How to Play Carcassonne: Inns & Cathedrals

Game Objective

The Expansion 1 - Inns & Cathedrals adds new elements to the base game of Carcassonne, such as inns, cathedrals, and the large meeple. The main goal remains the same: players must build roads, cities, monasteries, and control fields to score points. The difference lies in the new scoring rules and strategies introduced by the special tiles.

Victory condition: The player with the most points at the end of the game wins, counting roads with inns, cities with cathedrals, and the use of the large meeple.

Setup

To play this expansion, you need the base game of Carcassonne. Follow the steps below:

• Shuffle the 18 new terrain tiles (6 with inns and 2 with cathedrals) with the base game tiles, forming face-down stacks.
• Each player receives a large meeple in their color, which stays in reserve alongside the regular meeples.
• Add the 50/100 scoring tiles to facilitate counting points above 50.
• If playing with 6 players, use the 8 meeples and 1 pink abbot included.

Game Flow

The game follows the same structure as the base Carcassonne, with turns divided into 3 actions:

1. Place a terrain tile: Choose and position a tile from the draw pile, correctly connecting it to existing tiles.
2. Place a meeple: Optionally, place a regular meeple or the large meeple on the newly placed tile (following occupation rules).
3. Score points: If the tile completed a road, city, or monastery, involved players score points immediately.

Actions and How to Play

New Terrain Tiles

• Inns: Double the points for completed roads (2 points per segment instead of 1). If the road is not completed, it scores zero points at the end.
• Cathedrals: Increase the points for completed cities (3 points per tile/shield instead of 2). Incomplete cities with cathedrals score zero points.

Large Meeple

• Can be placed like a regular meeple but counts as 2 meeples when determining majority.
• If used as a farmer, it counts as 2 at the end of the game.
• Returns to the reserve after scoring and can be reused.

Scoring Tiles

When exceeding 50 points, take a 50/100 tile and add it to the tracker. If you complete another full loop, flip it to the 100 side.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when all tiles have been placed. Score:

• Completed roads with inns: 2 points per segment (e.g., 5 segments = 10 points).
• Completed cities with cathedrals: 3 points per tile/shield (e.g., 7 tiles + 2 shields = 27 points).
• Incomplete roads/cities with inns/cathedrals: Zero points.
• Large meeple: Counts as 2 meeples in majority disputes or as a farmer.

Tips to Win

• Prioritize completing roads with inns and cities with cathedrals to avoid losing points at the end.
• Use the large meeple in close contests to secure majority and score alone.
• Keep an eye on the scoring tiles to avoid losing track when exceeding 50 points.