Under the Big Top)
- Protect a meeple placed on a tile from peasant revolts (
The Peasant Revolts) - Retrieve a meeple or special figure trapped by Vodyanoy or Solovei Razboynik (
Russian Promos)
- Remove their abbot (Base Game -
Additionally, if the volcano tile extends...
- A road with ferries connected to it, the player may move them as usual (
Mini #3 - The Ferries) - A field with the player's shepherd, the player will perform a flock action ( Exp. 9 - Hills & Sheep).
When a tile with a volcano is placed, the player may not deploy any of the following figures to the tile:
- Normal meeple ( Base Game)
- Abbot (Base Game - The Abbot)
- Large meeple ( Exp. 1 - Inns & Cathedrals)
- Pig ( Exp. 2 - Traders & Builders)
- Builder ( Exp. 2 - Traders & Builders)
- Mayor ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Wagon ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Shepherd ( Exp. 9 - Hills & Sheep)
- Ringmaster ( Exp. 10 - Under the Big Top)
- Guard meeple ( Exp. 11 - Ghosts, Castles & Cemeteries)
- Phantom ( The Phantom)
Exp. 8 - Bridges, Castles & Bazaars
A bridge can be placed on a volcano tile.
The dragon eats all meeples on a tile:
- Normal meeple ( Base Game)
- Abbot (Base Game - The Abbot)
- Large meeple ( Exp. 1 - Inns & Cathedrals)
- Meeple on a tower ( Exp. 4 - The Tower)
- Mayor ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Wagon ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Ringmaster ( Exp. 10 - Under the Big Top)
- Guard meeple ( Exp. 11 - Ghosts, Castles & Cemeteries)
- Phantom ( The Phantom) -as per the additional clarifications (3/2015)
The dragon eats the following special figures on a tile:
- Pig ( Exp. 2 - Traders & Builders)
- Builder ( Exp. 2 - Traders & Builders)
- Shepherd, and the sheep next to it ( Exp. 9 - Hills & Sheep)
The dragon eats the following neutral figures on a tile:
- Ghost ( Exp. 11 - Ghosts, Castles & Cemeteries) -along with the meeple it is assigned to.
- Mage ( Mini #5 - Mage & Witch)
- Witch ( Mini #5 - Mage & Witch)
- Gingerbread Man (Winter Edition - The Gingerbread Man) -as per the iOS version (12/2014)
The dragon cannot eat the following figures since they are not placed on a particular tile:
- Barn ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor): special figure placed on tile junctions
- Meeple in a castle ( Exp. 8 - Bridges, Castles & Bazaars): meeple placed across the two tiles
- Teacher ( The School): neutral figure placed across the two tiles -as per the additional clarifications (4/2015)
If the dragon visits a tile with several figures, it will eat all the meeples, special figures and neutral figures on the dragon's menu.
Question: If I have more than one meeple on a tile (one could have been added to a tower, or placed on a different feature on the same tile by a magic portal), then does the dragon eat them all if it visits that tile?
Answer: Yes. It is a big dragon!
If the dragon eats a player's last knight in a city where the player's builder is present, the builder is automatically returned to the player's supply. (The reason: builders are not meeples.)
If the dragon eats a player's last highwayman [26] on a road where the player's builder is present, the builder is automatically returned to the player's supply. (The reason: builders are not meeples.)
If the dragon eats a player's last farmer in a field where the player's pig is present, the pig is automatically returned to the player's supply. (The reason: pigs are not meeples.)
Placing a tower piece happens before moving the dragon.
Question: If you place a dragon tile and add a piece to a tower, what happens first: meeple capture by the tower, or dragon movement?
Answer: Prisoners are taken first; placing a tower piece is an alternative to deploying a meeple, so occurs before dragon movement.
The dragon may not enter the city of Carcassonne.
Note that the dragon can still move onto tiles that include the City of Carcassonne, treating the landscape areas as normal tiles, but it must stay outside the City itself. Thus only figures outside the City are eaten, and those inside (including the Count) are safe. (12/2013)
Exp. 8 - Bridges, Castles & Bazaars
The dragon cannot eat meeples placed in castles. A castle is between two tiles, and the dragon visits up to 6 tiles when moving, affecting the tiles themselves but not the spaces between tiles.
If a tile with a dragon icon is placed and extends the field with the active player’s shepherd, the dragon moves after the player can perform the shepherd action (grow or guide the flock to stable.)
Exp. 11 - Ghosts, Castles & Cemeteries
If the dragon eats a meeple, any ghosts assigned to the meeple will also be removed and returned to the ghost supply.
The dragon may not enter the Wheel of Fortune.
The dragon can fly around the outside of the Wheel of Fortune, treating the landscape areas as normal tiles and eating any meeples on those tiles. Meeples on the Wheel of Fortune itself are unaffected. This represents a notable change from previous FAQs. (10/2012)
German castles do not protect meeples within, or on any feature on the tile. (10/2015)
The dragon may not enter the city of Leipzig, due to its similarity to the city of Carcassonne (see Exp. 6 - Count, King & Robber) but this is not officially confirmed.
The dragon is allowed on the school tiles but cannot eat the neutral teacher figure, as it is placed on the school, a feature spanning across two tiles. (4/2015)
If a player uses the princess to remove a knight from a city, the player may not perform any of the following actions:
- Placing a meeple (on a feature on the tile just placed or on a special area on the board):
- Normal meeple ( Base Game)
- Abbot (Base Game - The Abbot)
- Large meeple ( Exp. 1 - Inns & Cathedrals)
- Mayor ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Wagon ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Ringmaster ( Exp. 10 - Under the Big Top)
- Guard meeple ( Exp. 11 - Ghosts, Castles & Cemeteries)
- Phantom ( The Phantom) - See note below
- Normal meeple (
- Placing a special figure:
- Placing the following neutral figures:
- The fairy (or move it)
- A tower piece ( Exp. 4 - The Tower)
- Placing a token:
- A Little Building ( Little Buildings)
- A tollhouse (or move it) (
The Tollkeepers)
- A Little Building (
- Performing other actions:
- Remove their abbot (Base Game - The Abbot)
- Trigger the scoring of an acrobat pyramid ( Exp. 10 - Under the Big Top)
- Protect a meeple placed on a tile from peasant revolts ( The Peasant Revolts)
- Retrieve a meeple or special figure trapped by Vodyanoy or Solovei Razboynik ( Russian Promos)
- Remove their abbot (Base Game -
However, if the princess tile extends...
- A road with ferries connected to it, the player may move them as usual ( Mini #3 - The Ferries)
- A field with the player's shepherd, the player will perform a flock action ( Exp. 9 - Hills & Sheep).
If the princess removes a player's last knight in a city where the player's builder is present, the builder is automatically returned to the player's supply.
Builders cannot be directly removed by a princess, as builders are not meeples.
The princess cannot seduce a meeple on a tower located in a city.
Question: If the dragon can eat a meeple on a tower, can the meeple also be seduced by a princess?
Answer: No. The tower is not a part of the city: they are two separate areas.
The placement of a princess tile with removal of a knight from the city cannot be used as a first "meeple move" and be followed by placement of the Phantom (e.g. into the now-vacated city). As per the rules for the princess, "if a knight is removed from the city, the player may not deploy or move any other figure." [This combo would be too powerful in allowing city stealing. –ed.]
A magic portal may be used to place any meeple:
- Normal meeple ( Base Game)
- Abbot (Base Game - The Abbot)
- Large meeple ( Exp. 1 - Inns & Cathedrals)
- Mayor ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Wagon ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Ringmaster ( Exp. 10 - Under the Big Top)
- Guard meeple ( Exp. 11 - Ghosts, Castles & Cemeteries)
- Phantom ( The Phantom)
- However, because the magic portal counts as a feature, a wooden meeple and the Phantom cannot BOTH use the magic portal on a turn – the first meeple placed on the magic portal claims the magic portal, and no meeple (including the Phantom) can be placed on a claimed feature. (1/2013)
A magic portal may not be used to place these figures, as they are not meeples (updated 3/2015):
Meeples can use the magic portal to be deployed on features outside the City of Carcassonne. (1/2013)
Meeples cannot use the magic portal to be deployed to the City of Carcassonne, as they are not occupied using regular placement rules. (confirmed 5/2013)
You can use a magic portal to place one of your normal meeples on an acrobat space/pyramid.
Meeples can use the magic portal to be deployed on features outside the Wheel of Fortune. (1/2013)
Meeples cannot use the magic portal to be deployed to the Wheel of Fortune, as they are not occupied using regular placement rules. (confirmed 5/2013)
A meeple using a magic portal cannot land on a flying machine.
A flier cannot land on a magic portal. (2/2013)
Meeples can use the magic portal to be deployed on features outside the City of Leipzig. (1/2019)
Meeples cannot use the magic portal to be deployed to the City of Leipzig, as they are not occupied using regular placement rules. (1/2019)
Meeples can use the magic portal to be deployed on features outside on the school tiles (outside the school itself). (1/2013)
Meeples cannot use the magic portal to be deployed to the school itself, as they are not occupied using regular placement rules. (confirmed 5/2013)
The fairy may only be assigned to meeples:
- Normal meeple ( Base Game)
- Abbot (Base Game - The Abbot)
- Large meeple ( Exp. 1 - Inns & Cathedrals)
- Mayor ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Wagon ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Ringmaster ( Exp. 10 - Under the Big Top)
- Guard meeple ( Exp. 11 - Ghosts, Castles & Cemeteries)
- Phantom ( The Phantom)
The fairy may not be assigned to special figures:
- Pig ( Exp. 2 - Traders & Builders)
- Builder ( Exp. 2 - Traders & Builders)
- Barn ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Shepherd ( Exp. 9 - Hills & Sheep)
If a player moves the fairy, the player also may not place any of following figures (12/2013, updated 1/2019, updated 5/2023):
- Normal meeple ( Base Game)
- Abbot (Base Game - The Abbot)
- Large meeple ( Exp. 1 - Inns & Cathedrals)
- Pig ( Exp. 2 - Traders & Builders)
- Builder ( Exp. 2 - Traders & Builders)
- Mayor ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Wagon ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Barn ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Shepherd ( Exp. 9 - Hills & Sheep)
- Ringmaster ( Exp. 10 - Under the Big Top)
- Guard meeple ( Exp. 11 - Ghosts, Castles & Cemeteries)
If a player moves the fairy, the player also may place the following figure:
- Phantom ( The Phantom) - according to additional clarifications. (12/2014)
If a player scored the fairy's 1 point bonus at the beginning of their turn, they may not score it again at the beginning of a double turn via the builder.
Because builders and pigs are not meeples, it is not possible to move the fairy next to either of them, as the fairy can only stand next to a meeple.
The fairy can be assigned to a meeple placed on top of a tower. The fairy would stand by the tower.
The fairy does not protect a meeple from capture by a tower.
If the fairy is next to a meeple on the losing feature when resolving a challenge, it does not provide the bonus 3 points to that meeple, as the feature is incomplete.
Question: If the fairy is on the same tile as the losing heretic or monk in a challenge, does the player still score the bonus 3 points?
Answer: When a challenge is resolved (that is, when someone has won), both meeples are returned to their players, so no one stands next to the fairy. [At the point that a challenge is resolved and one participant "scores" zero, the building that participant is in will be incomplete. Therefore, strictly speaking, that participant does not actually take part in "scoring" —say, in the way that a player without the majority in a city does—and so does not score the bonus points— ed.]
Exp. 8 - Bridges, Castles & Bazaars
You can place the fairy with a meeple in the castle and score the usual fairy points. [27]
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 - This case relaxes the restriction that only one meeple can receive points from the fairy. [28]
The 3-point fairy scoring bonus is not applicable to acrobats in a pyramid. [29]
The 3-point fairy scoring bonus is not applicable to an abbot when removed.
Only one meeple can be "next to" (or connected to) the fairy. Thus, only one meeple will receive points from the fairy. Even if another meeple is placed in the same feature on the same tile (as with the Flying Machines), this would not be considered "next to" the fairy. Landing a meeple on an acrobat pyramid would be the exception to this rule.
Only one meeple can be "next to" (or connected to) the fairy. Thus, only one meeple will receive points from the fairy. Even if another meeple is placed in the same feature on the same tile (as with the Crop Circles), this would not be considered "next to" the fairy.
If a Festival is used to remove a figure, the fairy cannot be moved, as an action was still taken in phase 2. Placing a meeple. (5/2014)
New tiles
If using the tunnel tokens from The Tunnel, then the road shown on the tile with a tunnel is indeed broken, and the segments may never actually meet.
House Rules
Replace dragon tiles into the bag and redraw right away if there is no dragon in play yet. (Thanks to dwhitworth)
Players are allowed to claim a fairy point until the bag is handed to the next player, but then it’s tough if they forget! (Thanks to dwhitworth)
Abandon the 1-point bonus for the fairy altogether, instead awarding 5 points for a protected meeple completing a feature. (Thanks to viberunner)
The fairy does not prevent the dragon from moving to a tile, but it still prevents the dragon from eating any figures on that tile. (Thanks to jrizos)
Tile distribution
Footnotes
For Icons explanation and licensing please visit Icons page.
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Any meeple in a city is a knight. This includes normal meeples, big meeples, mayors, wagons, ringmasters, guard meeples, and phantoms. (01/2015, updated 1/2019, updated 5/2023)
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The ZMG rules provide an alternate wording for this sentence: "The fields, however, are separate." So they mean that the fields are not connected through the tunnel, instead of indicating that each field is uninterrupted since it spans around the tunnel entrance.
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If using
The Tunnel, the road shown on this tile may be affected (See Other Expansions for more details).
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This section was rearranged to simplify the understanding of the turn sequence with the Volcano and the Dragon tiles. Steps 1b from the original rules have also been renamed to 2b to align the numbering with the actual turn sequence.
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When playing with other expansions, you will be able to perform other actions not related with meeple placement as well. So you may not deploy meeples or some special figures (pig, builder, shepherd) to the Volcano tile but you may carry out other actions:
- Fairy action ( Exp. 3 - The Princess & the Dragon): move the fairy (as indicated in the rules).
- Tower actions ( Exp. 4 - The Tower): deploy a tower floor, place a meeple on top of a tower.
- Barn actions ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor): place your barn on one of the corners of the volcano tile.
- Shepherd actions ( Exp. 9 - Hills & Sheep): grow the flock, guide the flock to the stable.
- Acrobat actions ( Exp. 10 - Under the Big Top): deploy an acrobat, score an acrobat pyramid.
- Wheel of Fortune actions ( The Wheel of Fortune): place a meeple on the Wheel of Fortune.
- Abbot actions ( The Abbot): remove your abbot and score its points.
- Ferry actions ( Mini #3 - The Ferries): move ferries on roads extended by the volcano tile.
- Little building actions ( Little Buildings): place a little building on the tile just played.
- Russian promos actions ( Russian Promos): retrieve 1 meeple or special figure trapped by Vodyanoy or Solovei Razboynik, move highwaymen to the Solovei Razboynik tile.
- Meeple protection actions ( The Peasant Revolts): protect 1 meeple already placed from peasant revolts.
- Fairy action (
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This means that none of the the figures in the dragon's menu may occupy the same tile as the dragon at any point. As a consequence, meeples cannot be deployed to the tile with the dragon by any means, including a magic portal, a flying machine or from the City of Carcassonne. Crop circles cannot be used either, since this would require another meeple already deployed to the tile, condition that cannot be met.
Note: This clarification, included in the Carcassonne I rules (as shown in Big Boxes 1 to 3), was omitted in Carcassonne II. - ↑
Instead of placing a meeple you may also place or move the fairy.
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The tables were extended to include all the information available in the Dragon Meal Plan FAQ document by HiG along with the newest cases appeared since. This official FAQ from 2015 is not currently available at its original location:
- http://www.hans-im-glueck.de/fileadmin/data_archive/Regeln/Carc_3Erw_Drache_FAQ.pdf
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Ghosts are removed along with the eaten meeple they are assigned to.
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The Mage was included in the list of neutral figures that can be eaten by the dragon. (3/2015)
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The Witch was included in the list of neutral figures that can be eaten by the dragon. (3/2015)
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The Gingerbread Man (when playing the iOS version) can also be eaten by the dragon. (12/2014)
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This means that the dragon does not affect any printed elements on a tile, since it cannot eat the tile itself. So farmhouses, inns, cathedrals, printed sheep or any other feature on a tile would be undisturbed by the presence of the dragon. Therefore, all scorings would be conducted as usual even if any of these elements is on a tile with the dragon.
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The barn cannot be eaten by the dragon, since the barn stands at the intersection of 4 tiles, while the dragon only affects figures discretely on a single tile.
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As the rules do not specify the dragon can eat the big top, it is included in the dragon's diet plan along with the other tokens and figures representing buildings or construction elements: barn, bridge, tower pieces, etc.
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The dragon is allowed on the school tiles but cannot eat the neutral teacher figure placed on the school, spanning across two tiles (4/2015)
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The Princess symbol only affects the city segment including it.
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If you chose to remove a meeple with the Princess tile, you may not place a meeple or move the fairy. If you do not remove a meeple, you may place a meeple or move the fairy.
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Note that if placement of the portal tile causes completion of a feature, such as a monastery, you cannot deploy a meeple to that feature using the magic portal, as it is considered completed before the 2. Placing a meeple (or Move Wood) phase. (7/2014, updated 1/2019)
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This means that a meeple using the magic portal can only be placed on an unoccupied incomplete feature on any tile of the playing area. Therefore, the destination feature has to be claimable. As a consequence, the meeple cannot land on another magic portal.
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This list has been extended to include all existing meeples for the sake of completeness: Normal meeples, ringmaster (added later in Exp. 10 - Under the Big Top), guard meeples (added later in Exp. 11 - Ghosts, Castles & Cemeteries) and phantom (from 1st Edition The Phantom) have been included (1/2019, updated 5/2023)
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It seems that a player with no meeples on the board cannot move the fairy, even if he or she did not deploy a figure that turn, as there is not a legal tile to which the fairy can be moved.
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The ZMG wording treat this bonus as additional points when scoring the feature. We use a wording closer to the original intent where the scoring of the feature is independent from the fairy bonus.
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The fairy will grant 3 points when assigned to a meeple placed on a feature being scored during the game (any feature scored in phase 3. Scoring a feature) or after the game (any feature scored during the final scoring).
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Note that the scoring of the 3 bonus points is independent of the normal points scored for a feature. The player receiving the 3 points for the fairy will score the bonus as a separate scoring from any points received for the feature being scored, if any.
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A highwayman is any meeple placed on a road.
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In the latest 1st. Edition clarifications, the fairy wasn't allowed to be placed in a castle, although it was previously allowed in the
Big Box 3 rules.
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Note that you score the bonus points for your acrobats at once. There is no individual bonus scoring per meeple.
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This restriction is not included explicitly in the rules (only the 1-point fairy bonus is mentioned) but it comes from the interpretation of the rules:
- During the game, acrobats are scored in phase 2. Placing a meeple and players receive the 3-point fairy bonus when scoring completed features in phase 3. Scoring a feature. Since both actions take place in different phases, acrobats cannot receive this fairy bonus during the game.
- After the game, acrobats should not get the 3-point scoring bonus when scored for the sake of consistency. An acrobat pyramid is not a tile-based feature but a meeple-based scoring, so no feature is scored either at the end of the game in this case and no fairy bonus should be applied. (4/2020; updated 7/2020)