Carcassonne Rules – Learn How to Play Carcassonne

Carcassonne is a tile-based game that requires the players to build a fort with its tiles. Klaus-Jurgen Wrede developed the game in 2000 and can be played by 2-5 players by people 7 and up. Players have to develop, expand and conquer the land. The game follows the theme of the European medieval era which progresses on the rules of expansion and progress. According to the Carcassonne Rules, each player has to complete the features of the game to win.

Carcassonne has been classified as a gateway game by plenty of gamers to introduce people to the world of board games. It has a medieval landscape which is named after a French medieval fort known for its fort walls. Since its inception, Carcassonne has expanded and developed multiple versions that involve landscapes other than Carcassonne, which has different tiles, additional rules, and multiple figures. Moreover, Carcassonne has its own tournaments and can also be played online in the form of video games. Let’s learn about what you require before starting the game.

Learn How to Play Carcassonne

Carcassonne is a board game where players take turns laying tiles to build a landscape. Players can also place meeples on the tiles to claim features like cities, roads, and fields. The goal is to score points by completing these features and controlling territory. The game ends when all tiles have been placed, and the player with the most points wins.

Carcassonne Requirements

Carcassonne requires 2-5 players per game and it doesn’t involve any kind of elimination of the player. It consists of 84 tiles in total, and all tiles are the same from the back except for one; the one with the dark back. This tile is for starting the game and the rest of the tiles are to be put face down in multiple decks for the ease of access of each player. A game of Carcassonne consists of:

• 84 tiles total
• A Scoreboard
• 40 Meeples in five different colors, 8 Meeples for each player

Objective

The main goal of Carcassonne is to score the highest points by connecting different parts on land and by placing meeples on them. Carcassonne rules suggest that placing a meeple on a feature means that a player has ownership of that feature. It is extremely important for a player to complete these features such as field, city, monastery, or road, in order to score and win. Each feature of the game is elaborated below according to the Carcassonne rules:

• Meeples placed on the road is called a highwayman/woman
• Meeples placed on cities become knights
• Meeples placed on fields are called farmers
• Meeples placed in monasteries are called monks

Carcassonne Scoring

Scoring in the game of Carcassonne is not difficult since a player can score in two ways; while playing the game and also at the end of the game. This means that a player still scores even if he didn’t win the entire game. According to the Carcassonne rules, each feature in the game is worth different points.

Coat of Arms	2 points each if the feature is complete.
Roads	1 point each if a feature is complete.
Cities	2 points each, if the feature is complete. In the case of an incomplete feature, the score halves.
Monasteries	1 point each if the feature is complete.
Fields	3 points if it is complete.
Incomplete features	1 point for each tile for the incomplete feature.

How to win Carcassonne

Winning a game of Carcassonne requires the player to complete the features on the tile. These Carcassonne rules recommend completing the city, roads, fields, and monasteries to score the highest in order to win. However, these features are only complete when:

• Road – Road is only complete and can be scored as a complete feature when it has a beginning
  and an end
• Monastery – Monasteries can only complete when they are surrounded by tiles
• Field – Field can only complete when its surrounding cities are complete
• Cities – Cities can only completed when their boundary wall is completed
• Meeples placed on the completed features score more and guarantee a win as compared to the incomplete features

Tips for Carcassonne Board Game

● There can be only one highwayman on a road.
● Once a road is claimed by a player, another player cannot place his meeple on the same road.
● There can be only one knight in a city. However, if a city contains more than one tile to complete the city, only then two or more players can claim the city but each on a different tile.
● When a city is completed then the player with the most knights in a city receives the points.
● Meeples placed on the fields stay in the field for the entirety of the game. Use them strategically.
● A monastery is only completed when it is surrounded by other tiles from all sides.
● A field is only completed when its surrounding cities are fully built.
● Roads are completed when the road has a departing and a destination point.
● Completing the monastery feature gives you the highest point.

Rules of Carcassonne

• Shuffle the 84 cards. Put them face down except for the one with the dark back. That’s the starting tile.
• Place the starting tile in the center of the table.
• Assign a color to each player and distribute meeples accordingly.
• Place the scoreboard at the side, and place one meeple from each player at the starting point.
• Start the game clockwise by placing a tile with the center tile.
• The player draws a card in an effort to complete a feature.
• Place a meeple on the tile drawn on the table if the player wants to claim any part of the land.
• Keep the scoreboard nearby to count scores after the completion of each feature.
• Repeat the process until the tiles end.
• Calculate the score and announce the winner.

FAQs

How many meeples can be placed on one feature?
In a game of Carcassonne, only one player can get hold of a single feature unless it’s a city. A road can be only occupied by one player. A field can be occupied by one meeple only. The monastery can be occupied by one player. Whereas, a city can be occupied by more than one player if the city spans over more than two tiles.

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How does the coat of arms work in a game of Carcassonne?
The main goal of the Coat of Arms in the game of Carcassonne is to provide the player with a bonus point for completing one of the main features of the game. If the feature is completed by the player then the player gets 2 points as per Coat of Arms. However, if the feature is incomplete, then the player gets 1 point as per Carcassonne rules for the coat of arms and for the incomplete feature.

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How does the game of Carcassonne end?
The game of Carcassonne ends once all the players are out of tiles. That’s when the final scores are calculated and the winner is announced.