How to Play Carcassonne Maps: Península Ibérica

Game Objective

With Carcassonne Maps, you will experience a new way to play Carcassonne. The objective is to fill different countries on the map with your Plättchen (land tiles), following the usual placement and scoring rules, but with some new rules added. Players compete to have the highest score at the end of the game, completing cities, roads, monasteries, and other features on the Iberian Peninsula map.

Preparation (Setup)

1. You will need a Carcassonne Map (in this case, the Iberian Peninsula one).
2. In addition to the map, you will need Plättchen (land tiles). The recommendation is to use tiles from the base game and the 1st and 2nd expansions. It is best to play without the additional rules and Meeples from the expansions, using only the tiles.
3. Each player should use 9 Meeples instead of the usual 7 (+1 Meeple on the Wertungstafel - scoring track).
4. On the map, there are several possible Startfelder (starting fields), each with a Kleinstadt (small city) and highlighted by a reddish border. It is recommended to start with at least 2 Startfelder.
5. Take the Startlandschaftsplättchen (initial land tile with a dark back) and 1 or 2 more random Plättchen. Place all of them in 2 to 3 of the Startfelder. Players will start the game by placing their first tiles next to these initial tiles.
6. If you only play with the basic rules and without the expansion rules for Map-Chips, ignore the additional elements printed on the maps (such as the colored lines on the Iberian map). The general rules of the game remain the same, with some new rules being added.

Game Flow

The game progresses with players taking their turns. The basic structure of a turn is as follows:

1. Landschaftsplättchen anlegen (Place a land tile): The current player must draw a land tile and place it on a vorgedrucktes Ablagefeld (pre-printed placement field) on the map. The tile must be placed next to an already existing tile, as usual.
2. Einen Meeple einsetzen (Place a Meeple): After placing the tile, the player can place a Meeple on it, following the usual rules.
3. Eine Punktewertung auslösen (Trigger a scoring): If the tile placement completes a feature (city, road, monastery), scoring is triggered.

The normal game rules remain, with some new rules being added.

Actions and How to Play

Tile Placement

• You can only place a tile on a vorgedrucktes Ablagefeld (pre-printed placement field).
• The tile must be placed (as usual) next to an already existing tile.

Field Types and Specific Rules

• Großstädte (Large Cities):
  • In fields with already printed Großstadt tiles (like Barcelona), you cannot place tiles.
  • As soon as you connect a tile to a Großstadt-Plättchen (Large City tile) on one of its sides, it is considered "connected."
  • From that moment on, any player can place tiles on all open sides of that Großstadt-Plättchen.
• Kleinstädte (Small Cities):
  • Fields with Kleinstädte (with a small house, like Salamanca) count as normal fields. You can place a tile on them according to the normal rules.
  • On some maps, they also have specific rules. Variants for them can be found on page 3 of the manual.
• Grenzfelder mit anschließender Stadt oder Straße (Border Fields with Adjoining City or Road):
  • Where roads and cities are printed on the edge of the map, you must place a compatible tile.
  • If you have connected a city on the border with a compatible tile, or a road on the border with a compatible tile, in future turns, everyone can place tiles on the adjacent fields.
• Grenzfelder ohne Anschluss (Border Fields without Connection):
  • The edge of the map is considered "neutral." This means you can place any side of the tile (city, field, or road) facing outwards, if there is no printed road or city.
• Fährverbindungen (Ferry Connections):
  • If you have connected one side of a Fährverbindung with a road, any player can continue that connection with a road on the other side.

Meeple Placement

• After placing the tile, you can place a Meeple on it according to the usual rules.

Variants for Kleinstädte

You can try the following additional rules for Kleinstädte fields:

• a) If you cover a Kleinstadt with a tile, you can immediately take an weiteren Zug (extra turn). This can only be done once per turn.
• b) If you cover a Kleinstadt with a tile, you immediately receive 2 Minuspunkte (negative points).
• c) When scoring a road, each still visible Kleinstadt that is horizontally or vertically next to the road counts for 2 extra points.

End of Game and Scoring

Scoring During the Game

• A Wappen (coat of arms) is worth 2 additional points in scoring, regardless of whether it is in/next to a road or in a city.
• Großstädte (Large Cities):
  • If you complete a Großstadt, scoring is determined by the usual rules. The printed Großstadt-Plättchen count as normal parts of the city. The printed Wappen give additional points to the city owner.
  • Example: Berlin is completed. As the owner, you receive 20 points (6 tiles + 4 Wappen, each worth 2 points).
• Grenzfelder mit anschließender Straße oder Stadt (Border Fields with Adjoining Road or City):
  • Roads that leave the playing field are completed there. If a printed road or city is part of a scoring, it counts as a normal tile. The owner receives additional points for the Wappen.
  • Example: Your road is completed (ends in Denmark). You receive 8 points (4 points for 4 roads and 4 points for the two Wappen).
  • Example: Your (half) city is completed by the border. You receive 2 points.
• Grenzfelder ohne Anschluss (Border Fields without Connection):
  • A city, road, or field that is on the border (near clouds or the sea) is considered completed there. You score it according to the normal rules.
  • Example: Your city is completed. You receive 10 points (3 tiles + 2 Wappen, each worth 2 points).
• Fährverbindungen (Ferry Connections):
  • A Fährverbindung counts 1 point for the road plus the Wappen that are on that connection. These points are only counted when the road with the Fährverbindung is completed.
  • Example: The road with the ferry is completed. You receive 7 points (3 points for 3 roads and 4 points for 2 Wappen).
• Kloster auf Grenzfeldern (Monastery on Border Fields):
  • A monastery on the edge of the map does not need 8 adjacent tiles to be scored. Only the adjacent placement fields (including diagonal ones) need to be filled with tiles. In such a monastery scoring, only these tiles give points (the printed Großstadt-Plättchen also count).
  • Example: You score your monastery on the border. It yields 6 points (1 point for the monastery and 1 point for each adjacent tile).

Schlusswertung (Final Scoring)

• As in the base game, Stadtplättchen (city tiles) and Wappen in uncompleted cities only count for 1 point.
• On open roads that end in neighboring countries, Wappen also only count for 1 point.
• Example: The open road yields 4 points (3 points for the road and 1 point for the Wappen).

Tips for Winning

1. Take Advantage of Large Cities: The Großstädte printed on the map cannot have tiles placed directly on them, but once connected, everyone can build on their open sides. Connecting to a Großstadt early can open up many expansion and scoring opportunities for you and other players.
2. Wappen Strategy: Wappen (coats of arms) are valuable, granting 2 additional points in any scoring, whether on roads or cities. Prioritize including tiles with Wappen in your features to maximize your points.
3. Monasteries on the Border: Monasteries on the edge of the map are easier to score, as they do not require 8 adjacent tiles. Keep an eye out for these locations for quick and efficient scoring, by filling only the adjacent fields.