The Wonders of Humanity
 |
You are reading the rules for this tile design. |
| This expansion was not published in other editions. |
| If your tiles have a different design, then choose a game from Spin-offs. |  |
The Wonders of Humanity expansion contains mega tiles spanning across 5 spaces in various configurations. Each mega tile feature a wonder built by man in different ages. Each of them brings you individual advantages. But everyone can only use one per game. Get a matching wonder quickly to benefit from it as often as possible!
 Set I envelope |
 Set II envelope |
 Set III envelope |
The wonders of humanity have reached Carcassonne. Each of them brings you individual advantages. But everyone can only use one per game. Get the wonder you want quickly to benefit from it as often as possible!
General info and comments
The Wonders of Humanity was released by Hans im Glück in 2023 (Set I), 2024 (Set II), and 2025 (Set III). The expansion contains wonder tiles spanning across 5 spaces in various configurations. Each tile features a wonder built by man in different ages. The first set contains the following wonders:
- Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument located near Amesbury in southern England (UK).
- Circus Maximus, an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy.
- Notre-Dame, a medieval Gothic cathedral built in Paris, France.
- Alhambra, a palace and fortress complex from the 13th century located in Granada, Spain.
The second set contains the following wonders:
- Abu Simbel, a pair of rock temples built in Egypt in the 13th century BC.
- Tikal, an ancient Mayan city in northern Guatemala.
- Angkor Wat, a 10th century temple complex in Cambodia.
- Terracotta Army, more than 7000 life-size soldiers in an early Chinese burial complex.
The third set contains the following wonders:
- Great Wall of China, a protective structure built to secure the northern border of China.
- Nazca Lines, giant geoglyphs in the desert near Nazca and Palpa in Peru.
- Cothon of Carthage, probably the world's largest port in the 3rd century BC.
- Taj Mahal, a mausoleum in India completed in 1648.
This expansion has cities with clipped buildings.
Note: All wonders tiles count as 5 connected normal tiles.
Contents
Set I
- 4 wonder tiles with Wonders of Humanity
|
| Notre-Dame |
|
| Stonehenge |
|
| Circus Maximus |
|
| Alhambra |
Note: The map printed on the back of the first set of wonder tiles (Stonehenge, Notre-Dame, Circus Maximus and Alhambra) is only relevant for the Carcassonne Game Festival 2023 in Carcassonne.
Set II
- 4 wonder tiles with Wonders of Humanity
|
| Abu Simbel |
|
| Tikal |
|
| Angkor Wat |
|
| Terracotta Army |
Set III
- 4 wonder tiles with Wonders of Humanity
|
| Great Wall of China |
|
| Nazca Lines |
|
| Cothon of Carthage |
|
| Taj Mahal |
Rules
Preparation
We recommend you to play with at least 90 tiles and one additional meeple (e.g. Base game + 1st expansion). [1] Ignore any additional expansion rules.
- Each player takes all 9 meeples in one color. Place 2 meeples in each color next to the 10 space outside the scoreboard.
- Note: One of these two meeples is used only to mark your wonder. You can use the large meeple of the 1st expansion or any other figure in that color.
- Place a scoring meeple as usual on the 0 space of the scoreboard. All players start the game with 6 meeples in their supply.
- Choose 1 wonder tile per player. You can also combine wonders from different sets. Place them face-up next to the scoreboard (exception: Cothon of Carthage, see below). Discard the remaining wonder tiles, you do not need them for this game. [2]
Note: Alternatively, you can also prepare as many wonders as you like. You'll have a bigger selection of wonders and you can choose the right wonder for you, later in the game.
Placing a wonder tile
There is one wonder for each player. To receive a wonder tile, you must fulfill a condition. This falls under section 3. Scoring a feature described next:
3. Scoring a feature and getting a wonder tile
There is 1 wonder for each player. So you can get a wonder tile only once during the game. (For a variant with two wonders per player, see below.)
When your scoring meeple reaches or exceeds the space with the meeple pairs (the first time it is the 10 space), you perform the following steps in sequence:
- Choose one of the wonder tiles available and place it in front of you. You don't place it on the game board yet (see 1. Placing a wonder tile).
- Take your two meeples next to the scoreboard and add them to your supply.
- Move all remaining meeples placed next to the scoreboard 5 spaces forward (i.e. the first time next to the 15 space, then next to the 20 space, and finally next to the 25 space).
Attention: You must never move the meeple pairs beyond the 25 space, even if there are more than 4 players. The meeples remain next to the 25 space until they are reached by all other scoring meeples.
Special case:
If several players reach the space with the meeple pairs on the same turn, the person whose turn it is chooses which of them will take a wonder tile. After that, the meeple pairs are moved 5 spaces forward as usual. If there are still scoring meeples from other players (who have not taken a wonder yet) on or past the space with the meeple pairs, the person whose turn it is decides again who will take the next wonder, and so on.
1. Placing a wonder tile
If there is a wonder tile in front of you, you do not draw a tile, but instead place your wonder tile according to the usual placement rules. [3] Once you have placed it, you have to mark your wonder with one of the 2 meeples that you obtained along with the wonder tile. To do so, place the marker meeple in the center of the wonder (not on a city, road or field). This marker meeple remains there until the end of the game. For a better distinction from other meeples, you can put the marker meeple upside down.
Note: In the very rare case that there is no way to place the wonder tile correctly, you draw a tile that you must immediately place so that you can immediately place your wonder tile next to it afterwards. If this is also not possible, the normal tile is removed from the game (even if it would have fit) and you draw another tile, until you can place your wonder tile. You do not place a meeple on the additionally drawn tile.
Special case: The game ends when nobody can place a land tile or a wonder tile during their turn, even if other players still have wonder tiles. [4]
2. Placing a meeple on a wonder tile
After you have placed and marked your wonder, you may immediately place up to 2 meeples on different unoccupied features (city, road, monastery or field) of this wonder tile. You may also place only one or no meeples. If you place 2 meeples, they may also be placed on the same square. [5]
3. Scoring a wonder
Each wonder has its own function that can earn you points. Some wonders give you points during the game, while others give you points at the end of the game. [6]
During the game (not during the turn in which you place the Notre-Dame wonder tile), if you place a meeple on one of the 8 tiles surrounding a monastery, you immediately score 3 points. It is irrelevant whether there is a meeple on this monastery or not. [7] Even if several monasteries are adjacent to the tile where the meeple is placed, you will "only" receive 3 points. [8]
If you complete one or more occupied roads during your turn (not when playing the Stonehenge wonder tile itself), you immediately score 3 points for each road you complete (even if you don't have a meeple on the road yourself). After that, you score the road as usual. [9]
Question: Do you get the Stonehenge bonus if you complete an unoccupied road and then you add a meeple to it on the tile just placed?
Answer: Yes it is possible. You place the meeple in 2. Placing a meeple right before you perform 3. Scoring with a wonder. (3/2024)
When it's your turn, you can choose from 2 tiles. The first time you draw 2 tiles. You choose one and place it as usual. Place the other one face down in front of you for a later turn. When it's your turn again, you draw another tile and choose from 2 tiles again, and so on. If there are no more tiles for you to draw at the end of the game, place the one in front of you. If your unchosen tile is the last one in the game, it goes to the next player for the last turn.
If a city is scored that is at least 3 tiles in size and in which you have at least one meeple, you receive 2 points for each of your own meeples in a city on the board. The following applies:
- You do not have to have the majority in the scored city.
- The meeple in the scored city also scores 2 points.
Each time a city in which you are already represented is expanded with a city wall (by placing a corresponding city tile, regardless of who does so), you immediately receive 3 points.
 |
 |
Question: Do you score 3 points right away if, by placing the Great Wall of China wonder tile, you extend a city with one or more of your meeples? (The rules do not include any limitation.)
Answer: No, because when you place the wonder, you didn't own it yet. Think of the turn sequence: 1. Placing a tile - 2. Placing a meeple. (12/2025)
Question: Let's say Red owns the Great Wall of China. A player expands 2 cities owned by Red by placing one single tile. How many bonus points does Red receive for the Great Wall of China this turn: 3 points (only once no matter what) or 6 points (once per extended city)?
Answer: You count per wall (because it is the Great Wall), so Red gets 6 points. [10] (12/2025)
Question: Let's say Red owns the Great Wall of China. Does the player score 3 bonus points in the scenario below? The player adds a tile with wall, but it is not connected directly to the existing wall in the city.
Answer: Yes, Red receives 3 points because the player adds a wall to the city. [10] (12/2025)
Question: Let's say Red owns the Great Wall of China. Does the player score 3 or 6 bonus points in the scenario below? The player extends 2 separate cities, although they end up connected by the tile.
Answer: Red receives 3 points because the player adds a city tile with wall to the resulting city. [10] (12/2025)
Question: Creating an exception for tiles without walls is thematically aligned with the wonder, but it only affects 3 tiles with the suggested setup (the CCCC tile in the base game and cathedral tiles in 
Exp. 1 - Inns & Cathedrals). Are we missing something?
Answer: Well, when you think about other expansions there are more tiles: e.g. the town hall tile (C3.1-ARat) or the CCCC tile in 
Exp. 5 - Messengers & Mayors with 2 coats of arms (C3.1-AD) and some more. But, basically, it's just about the theme, not so necessary. (12/2025)
At the Taj Mahal, you can use standard meeple to receive bonuses during scoring.
With the 'marker meeple' you already receive the first bonus: Place the meeple upside down on the canal intersection next to the "Road +2" symbol, and from now on, you will receive 2 additional points for every road scoring in which you are involved.
The 1-2 meeples that you are now allowed to place on the wonder tile when building the wonder you can place them on the wonder itself.
Whenever it is your turn and you do not place a meeple on the tile you just played, you may instead place 1 standard meeple on the Taj Mahal or retrieve one from there to your supply.
>> Place a meeple on the Taj Mahal
You place the meeple on the next available space away from the canal. Each space occupied by one of your meeple gives you an additional or improved bonus when you participate in the corresponding scoring.
Space 1 "Canal Crossing" = +2 points for road scorings
Space 2 = +3 points for city scorings
Space 3 = +4 points for monastery scorings
Space 4 = (from now on) +5 points for road scorings
Question: Do you score the Taj Mahal bonus points right away if, by placing the Taj Mahal tile, you complete a feature (city, road, or monastery) with one or more of your meeples? (The rules do not include any limitation.)
Answer: Yes, you get the bonus, because this happens in 3. Scoring a feature. (12/2025)
Question: Let's say you own the Taj Mahal. You have a meeple on the Taj Mahal tile "+5" space (for roads). In a given turn, a player completes two roads where you have at least one meeple. Do you receive 10 points for the Taj Mahal bonus (+5 points per completed road)?
Answer: Yes, 10 points, +5 per road. (12/2025)
>> Retrieve Meeple
When you take a meeple from the Taj Mahal into your supply, you always take the last meeple placed (in reverse order).
Exception: The 'marker meeple' remains upside down on the canal intersection. Its bonus always applies.
From now on, you will again receive +3 points for city scoring (and continue to receive +5 points for road scoring and +4 points for monastery scoring).
Unlike all previous wonders, the Cothon is used as the starting tableau and is therefore integrated into the playing field from the outset. The river is created from here. If you choose the Cothon as your wonder, mark it as your wonder immediately and place up to 2 meeples in different features on the wonder tile and/or in the harbor there.
Question: You score multiple features during your turn and you may obtain one wonder. If you choose the Cothon of Carthage, do the rules mean that you mark the wonder immediately (and place 1 or 2 meeples) during the turn it is obtained? (This seems odd as you are placing meeples on your tile outside 2. Placing a meeple.)
Answer: Yes, the Cothon of Carthage is a special case because you do not place it, otherwise you would lose a turn. (12/2025)
Question: What happens if you obtain the wonder during another player's turn? Do you still mark the wonder and add the 1 or 2 meeples to it? No meeples can be moved from the Cothon of Carthage in this case of course. (If marking and placing the meeples on the wonder is allowed, you would be allowing the player to perform their actions from 2. Placing a meeple during another player's turn.)
Answer: Yes, you mark it immediately, so you are allowed to mark it an occupy it in another player's turn. [11] (12/2025)
>> Place meeple in the harbor
From now on, you may also place your own standard meeples in the harbor of your wonder instead of returning them to the supply after scoring.
Question: How many standard meeples can you place in one turn in the harbor instead of returning them to your supply? (The rules seem to suggest that there is no such a limit.)
Answer: There is no limit. If you score 3 meeples in one turn, you could place all of them in the harbor. (12/2025)
>> Send meeple from the harbor
Whenever it is your turn and you do not place a meeple on the tile you just placed, you may place a standard meeple from your wonder's harbor into a feature along the river that is not a field. [12]
The following applies:
- This feature must start directly on a river tile (directly adjacent to the river).
- No meeples belonging to YOU may be placed in this feature yet.
- Opponent meeples may already be standing in this feature.
- You may still place the meeple in a feature (2. Placing a meeple) if you complete it with the tile you just placed (1. Placing a tile), thereby triggering another scoring (3. Scoring a feature) during this turn.
Note: The possible features along the river may be completed relatively early in the game. This ends the advantage of the wonder, which is usually before the end of the game.
Question: If you move a meeple from the Cothon of Cartage to a city along the river, can you move it to any tile of the feature? (The rules do not specify any limitations about the chosen tile.)
Answer: No, the rule specify "into a feature along the river," so it means the segment of the feature that is on the river tile. (12/2025)
Question: How many meeples can you move out of the harbor in one turn? (The rules seem to suggest that only one.)
Answer: Only one as usual. This is your action in 2. Placing a meeple. (12/2025)
If you draw a tile that only has the features road and field on it, you may take another turn (graphic elements such as farmhouses, stables, gardens, highwaymen, lakes, walls, etc. are irrelevant).
Note: If you play with the abbot, a garden is no longer a graphic element, but a feature.
If you draw another tile that only shows road and fields, you may take another turn, and so on.
Question: You own the Nazca Lines wonder. If you draw a tile with only roads and fields but you cannot place it, do you still receive the extra turn?
Answer: No, if you have to discard this tile and draw a new one, you don't get the double turn for it. [13] (12/2025)
At the end of the game, depending on the number of players, you will receive points for each meeple of another color in still uncompleted cities:
| 2 players: | 4 points | |
| 3-4 players: | 3 points | |
| 5+ players: | 2 points |
At the end of the game, you score 5 points for each of your meeples in a field. If you play with at least 120 tiles you get 6 points. This is independent of whether the meeple scores points for the field itself. [14] [15]
For each road (incomplete or complete) that is at least 5 tiles long, you receive 5 points at the end of the game.
You receive 2 points for every 7+ tiles that are in a row or column on the board at the end of the game. The following applies:
- You may score identical tiles for the column and for the row.
- Each column and row is only scored once. [16]
Important!
- Each wonder tile counts as 5 individual normal tiles. Accordingly, the roads and cities can consist of more than one tile. You must take this into account during the scoring.
- Set I:
- Stonehenge and Notre-Dame each have a road that spans across 2 tiles.
- The Alhambra has a city that spans across 3 tiles, the Circus Maximus has a city that spans across 4 tiles, and Notre-Dame has a city that spans across 2 tiles. [17]
- Set II:
- Abu Simbel, Angkor Wat, and Terracotta Army each have a road that extends over 2 tiles. Tikal has a road that extends over 3 tiles.
- Tikal and Angkor Wat each have unconnected city segments. [18]
- Set I:
Final Scoring
At the end of the game, you first score the wonders that score at the end of the game. After that, you continue with the normal final scoring. [19]
Variant - 2 wonders per player
If you are already familiar with this expansion, you can also try out the following variant, in which each player receives up to 2 wonders in the game. You now receive the effects of both wonders. Depending on the situation, you can also build interesting combinations.
Note: All the rules of the game remain the same. We are only listing changes here.
Setup
We recommend that you play with at least 120 or more tiles and 2 additional meeples (e.g. base game + river + 1st expansion and any other tiles from (mini) expansions). But ignore the expansion rules.[20]
- Each player takes 10 meeples of one color. Place 2 meeples of each color next to space 10 outside the scoreboard, and 1 meeple next to the starting space 0/50.
- Choose 2 or any number of wonders per player and place them next to the scoring board.
Receive the second wonder tile
If your counting meeple reaches or exceeds space 50, you choose your second wonder, place it in front of you and take the meeple next to the starting space 0/50. After that, you use it to mark your second wonder on your next turn, after you have placed it.
Additional clarifications
Roads, cities and fields on wonder tiles
Some wonder tiles include multiple cities spreading across multiple square spaces. Each space should be counted like a separate tile. The following images illustrate the number of road and city tiles to consider for each wonder tile as well as the intended field connectivity. Blue circles represent connected fields and red circles represent separated fields.Notes:
- The dirt patches next to some wonders are part of the wonder, not part of the adjacent city.
- The die-cutting of the wonder tiles may affect field connectivity due to production variations. If playing with wonder tiles diverging from the intended field connectivity, players will have to agree on the field connectivity to apply.
 |
Stonehenge
|
 |
Notre-Dame
|
 |
Circus Maximus
|
 |
Alhambra
|
 |
Abu Simbel
|
 |
Tikal
|
 |
Angkor Wat
|
 |
Terracotta Army
|
 |
Great Wall of China
|
 |
Nazca Lines
|
 |
Cothon of Carthage
|
 |
Taj Mahal
|
Question: Does the city on the Notre-Dame wonder tile span 2 or 4 tiles? The dirt patches surrounding Notre-Dame extend to 2 adjacent square spaces (top and right). It is a bit ambiguous in visual terms, since there is no actual wall closing the city but the houseless dirt patches with Notre-Dame bordering the field.
Answer: The city only spans across 2 tiles. The dirt patches surrounding Notre-Dame are graphically necessary to close off the roads there. (3/2024)
Question: The outer stone circle limits the surrounding fields, so there are 4 fields on the Stonehenge wonder tile. Is this correct?
Answer: It is exactly right. (3/2024)
Question: Are these green patches on the Nazca Lines wonder considered as fields? Or are they just an artistic licenses?
A farmer placed in a field only bordering a wonder but not the city adjacent to the wonder will not score points for this city. This may happen to some fields on wonder tiles:
- The field surrounding the monastery on the Notre-Dame wonder tile (top right)
- The field between the roads on the Circus Maximus wonder tile (center right)
- The field between the roads on the Alhambra wonder tile (center right)
Note that wonders (including the dirt patches next to them) are separate features from cities. Wonders limit cities but are not part of them.
Question: Some wonders such as Notre-Dame, Circus Maximus and Alhambra include a field between two roads that touches the wonder. Is this field considered to touch the city or only the wonder (and therefore no city)?
Answer: The field only touches the wonder. A wonder is always neutral and not part of a city. (3/2024)
Monasteries and wonder tiles
Each square space on a wonder tile counts as a separate tile when scoring monasteries. This applies to monasteries adjacent to wonder tiles and to monasteries on a wonder tile.Other expansions
This section contains additional information about the interactions with other Carcassonne expansions.
You may place 0, 1 or 2 wooden meeples on a wonder tile. This is one single action.- If you only place one wooden meeple, you cannot perform any other action instead of placing the second wooden meeple. [21]
- If you only place one or two wooden meeples, you may use direct placement and even another placement mechanic available for one of the meeples: "Add Meeple" / "Place Meeple" (
20th Anniversary Expansion).
The wooden meeples that can be placed on the wonder tile are the following:
- Normal meeple (
Base Game) - Abbot (Base Game -
The Abbot) - Large meeple ( Exp. 1 - Inns & Cathedrals)
- Wagon (
Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor) - Mayor ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Ringmaster (
Exp. 10 - Under the Big Top) - Guard meeple (
Ghosts, Castles & Cemeteries)
After placing 0, 1 or 2 wooden meeples on the wonder tile, you may place:
All monastic buildings can trigger the Notre-Dame bonus when placing a meeple on an adjacent tile:
- Monastery ( Base Game)
- Abbey ( Exp. 5 - Abbey & Mayor)
- Shrine (
Exp. 6 - Count, King & Robber) - German monastery (
Monasteries in Germany) - Dutch & Belgian monastery ( Monasteries in the Netherlands & Belgium)
- Japanese Building ( Japanese Buildings)
- Romanian Fortified Church (
Fortified Churches in Romania) - Darmstadt Church (
Darmstadt Promo)
The following features do not trigger the Notre-Dame bonus when placing a meeple on an adjacent tile:
- Garden (Base Game - The Abbot)
- German Cathedral (
German Cathedrals)
Nazca Lines granting an extra turn:
The Nazca Lines wonder will grant an extra turn to a tile with road(s) and field(s) if it has no feature that can be used or a symbol that activates any action.
- The Nazca Lines wonder will not grant an extra turn to a tile that may have a feature or a symbol that may trigger an action or may participate in a scoring of any expansion used during the game.
- The Advanced Variant rules of
The Labyrinth will not allow the labyrinth tiles to grant the Nazca Lines bonus. - The scoring rules of tollhouses in
The Tollkeepers will restrict Nazca Lines bonus to those tiles with no symbols on roads (gardens, farmhouses, stables, highwaymen).
- The Advanced Variant rules of
- In general, the case of the garden can be applied to any tile from expansions with features/symbols when their rules are not applied in a game. For example, the Nazca Lines wonder can grant an extra turn to road tiles with inns if you are using them as plain road tiles, that is, without applying their rules as in Exp. 1 - Inns & Cathedrals.
Question: If you draw a tile with a road, fields and a feature that can be occupied (e.g. a tower foundation, an acrobat space, etc.), does this feature prevent you from receiving the Nazca Lines bonus? (We understand that the example of the garden applies to any feature, no matter if it is directly scorable or not.)
Answer: When you have anything on the tile that you can use, the tile doesn't count for the Nazca Lines. (12/2025)
Question: If you draw a tile with a road, fields and a symbol that triggers an action (e.g. a festival tile), does this symbol prevent you from receiving the Nazca Lines bonus?
Answer: Yes, Nazca Lines only work if you have a simple road and field tile. (12/2025)
Question: If you play with The Tollkeepers, the Nazca Lines wonder will not grant its bonus to:
o Any road + field tiles with a crossroads (with villages or trees), since you can use them to place a tollhouse token.
o Any road + field tiles with gardens, stables, farmhouses or highwaymen (or groups of travelers), since you may score points for them with your tollhouse token.
Is this correct?
Answer: Yes, these tiles will not grant you the Nazca Lines bonus. If you have anything on the tile that you can use, the tile doesn't count for the Nazca Lines. (12/2025)
Question: Without The Tollkeepers, does the Nazca Lines wonder grant its bonus to road + field tiles with crossroads?
Answer: Yes, these tiles will grant you the Nazca Lines bonus. You are not using the crossroads in this case for anything special. If you have anything on the tile that you can use, the tile doesn't count for the Nazca Lines. (12/2025)
Question: Does the Nazca Lines wonder grant its bonus to the labyrinth tile if played with the basic rules (it works just like a regular roundabout)?
Answer: If you play the Labyrinth tile just as a 4-legged road tile (as in the basic rules), you would get a double turn. (12/2025)
If you use a tile from your supply that meets the conditions of the Nazca Lines wonder, you will get an extra turn. It does not matter if the tile was not drawn.
Question: You own the Nazca Lines. You place a halfling featuring only a field and a road. Do you get an extra turn for that?
Answer: Yes, when you use this tile, you can get the double turn. The same would be if you choose a road/field tile when playing with 
The Journey to Carcassonne. You will always get a double turn when you happen to use these tiles. (12/2025)
When playing with some expansions, an early scoring may happen and trigger one of these possible scenarios:
- An early scoring during your turn may lead to the following scenario:
- 1. Placing a tile (you place a tile that triggers a scoring that allows you to choose the Cothon of Carthage and perform 2. Placing a meeple to occupy the harbor)
- 2. Placing a meeple (you can use the meeples just placed in the harbor, since it is your turn)
- 3. Scoring a feature
- An early scoring during another player's turn may lead to the following scenario:
- 1. Placing a tile (the other player places a tile that triggers a scoring that allows you to choose the Cothon of Carthage and perform 2. Placing a meeple to occupy the harbor, as a special case)
- 2. Placing a meeple (you cannot use the meeples just placed in the harbor, since it is not your turn)
- 3. Scoring a feature
Question: If so, if it is obtained early in the turn (e.g. you scored many points during an 
Exp. 7 - Siege & Defense Attack in 1. Placing a tile), can you move meeples from the Cothon of Cartage later in 2. Placing a meeple or should you wait until the next turn to allow this? (If allowed, you would be allowing the player to perform actions from 2. Placing a meeple twice in the same turn.)
Answer: It is a very special, very rare case, but yes you could use your meeple from the Cothon. (You always are allowed to perform 2. Placing a meeple twice with the Cothon of Carthage. Normally, you would do as usual: 1. Placing a tile, 2. Placing a meeple and 3. Scoring a feature, and then again 2. Placing a meeple when choosing the Cothon of Carthage.) (12/2025)
Taj Mahal and gardens and abbots:
Space 3 of Taj Mahal only affects completed monasteries. Completing a garden or removing an abbot from a monastery or garden does not trigger its bonus.
Question: Does the Space 3 on Taj Mahal grant a bonus if you remove an abbot meeple form a monastery?
Answer: Space 3 of Taj Mahal only grants the bonus when a monastery is completed. (3/2026)
Question: Does the Space 3 on Taj Mahal grant a bonus to gardens?
Answer: Space 3 of Taj Mahal only grants its bonus to monasteries, never to gardens. (3/2026)
If you place a wooden meeple on the wonder tile, you cannot remove your abbot instead of placing a second wooden meeple. A garden does not trigger the Notre-Dame bonus when placing a meeple on an adjacent tile.
A garden does not trigger the Taj Mahal bonus if a meeple occupies Space 3 on the wonder.
Removing the abbot does not trigger the Taj Mahal bonus if a meeple occupies Space 3 on the wonder.
If you place a wooden meeple on the wonder tile, you cannot place your builder or your pig instead of a second wooden meeple.
Exp. 3 - The Princess & the Dragon
If you place a wooden meeple on the wonder tile, you may not move the fairy instead of placing a second wooden meeple. If you add the fairy to a meeple on the wonder tile, the whole wonder tile is protected from the dragon. The dragon cannot land on any square space of the wonder tile.
The fairy cannot be added to the marker meeple on a wonder tile.
The wonder tile is one single tile but it represents 5 spaces for the movement of the dragon. The dragon affects the whole tile when it lands on it (except for the marker meeple on the wonder itself), but it may represent 5 steps in its movement. The wonder is a special area not affected by the dragon.
If you extend the city on a wonder tile with a princess tile, you may remove any meeple on the city. However, you cannot remove the marker meeple.
You may use a magic portal to place a meeple on any uncompleted, unoccupied feature on a wonder tile. You may not use the magic portal to place a meeple on the wonder itself, since it is a special area with special placement rules.
Wonder tiles count as one tile for the tower, but they represent 5 spaces for the tower range. If at least one of the spaces occupied by a wonder tile is in range from the tower, any meeple placed on the tile can be captured, except the marker meeple. A tower cannot capture a marker meeple. The wonder is a special area which cannot be affected by a tower. If you place a wooden meeple on a wonder tile, you cannot place your barn instead of a second wooden meeple. The general rule states that the base for the barn has to be stable - that means that the corner of all four tiles have to touch each other and all tiles must have field in the corner for the placement of the barn.
A wonder tile can therefore occupy one, two or three of the corners under the barn.
When moving the wagon after scoring, consider the unoccupied, uncompleted features on its current tile and any other tile (square or not) overlapping its adjacent square spaces.
- If the wagon is on a wonder tile, any of its features is considered adjacent.
- If the wagon is on a square tile adjacent to a wonder tile, any of the features on the wonder tile is considered adjacent.
- If the wagon is on a wonder tile, any feature on a square or wonder tile on and adjacent square space is considered adjacent.
An abbey can trigger the Notre-Dame bonus when placing a meeple on an adjacent tile. A shrine can trigger the Notre-Dame bonus when placing a meeple on an adjacent tile.
The Knock Out token and the Seduction token do not affect the marker meeple on a wonder tile.
Exp. 8 - Bridges, Castles & Bazaars
A bridge can be placed on a wonder tile if the conditions are met for the give square space. If one or more spaces of a wonder tile overlap a castle fief, any feature completed on those spaces (road, city or monastery) will trigger the castle scoring.
- The castle will consider each space on the wonder tile as a separate tile.
- The features on the spaces in the castle vicinity will be the ones that can trigger the castle scoring. [22]
If you place a meeple on a wonder tile, you cannot place your shepherd instead of a second wooden meeple. If you place a wonder tile adjacent to a tile with an acrobat space, you can only add one acrobat to the pyramid instead of placing meeples on the wonder tile. If you place a wooden meeple on a wonder tile, you cannot score an acrobat pyramid instead of placing a second wooden meeple.
A marker meeple does not receive points for the big top.
If you place a wooden meeple on a wonder tile, you cannot place a meeple on the crown of the Wheel of Fortune instead of a second wooden meeple.
The wonder tile counts as 1 tile occupying 5 spaces. The flier considers spaces for its movement. If the flier lands on a space occupied by a wonder tile, it can choose any feature on the whole tile, that is, the flier has the choice of various roads, a city or a monastery, if available. The flier can only land on one of these features if it is not yet finished. If the flight of the flier is diagonal, all steps must be in a straight line in the direction the arrow shows from the flying machine tile. The angle cannot change. If the flier lands on a space occupied by a wonder tile then the flier has the choice of various roads, a city or a monastery, if available. The flier can only land on one of these features if it is not yet finished.
A flying machine cannot add a marker meeple to a wonder.
You can obtain a wonder tile if your scoring meeple or your messenger reaches or exceeds the space with your meeple pairs, or the 0/50 space with one meeple next to it, if playing with the variant with 2 wonders per player. Therefore, any of your scoring figures can meet the condition to get the wonder tile.
You cannot remove a marker meeple with a festival.Monasteries in Germany / Monasteries in the Netherlands & Belgium / Japanese Buildings / Fortified Churches in Romania
A special monastery can trigger the Notre-Dame bonus when placing a meeple on an adjacent tile. Wonder tiles will be considered as 5 square spaces when scoring the abbot/claustral prior on a special monastery. Special monasteries will count those square spaces in the columns and rows starting from the monastery tile.
- Depending on the position of a wonder tile overlapping any of those rows or columns, one or more spaces of a wonder tile will be taken into consideration for the scoring. [23]
A German cathedral does not trigger the Notre-Dame bonus when placing a meeple on an adjacent tile.
If you activate an "Add Meeple" symbol when placing a wonder tile, you can use the action with one wooden meeple and place the other wooden meeple on the wonder tile as usual. If you activate a "Place Meeple" symbol when placing a wonder tile, you can use the action with one wooden meeple and place the other on the wonder tile as usual.
A marker meeple cannot be added a second meeple.
If you place one or two wooden meeples on a wonder tile, you may protect each of them individually. If you place a wooden meeple on a wonder tile, you may not protect a meeple previously placed on the board instead of placing a second wooden meeple.
A marker meeple cannot be protected from peasant revolts. If you place a wooden meeple on a wonder tile, you may not place or move your tollhouse token instead of placing a second wooden meeple.
The Plague - Plague spreading
A wonder tile counts as 1 tile for the plague tokens, but 5 spaces for its movement (similar to the dragon).
If you place a wooden meeple on a wonder tile, you may not place a little building token instead of placing a second wooden meeple. A Darmstadt church can trigger the Notre-Dame bonus when placing a meeple on an adjacent tile.
If you place a wooden meeple on a wonder tile, you may not remove a meeple trapped by Solovei Razboynik or Vodyanoy instead of placing a second wooden meeple. Vodyanoy cannot capture a maker meeple on a wonder tile.The wonders in detail
|
Notre-Dame
The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris is a Roman Catholic church. It was built between 1163 and 1345 and is one of the earliest Gothic church buildings in France. It stands in the historic center of Paris on the Seine island of Île de la Cité. On April 15, 2019, it suffered severe damage from a major fire. Shortly after, the French Parliament decided to reconstruct it true to the original. | |
|
Stonehenge
The monument is a megalithic structure of the Neolithic period. It is located near the river Avon near Amesbury in southern England, and was erected in several sections (over several hundred years) starting at least in 3000 BC. Various hypotheses exist about the occasion and purpose of this highly elaborate monument. Stonehenge has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. | |
|
Circus Maximus
First built in stone as a permanent installation, construction began around 31 BC. With a total length of about 600 meters and a width of 140 meters, the Circus Maximus was the largest circus in ancient Rome. So it was even larger than the Colosseum and until modern times the largest stadium in the world. Chariot races were held in it until the 6th century. Its capacity is said to have been up to 250,000 seats in the meantime, although this is only based on a story. More likely are - still very impressive - 150,000 seats. | |
|
Alhambra
On the Sabikah Hill in Granada, Andalusia, Spain, stands the Alhambra City Castle. The castle complex in the Moorish style of Islamic art is about 740 meters long and 220 meters wide. Especially the Nasrid palaces with their gardens, the medina and the Renaissance palace of Charles the Fifth are significant for the Alhambra today. It is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Europe and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1984. | |
|
Abu Simbel
The rock temples in the village of Abu Simbel were built in the 13th century BC. The two temples - the large one for the glory of King (Pharaoh) Ramses II, and the small Hathor-Temple in memory of his wife Nefertari - have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979. To safe them from the rising waters of Lake Nasser, they were demolished between 1963 and 1968 and rebuilt 64 meters higher on an island in Lake Nasser. | |
|
Tikal
The ancient Mayan city is best known for its stepped temples. It is located in northern Guatemala, in the rainforests of the Petén and was one of the most important cities in the Classic Mayan period in the 3rd-9th century. Tikal experienced its highlights in the 5th and 8th centuries. Since 2018, researchers have assumed that the area around Tikal was home to at least one million people. The city was completely abandoned by the 10th century at the latest. | |
|
Angkor Wat
The most famous temple complex in the Angkor region of Cambodia is located around 240 km northwest of the capital Phnom Penh. When the country south of China developed into a regional center of power in Southeast Asia in the 10th century, the Khmer built large cities and enormous temples. Angkor Wat was built under King Suryavarman II. The complex was built as the king's state temple and was used to worship Vishnu. There is also evidence that it was the mortuary temple of Suryavarman II. | |
|
Terracotta Army
The so-called Terracotta Army comprises more than 7,000 life-size soldiers. It is part of an early Chinese burial complex, the Qín Shihuángìs Mausoleum. Construction began in 246 BC and Emperor Qín Shihuángìs was buried in it in 210 BC. It is one of the world's largest tombs, one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1987.
| |
|
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a protective structure built to secure the northern border of China. The entire structure consists of different sections from different periods, each of which was built using different construction techniques. The wide, walkable wall from the second half of the 16th century forms the typical image of the Great Wall of China. In 1987, UNESCO declared some sections of the Great Wall of China a World Heritage Site. | |
|
Nazca Lines
The Nazca Lines are over 1,500 giant geoglyphs in the desert near Nazca and Palpa in Peru. Due to their enormous size, they can only be seen from a great distance, from hills, airplanes, drones, or satellites. The Nazca Plain covers an area of 500 km² and features straight lines up to 20 km long, triangles, trapezoidal areas, and figures ranging in size from approximately ten to several hundred meters. They were probably created as part of fertility rituals between 800 BC and 600 AD. The Paracas and Nazca cultures are considered to be the creators of the lines. | |
|
Cothon of Carthage
The Cothon of Carthage was probably the world's largest port in the 3rd century BC. It was divided into a commercial area and a military facility. The rectangular commercial port was located offshore. It was necessary to pass through it to gain access to the naval port. This circular facility could accommodate around 200 ships. The shape of the two harbors is still clearly visible today. The archaeological site, located in present-day Tunisia, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. | |
|
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal in India is a mausoleum completed in 1648. The Great Mughal Shah Jahan had it built in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. The building consists of fired bricks covered with white marble. In front of it lies an 18-hectare garden with an elongated water basin in the center. To the right and left, the mausoleum is flanked by two buildings made of red sandstone. The Taj Mahal was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983. Today, it is considered one of the most beautiful and significant examples of Mughal style due to the harmony of its proportions. | |
Rules history
- * 09/2024 Rules for Set II updated the Alhambra bonus from 4 points per farmer to 5 points per farmer, and to 6 points per farmer when playing with at least 120 tiles.
- * 11/2025 Rules for Set III included.
Tile distribution
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3
Footnotes
For Icons explanation and licensing please visit Icons page.
- ↑
The initial version of the rules suggested playing with more than just the basic game tiles (about 90+) by adding any tiles you wanted (more basic game tiles or from the (mini) expansions, without applying their rules).
- ↑
One set of wonders only allows you to play with up to 4 players with 1 wonder each. You will need two sets to play with more than 4 players with one wonder each. One set or more will allow you to play the variant with 2 wonders per player (see above). The following table illustrates the possibilities.
Wonders available per player Players 2 3 4 5 6 1 set (4 wonders) 1 / 2 wonders 1 wonder 1 wonder - - 2 sets (8 wonders) 1 / 2 wonders 1 / 2 wonders 1 / 2 wonders 1 wonder 1 wonder 3 sets (12 wonders) 1 / 2 wonders 1 / 2 wonders 1 / 2 wonders 1 / 2 wonders 1 / 2 wonders - ↑
A wonder tile can be placed adjacent to another wonder tile. There is no limitation affecting their placement beyond the usual rules.
Question: Can a wonder tile be placed adjacent to another wonder tile (edge-to-edge or corner-to-corner)?
Answer: Yes, it's possible. (10/2023)
- ↑
This paragraph was not included in the original rules. However, it has been added for the sake of clarity, since it was clarified in 10/2024 that this ruling applicable to 
Castles in Germany in C3 (3rd Edition) is also valid for this expansion.
- ↑
This means you may occupy any two different features on the wonder tile even if they are in the same square.
- ↑
This sentence was removed from the first revised rules, so the effect of the wonders start on your next turn after placing it:
- Starting with the turn in which you place and mark your wonder, you can use it to score points.
- ↑
This sentence missing in the original English rules was finally added in the third revised rules released in 10/2023.
- ↑
This sentence was updated in the second revised rules released in 10/2023.
We also updated this paragraph as the original rules used "monk" instead of "meeple". This reference will be updated to avoid possible issues with C3.1 as indicated by CundCo. (2/2026) - ↑
This paragraph was updated in the first revised rules released in 10/2023.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2
The Great Wall of China bonus considers the final situation of the city or cities extended after placing the tile. At that moment, the number of cities extended with a tile with wall will determine the number of times the bonus can be granted.
- ↑
If you obtain the Cothon of Carthage as the result of a regular scoring during another player's turn, the turn sequence will be as follows:
- 1. Placing a tile
- 2. Placing a meeple
- 3. Scoring a feature (the other player triggers a scoring that allows you to choose the Cothon of Carthage and perform 2. Placing a meeple to occupy the harbor as a special case)
- ↑
The Cothon of Carthage can send a standard meeple to any feature along the river that can be completed during the game. Therefore, it cannot send a meeple to a field.
Question: Can you use the Cothon of Carthage to send meeples to fields along the river?
Answer: No, you can’t send meeples to fields with the Cothon of Carthage. (12/2025)
- ↑
The Nazca Lines wonder only grants an extra turn for tiles with road and field that you can place.
- ↑
This paragraph was updated in 09/2024 with the release of Set 2. Prior to that, meeples in fields scored only 4 points no matter the case.
- ↑
We updated this paragraph to match the German rules, since the wording in the English rules was rather confusing.
Additionally, the original rules mentioned "farmers" as the rules are defined with the base game in mind. However, it is not forbidden to consider all the meeples in a field. (2/2026) Question: The rules of the Alhambra wonder mention "farmers," which is relevant in C3.1 as it would affect the scoring with some expansions. Should we consider "meeples in fields" instead as its original assumed intent in C3?
Answer: The Wonder rules are designed for the base game. That's what it says there. For a roughly balanced game in relation to the other Wonder rules, the idea is that only farmers should be used to score points in Alhambra. That's why we adjusted the rule from 4 to 5 points after we released Wonders set II.
However, it is up to the players, or rather, it is not forbidden, if they play with scarecrows and/or shepherds, to allow these to count as well in order to score points. - ↑
If a row or column has more than one stretch with 7+ consecutive tiles, that row or column is counted only once. In other words, you score points for each row or column meeting the condition at least once.
Question: Does the Terracotta Army wonder grant 2 points per each stretch highlighted in yellow or just 2 points for the whole row (the row is scored only once)?
Answer: You just get 2 points for this yellow highlighted part. (1/2025)
- ↑
This sentence was updated according to the clarifications provided in 03/2024 for the sake of completeness and clarity.
- ↑
This sentence was added for the sake of completeness and clarity.
- ↑
This sentence was moved to a separate section for the sake of completeness and clarity.
- ↑
Or don't ignore the expansion rules and refer to the Other expansions section of this page for further clarifications from the community. We know what you want.
- ↑
The placement of 1 or 2 wooden meeples as one single action would exclude the possibility of performing any other action in Step 2B-1 (see Order of Play).
- ↑ 22.0 22.1
This is a consequence of a similar official clarification for (haunted) castles and the mist banks on the 2x2 starting tile in Ghosts, Castles & Cemeteries.
- ↑
This approach is based on the clarifications provided for The Markets of Leipzig (see FAQ boxes here).
- ↑
This is a consequence of a similar official clarification for German castles.
Question: If a watchtower scoring for meeples is adjacent to only one half of a double-sized tile, does the watchtower consider those meeples on the half adjacent to the watchtower or all the meeples on the tile?
Answer: The watchtower will consider all the meeples on the double-sized tile. (10/2022)
