The Ultimate Carcassonne Rules Cheatsheet

Introduction: What is Carcassonne?

Carcassonne is a classic tile-placement board game designed by Klaus-Jürgen Wrede. Players build the medieval landscape of the French city of Carcassonne one tile at a time, strategically placing followers (meeples) to control features and score points. The game balances simple rules with deep strategic decision-making, making it accessible for families yet engaging for experienced gamers.

Game Overview:

• Players: 2-5 players
• Age: 7+
• Playing Time: 30-45 minutes
• Game Type: Tile placement, area control

Game Components

• 72 Land Tiles showing various combinations of:
  • Cities
  • Roads
  • Monasteries
  • Fields
• 40 Followers (Meeples) – 8 in each player color
• Scoring Track around the perimeter of the box
• Starting Tile (distinctive back)
• Scoreboard and Scoring Markers

Setup

1. Place the starting tile face-up in the center of the table
2. Shuffle the remaining land tiles face-down in several stacks
3. Each player chooses a color and takes all 8 followers in that color
4. Each player places one follower on space “0” of the scoring track
5. Determine the first player randomly

Core Gameplay

On Your Turn

1. Draw and place one land tile

   • Must connect to at least one existing tile
   • Features on connecting edges must match (roads to roads, cities to cities, fields to fields)
   • If a tile cannot be legally placed, discard it and draw another

2. Optionally place one follower on the tile just placed

   • Can only place on a feature without any other followers
   • Once placed, followers remain until the feature is completed

3. Score any completed features

   • Return followers from completed features to their owners
   • Features are completed when they have no open edges

Game End

• The game ends immediately after the turn when the last land tile is placed
• Final scoring occurs for all incomplete features and fields
• The player with the highest score wins

Feature Rules & Scoring

Cities

Followers on Cities:

• Place a follower as a knight on a city segment
• Only one knight per city unless cities later merge
• When cities merge, multiple players may have knights in the same city
• The player with the most knights scores all the points (ties result in all tied players receiving full points)

Roads

Followers on Roads:

• Place a follower as a highwayman on a road segment
• Only one highwayman per road unless roads later connect
• When roads connect, multiple players may have highwaymen on the same road
• The player with the most highwaymen scores all the points (ties result in all tied players receiving full points)

Monasteries

Followers on Monasteries:

• Place a follower as a monk on a monastery
• Only one monk per monastery
• Monastery completion is not affected by the features on surrounding tiles, only that spaces are filled

Fields

Important: Fields are only scored at the end of the game.

Followers on Fields:

• Place a follower as a farmer lying down on a field segment
• Farmers remain on the board until the end of the game
• Only one farmer per field unless fields later merge
• When fields merge, multiple players may have farmers in the same field
• The player with the most farmers scores all the points (ties result in all tied players receiving full points)
• Note: Field placement is often the most strategic and complex element of the game

Special Tiles & Rules

Cloisters/Monasteries

• Monastery tiles typically feature a road or city on the same tile
• The monastery and other feature can be claimed by separate followers

City Tiles with Pennants

• Pennants are small flag symbols in some city tiles
• Each pennant adds 2 additional points to a completed city (1 point if incomplete at game end)

Garden Tiles (in some versions)

• Gardens score exactly like monasteries
• A follower placed on a garden is scored when the garden is surrounded by 8 tiles

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Field Confusion: Remember fields are separated by roads and cities, not by tile edges
2. Follower Placement: You can only place a follower on the tile you just played
3. Feature Sharing: You cannot place a follower on a feature that already contains a follower, even your own
4. Field Scoring: Fields only score at the end of the game, not during play
5. Monastery Scoring: Monasteries score for each of the 8 surrounding tiles plus the monastery tile itself
6. Road Completion: Roads must end at both ends to be considered complete

Strategy Tips

Early Game

• Consider placing followers as farmers early (fields can be very valuable)
• Focus on quickly completing small cities (4-6 points) rather than starting large ones
• Try to place tiles that make it difficult for opponents to complete their features

Mid Game

• Be strategic about follower management – don’t run out too quickly
• Look for opportunities to join your features with other players’ to share points
• Consider “stealing” large features by connecting to them when an opponent has fewer followers

Late Game

• Complete monasteries that are nearly surrounded
• Focus on completing cities with pennants for maximum points
• Try to connect roads to gain points while retrieving followers for final moves

Expansions Quick Reference

Inns & Cathedrals (1st Expansion)

• Inn Tiles: Roads with inns score 2 points per tile if completed (0 if incomplete)
• Cathedral Tiles: Cities with cathedrals score 3 points per tile + pennants if completed (0 if incomplete)
• Big Meeple: Counts as 2 regular meeples for majority control

Traders & Builders (2nd Expansion)

• Trade Goods: Completed cities yield goods tokens (wine, grain, cloth)
• Builder: Allows placing an extra tile when building on a feature with your builder
• Pig: Increases field scores by 1 point per completed city when placed on a field

The Princess & The Dragon (3rd Expansion)

• Dragon: Moves around board removing followers
• Fairy: Protects followers from dragon and grants bonus points
• Princess: Can remove a knight from a city
• Magic Gates: Allow placement of followers on previously placed tiles

Final Scoring Sequence

1. Roads: Score all incomplete roads (1 point per tile)
2. Cities: Score all incomplete cities (1 point per tile + 1 point per pennant)
3. Monasteries: Score all incomplete monasteries (1 point per tile, including the monastery)
4. Fields: Score all fields (3 points per completed city bordering the field)

Quick Reference Table: Follower Roles & Scoring

Resources for Further Learning

• Official Rules: Carcassonne Central
• Tutorial Videos: Search “How to Play Carcassonne” on YouTube
• Digital Version: Available on mobile devices and Steam
• Tournament Rules: World Championship Carcassonne
• Expansions List: Over 10 major expansions available to enhance gameplay

Remember that Carcassonne is a game of strategic placement and opportunistic scoring. Balance completing your own features with blocking your opponents, and always keep an eye on the developing landscape for high-scoring opportunities!