Out-of-date FAQ


As the rules for Carcassonne are reprinted, collected and revised, many of the older FAQ become redundant, and leaving them mixed in with the others would just lead to confusion. And so, on this page, I've weeded out all of the FAQ which are no longer relevant to the latest version of the HiG rules (which, as ever, you can find in the Complete Annotated Rules).

They're a little bit jumbled up, unfortunately, but since this section is mostly for archive purposes I figured that it wasn't too important. What is important is whether a given FAQ has been incorporated or depreciated:
  • Incorporated means that the FAQ is 'out-of-date' because the issue raised has since been included in the rules themselves. An example might be the ruling that towers can capture followers on other towers, which wasn't in the original rules for The Tower, but has been added to the revised rules in the Big Box.
  • Depreciated, in contrast, refers to FAQ which are now wrong; the clarification given was based on an older version of the rules which is no longer valid. An example here would be any mention of pigs and builders being followers, and so being treated like normal followers. According to the Big Box, they are now 'special figures' and not followers at all.
So the incorporated FAQ are, from the perspective of the latest rules, pretty trivial; while the depreciated rules should be regarded with caution.
  • Incorporated
  • Farm scoring has been simplified
    In the original rules, the farms were scored in relation to the cities, in other words, the majority was calculated for every farm bordering a city and then the city scored accordingly. In contrast, the current rules are that the majority should be established on each farm and then the farm scored according to the adjacent cities.
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  • 'Small city' rule revoked
    A ‘small city’ of only two segments now scores 2 points per tile, just like any other completed city; that is, it now scores 4 points altogether, as opposed to the original score of just 2 points.
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  • Further simplification of the rules for scoring farms
    When scoring the points for farms, a player can supply a city from several sides. If a player has the majority on several farms bordering a city, he or she will earn points for each of these farms, rather than only once; as such, he or she will not have to keep check of which cities have already been scored.
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  • What happens if you draw a tile that cannot be placed anywhere?
    allgemein2
    In the rare circumstance where a drawn tile really cannot be placed anywhere—not even on the very edges of the game, or on another player's territory - it is discarded from the game. The only occasion where this circumstance could could conceivably arise is with the placement of purely city cards such as the cathedral from Inns and Cathedrals.
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  • When I place a tile and, for example, complete a road, can I deploy a follower to this completed road, earn the points and remove the follower immediately?
    allgemein8
    As long as the road was hitherto unoccupied, that is allowed. Again, the same is true of cities and the stroke of luck when such a thing happens with a cloister.
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  • Two thieves (of the same or different colours) are on two separate roads. What happens when the roads are connected?
    einklinken1
    The newly-created road is now occupied by both thieves and both players earn the same points. If there is only one player involved the or she only receives the points once. The same is true for cities and farms.

    For a better overview the followers can be placed next to each other after their roads, cities or farms have been connected. This is particularly helpful as far as farms are concerned.
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  • Since it isn't stated in the rules, we always disagree about how to score when two followers of one colour are occupying a road, city or farm. Do you score double in these cases?
    einklinken2
    No! The number, or in Inns and Cathedrals the size, of the followers has no effect on the points that a the player earns from a road, city, cloister or farm. Two knights do not double the points. The number of followers is only important in establishing who has the majority.
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  • “When two or more players tie with the most thieves or knights, they each earn the total points for the road or city.” The most knights in play or in the city in question? / The most thieves in play or in the road in question? The same question would arise for farmers during the final scoring.
    einklinken3
    When establishing a majority only the followers in the city, road or cloister in question are relevant. In the example shown, yellow and black draw at the moment and both earn the full points for the road. The yellow thief on the bottom left tile is on a different road, which is separated from the other by the crossing, and earns the points for that road alone.
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  • It’s unclear how a road with two different thieves is scored: either with the same points or the points are halved, rounding up or down. Suggestion: rounding down, because of the total points.
    einklinken4

    Both earn the same points. A successful collaboration should pay off! And there's nothing wrong with going around the scoreboard more often.
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  • What happens when several knights of the same colour occupy a completed city? Do you earn points just once, or does every knight count?
    stadt4
    The points are only earned once! The number, or in Inns and Cathedrals the size, of the followers has no effect on the points that a player earns from a road, city, farm or cloister. Two knights do not earn twice as many points. The number of followers in a road, city, and so on, is only relevant for establishing the majority.
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  • How many points does this crossing / circle earn?
    strasse41
    A thief on this circle earns 4 points. Although it consists of five road segments each land tile scores only once, just as in the case of cities.

    A true circle, with a further curve instead of the bottom left T-junction, is allowed and also earns four points. This thief is pretty smart, and just makes one lap.
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  • The rules should be more clearly stated. For example, two followers of a player are on a road: double points?
    schluss1
    No! The number, or in Inns and Cathedrals the size, of the followers has no effect on the points that a player earns from a road, city, farm or cloister. Two thieves do not earn twice as many points. The number of followers on a road, in a city, and so on, is only relevant for establishing the majority. The rules explain what things earn points and cover four sides. A set of rules which listed what things didn't earn points or achieved nothing would cover 20 sides…
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  • How do I score a road that—just like a city that has grown out of two smaller cities—now has two different thieves occupying it?
    einklinken1

    The road earns both players—just like a city that has grown out of two smaller cities—the full number of points available.
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  • Does the big solitary building with a road leading to it count as a cloister?
    kloster1
    They are the same! By using the words 'cloister' [Kloster] and 'cloister grounds' [Klostergebaüde] the intention was simply to avoid too much repetition. And the 'church' with a road is also a cloister.
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  • Are you allowed to deploy builders or pigs to cities, roads or farms in which there is already a builder or pig?
    Yes, that is allowed. Builders may be deployed to roads and cities, and pigs to farms, to which a follower was deployed in a previous turn, irrespective of any followers of others players that may also be present.
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  • When a player receives a double turn, is the second tile drawn and played before the first one is scored, or does the second turn occur after the first turn has been completely finished?
    After scoring.
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  • May a player who places a dragon tile, and doesn't deploy a follower, move the fairy to one of his or her own followers before the dragon moves?
    Yes! It's a big advantage, but the rules allow it.
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  • Can a follower be deployed via the magic portal to a city, road, cloister or farm that has been completed, but not scored?
    No, this is due to a formulation error in the rules.

    The sentence “…not to an already scored city, cloister, road or farm” should really read: “…not to an already completed city, cloister, road or farm.”
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  • Does the dragon also eat builders and pigs?
    Yes. A balanced diet is also important for dragons.
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  • Can the big follower also be removed by placing a princess tile?
    Yes.
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  • If a player has a double turn because of a builder, can the 1-point bonus from the fairy be added on both occasions?
    No, the builder makes ONE double turn, not two single turns. So points are only awarded once.
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  • When using the princess tile to remove an opponent, can you still move the fairy to one of your own tiles?
    No, for the same reason as with volcanos.
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  • Are we allowed to move the fairy when a tower piece is placed?
    No, both are alternatives to deploying a follower, and since only one follower may be deployed, only one alternative may be chosen.
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  • Can the dragon eat a follower on a tower, or does the tower protect it?
    The dragon can fly, and so also eats meeples on the tower.
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  • If there are 2 followers on 1 tile (tower and city) does the dragon eat them both?
    [It eats them ] all.
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  • Can followers on other towers be captured?
    Yes.
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  • If the dragon can eat a follower on a tower, can the follower also be seduced by a princess?
    The tower is not a part of the city: they are two separate areas.
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  • Depreciated
  • Can a builder also be removed from play by placing a princess tile?
    Yes. The builder is considered to be a follower here as well. The player who places the card can as such freely decide which meeple he or she removes.
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  • What happens to the builder when the dragon eats the accompanying knight, or when the knight is removed by a princess?
    The builder stays where it is and continues its work, that is, the player can take two turns in the same way as before. It is indeed possible that the city will not belong to anyone, since the builder does not count towards the majority in the city. Then the builder will only be returned to the player when the city is completed, or when it too is eaten by the dragon or removed by a princess.
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  • May a player move the fairy when he or she places a volcano tile?
    No! To move the fairy a player has to relinquish the deployment of one of his or her own followers; since in this case no follower may be deployed, the fairy cannot be moved either.
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  • What happens to the pig when the dragon eats the accompanying farmer?
    Then that is one poor pig, all alone on the farm. In this case the player can (again) attempt to win the majority on this farm, or try to get the pig eaten by the dragon.
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  • Can a builder escape from a besieged city via a cloister?
    As before. [Yes, both are followers. (Can also be eaten by the dragon, etc.)]
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  • If a builder is stranded when their player’s knights in the city are eaten by the dragon or removed by the princess, does the player still receive a 3-point bonus from the fairy when the city is completed and the fairy is stood on the same tile as the builder? The same question goes for the pig.
    The same as before: yes [both are followers. (Can also be eaten by the dragon, etc.)]
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  • If a player has the fairy on the same tile as a pig or builder, do they still receive the 1-point bonus at the start of their turn?
    Yes, both are followers. (Can also be eaten by the dragon, etc.)
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  • Can pigs and builders use the magic portals?
    The same as before: yes [both are followers. (Can also be eaten by the dragon, etc.)]
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  • Can the magic portal be used to place a follower on the same tile as the dragon? And if so, can the fairy also be moved there?
    No, you can't place a figure next to the dragon.
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  • Can you use the tower to capture pigs and builders?
    Yes, they are followers (Traders & Builders rules).
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  • If pigs and builders are followers, can they be placed on towers?
    Yes. To begin with we didn't think of this either, but it is possible.
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