The Wonders of Humanity

Other languages:

Main Page ✎ > Carcassonne ✎ > The Wonders of Humanity

This page is Under construction!
Rules, texts, images and others can be changed.

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!

Promotional image of The Wonders of Humanity posted on Instagram

General info and comments

Expansion symbol

The Wonders of Humanity will be released by Hans im Glück in 2023. The expansion contains mega tiles spanning across 5 spaces in various configurations. Each mega tile feature a wonder built by man in different ages. The first set contains the following wonders. More sets will come:

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 wonders of humanity have reached Carcassonne. 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!

This expansion has cities with clipped buildings.

Rules

Preparation

We recommend you to play The Wonders of Humanity with more than just the basic game tiles (about 90+). You can use any tiles you want (more basic game tiles or from the (mini) expansions, without having to play with their rules).

Example: Setup for 4 players, where two meeples per player are placed next to the 10 space on the scoreboard.

To mark your wonder later, we recommend you to take another (marking) meeple in your color. You can also use something else in your color as a marker. ^[1]
As always, place one meeple of each color on the scoreboard as a scoring meeple.
Place another meeple of each color + the marking meeple next to the 10 space outside the scoreboard. Each player starts the game with 6 meeples in their supply.
Select as many wonders as there are players and place them faceup next to the scoreboard. Put the remaining wonders aside for further games.

Note: Only 4 wonders are included in the first set. So you can play with a maximum of four players. However, further sets will be available, which will allow you to choose the wonders and/or play with more than 4 players.

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

The first player to get 10 or more points by scoring (landing on or crossing the 10 space on the scoreboard) performs the following steps in this order:

1) Take meeples and move the rest along

Take your two meeples next to the scoreboard into your supply. Now move all remaining meeples 5 spaces forward, that is next to the 15 space.

2) Obtain wonder tile

You now choose one of the selected wonders and place it in front of you. This ends your turn. You don't place it until your next turn (see 1. Placing a wonder tile).

Example: You are the first player to reach 10 points, so take your meeples next to the scoreboard into your supply. Then move the meeples from the other players to the 15 space. After this, obtain a wonder tile.

Whoever reaches the space with the remaining meeples first (space 15, possibly later 20 and 25), takes both of their own meeples in the same way, moves the remaining meeples 5 spaces forward and chooses one of the remaining wonders.

Special cases

If more than one player reaches the space with the meeples on the same turn, the active player chooses which of them will take their meeples (moving the others) and choose a wonder. Therefore, it is possible that another player who has also reached the space will have to wait.
You may not move the meeples further than the 25 space, even if you are more than 4 players. The meeples will then "wait" there until the last player picks up the remaining wonder.

1. Placing a wonder tile

If there is a wonder in front of you, you do not draw a tile, but instead place your wonder according to the usual rules. Once you have placed it, you mark your wonder with your marking meeple by placing it in the center of the wonder (not in a city, on a road or in a field).

Note: If you are using normal meeple, you can place them upside down to distinguish them from the other meeple. In this way you won't confuse them with knights, travelers or farmers. ^[2] The marking meeple remains there until the end of the game.

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 meeple.

Example: You place Alhambra and you then place a meeple upside down on the wonder. Then you place a meeple in the city and another meeple on the unoccupied road on the wonder tile.

3. Scoring a wonder

Each wonder has its own function that can earn you points. Some wonders give you points during the game, others at the end of the game (maybe both for future wonders). Starting with the turn in which you place and mark your wonder, you can use it to score points.

Wonders Of Humanity C3 Wonder Symbol 01.png

Notre-Dame

During the game, if you place one of your meeples on one of the 8 tiles around a monastery, you immediately score 3 points. Even if several monasteries are adjacent to the tile, you will "only" receive 3 points. ^[3]

Example: You will receive 3 points right away for placing a meeple on any adjacent tile to the monastery.

Wonders Of Humanity C3 Wonder Symbol 02.png

Stonehenge

If you complete one or more roads that score points during the game, you immediately score 3 points for each of those road scorings, even if you don't have a meeple on the road yourself. ^[4] After that, you score the road as usual.

Example: You will receive 3 points for completing this road to be scored by Yellow. After getting these bonus points, the scoring will proceed as usual and Yellow will receive 3 points for the road (3 tiles x 1 point).

Wonders Of Humanity C3 Wonder Symbol 03.png

Circus Maximus

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

Example: Detailed view at the end of the game: In the game with three players you get 6 points for the yellow knights (2 meeples x 3 points) and 3 points for the blue one (1 meeple x 3 points). You do not get any points for your own meeple.

Wonders Of Humanity C3 Wonder Symbol 04.png

Alhambra

At the end of the game, you score 4 points for each of your farmers, regardless of whether they score any other points.

Example: Detailed view at the end of the game: You receive 8 points for your farmers (2 farmers x 4 points).

Important!

At the end of the game, you always score the wonders that have a score at the end of the game first, before continuing with the normal final score.
Notre-Dame and Stonehenge, also have a longer road that is 2 "normal" tiles long. This is considered like 2 road tiles for the scoring. ^[5]

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.

Tile distribution

Total tiles: 4

×1

Notre-Dame, Monastery ✎

×1

Stonehenge

×1

Circus Maximus

×1

Alhambra

Footnotes

For Icons explanation and licensing please visit Icons page.

↑ This sentence was present in the German rules by HiG, but omitted in the English rules.
↑ A meeple placed on a road is called a thief in the first edition of Carcassonne (C1), a highwayman in the second edition (C2) and a traveler in the third edition (C3).
↑ This sentence was updated to match the wording of the German rules. The English rules seem to be mistranslated from the original:
Even if several monasteries are located next to each other, you will "only" receive 3 points.
This would not cover all the possible cases: a tile can be adjacent to several monasteries without them being next to each other.
↑ This sentence was updated to match the wording of the German rules. The English rules seem to indicate that you score the bonus points if you complete one or more roads and also score points for any completed feature during this turn:
If you complete one or more roads and score points during the game, you immediately score 3 points for each of those road scorings, even if you don't have a meeple on the road yourself.
This would make no sense according to the example provided, since the active player completes an occupied road but scores no points at all this turn.
↑
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:
Stonehenge
One 2-tile road that forks into two open segments (top left and center)

One 1-tile city (top right)

Two 1-tile roads (bottom center and right)
Notre-Dame
One 2-tile road with one open segment, which forks and ends at the monastery and the wonder (top and middle)

One 2-tile city (bottom left and center)

One 1-tile road (bottom right)
Circus Maximus
One 4-tile city, the upper and lower parts are connected by a tiny city strip (left top-to-bottom and center middle-to-bottom)

Two 1-tile roads (middle and bottom right)
Alhambra
One 3-tile city (left top-to-bottom)

Two 1-tile roads (bottom center and right)

[1] This sentence was present in the German rules by HiG, but omitted in the English rules.

[2] A meeple placed on a road is called a thief in the first edition of Carcassonne (C1), a highwayman in the second edition (C2) and a traveler in the third edition (C3).

[3] This sentence was updated to match the wording of the German rules. The English rules seem to be mistranslated from the original:
Even if several monasteries are located next to each other, you will "only" receive 3 points.
This would not cover all the possible cases: a tile can be adjacent to several monasteries without them being next to each other.

[4] This sentence was updated to match the wording of the German rules. The English rules seem to indicate that you score the bonus points if you complete one or more roads and also score points for any completed feature during this turn:
If you complete one or more roads and score points during the game, you immediately score 3 points for each of those road scorings, even if you don't have a meeple on the road yourself.
This would make no sense according to the example provided, since the active player completes an occupied road but scores no points at all this turn.

[5] 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:

Stonehenge
One 2-tile road that forks into two open segments (top left and center)

One 1-tile city (top right)

Two 1-tile roads (bottom center and right)

Notre-Dame
One 2-tile road with one open segment, which forks and ends at the monastery and the wonder (top and middle)

One 2-tile city (bottom left and center)

One 1-tile road (bottom right)

Circus Maximus
One 4-tile city, the upper and lower parts are connected by a tiny city strip (left top-to-bottom and center middle-to-bottom)

Two 1-tile roads (middle and bottom right)

Alhambra
One 3-tile city (left top-to-bottom)

Two 1-tile roads (bottom center and right)

[6] One 2-tile road that forks into two open segments (top left and center)

[7] One 1-tile city (top right)

[8] Two 1-tile roads (bottom center and right)

[9] One 2-tile road with one open segment, which forks and ends at the monastery and the wonder (top and middle)

[10] One 2-tile city (bottom left and center)

[11] One 1-tile road (bottom right)

[12] One 4-tile city, the upper and lower parts are connected by a tiny city strip (left top-to-bottom and center middle-to-bottom)

[13] Two 1-tile roads (middle and bottom right)

[14] One 3-tile city (left top-to-bottom)

[15] Two 1-tile roads (bottom center and right)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

The Wonders of Humanity

Contents

General info and comments

Contents