Carcassonne: The Count - Tips & Strategies

* * * “THE COUNT ON THE TOWER” * * *

CARCASSONNE RULING VARIANT

This ruling variant is prepared for Carcassonne players who think (like I do) that the rules included in the “Count of Carcassonne” and “Carcassonne: the Tower” in fact spoil the game, yet they want to use game elements included in those expansions. So – using other words – if you think the rules of two mentioned expansions are OK, this article is not for you.

** In order to play this variant you need the base game of Carcassonne and two of its expansions: “The Count” and “The Tower”. Other expansions may be used at will. All the rules of basic game and of additional expansions apply unless stated otherwise. Rules of “The Count” and “The Tower” do NOT apply!

** The game starts from constructing the big city included in “The Count” expansion. The count figurine is placed on any of the two central tiles of the city. All 30 tower elements make a stock available to all the players. If you use “The River” expansion, the first river tile should be placed adjacent to any of the matching city tiles.

** Tiles with tower bases are placed as usual and the active player may place his follower on the one he just played if he is allowed to do so by the general rules.

** Players gain another option during their respective turns: as long as there are tower elements available, instead of placing a follower (or a builder, a pig, moving the fae, removing a follower due to the princess rule etc) they may place one tower element on any tile with the tower base on it. It may be the first tower element on that tile as well as a next one (making the tower higher). If this option is used the count visits that tower – the active player puts the count figurine on the top of that tower. As long as the count stands there new elements can’t be added to that tower. (Of course when a new tower element is placed elsewhere the count moves there allowing further development of the first tower.)

** When a town or a road is finished its owner (or owners if there is a tie) gains 1 point for each tower segment on each of the tiles the town or the road is on (it does not matter if the tower is in the town or out of it, or if the tower intersects the road or just stands aside). Additional 1 point is awarded if the count stands on any of those towers.

** For a completed cloister the above rule apply, and the tower elements on all 9 tiles completing the cloister are counted.

** No “tower poins” are awarded at the end of the game: neither for meadows nor for unfinished structures.

Special rules that apply if you use “The Princess and the Dragon” expansion:
* The dragon can not be moved onto two central tiles of the starting city.
* If the dragon moves onto a tile with a tower, the tower gets damaged: a half of its elements (rounded down) is returned to the stock (e.g. if a tower has 7 elements 3 are returned and 4 remain). If the count stands on any tower damaged by the dragon he escapes to one of two central tiles of the city.