Carcassonne: Messengers & Mayors Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components & Setup
  • Components
  • Additional Setup
• The Mayor
  • 2. Place a meeple
  • 1. Place a land tile
    • Gaining a Knight's Favor
  • 3. Score points
• The Town Hall Tile
  • 1. Place a land tile
    • Call mayors to a crisis meeting
  • 2. Place a meeple
  • 3. Score points
• The Scarecrow
  • 2. Place a meeple
  • 1. Place a land tile
    • Activating a scarecrow
  • 3. Score points
• The Messenger
  • 2. Place a meeple
  • 3. Score points
    • The messenger rides to the next road
    • The messenger rides to the next city
• Special Land Tiles
• Quick Overview

Components & Setup

Components

• 12 Land tiles (marked with a symbol)
  • 11 x Land tiles
  • 1 x Land tile with river
• 6 Town hall tiles
• 6 Mayors
• 6 Messengers
• 6 Scarecrows

Additional Setup

Hand each player the mayor, messenger, and scarecrow in their color and 1 town hall tile.

If you are playing with the mini-expansion The River, shuffle the new river tile into the usual river tiles.

Shuffle the rest of the new land tiles into the other land tiles.

Each new game element is explained in relation to the 3 actions:

1. Place a land tile
2. Place a meeple
3. Score points

If an action is not explained in detail, the base rules apply.

The Mayor

2. Place a meeple

Instead of placing a standard meeple, you may place your mayor meeple in a city on the tile you just placed. You may place the mayor in a city that is already occupied by a mayor or another meeple.

Note: Since the mayor is a meeple, you may not place a knight in a city that is occupied by a mayor.

1. Place a land tile

Gaining a Knight's Favor

If any player places a tile so that there is an adjacent tile on all 4 sides of your mayor's tile, you may immediately activate his ability:

If you have a standard meeple in your supply, replace 1 opponent's standard meeple in your mayor's city with 1 standard meeple from your supply. Return the replaced meeple to its supply.

You have gained the knight's favor.

Then you must return your mayor to your supply, regardless of whether you activated his ability or not.

Example: You place a tile so that your mayor is enclosed by tiles on all 4 sides. Since you have a standard meeple in your supply, you may replace either the blue or yellow meeple with it. You choose the blue meeple and return it to its supply. Then, you return your mayor to your supply.

If the ability of multiple mayors can be activated at the same time, resolve them in clockwise order, starting with the active player.

3. Score points

When scoring a city with your mayor, score points as usual.

For determining the majority, a standard meeple has a strength of 1 and the mayor has a strength of 0.

After scoring, you must take your mayor back into your supply.

Example: You have completed a city with your mayor. You score 4 points as usual and take your mayor back to your supply.

Example: A city with your mayor and 1 standard meeple has been completed. The ability of your mayor has not been activated. Blue has the majority, because his meeple has a strength of 1 and your mayor has a strength of 0. Blue scores the city.

Note: If the ability of your mayor has been activated during Step 1, he has already been removed from the city and can therefore not take part in scoring.

The mayor also participates in the final scoring.

The Town Hall Tile

1. Place a land tile

Before drawing a new land tile, you may place your town hall tile instead. Place the tile from your supply adjacent to any tile already in play. It does not matter which landscape features connect to it. The town hall tile always fits. Other tiles may be placed adjacent to a town hall with any landscape features touching it. Features adjacent to a town hall are considered completed on that edge. Town halls do not connect fields.

Call mayors to a crisis meeting

If mayors are standing on tiles adjacent to any of the 4 sides of the newly placed town hall tile, they must be taken back without triggering their ability. They are called to a crisis meeting.

Example: You place your town hall tile, completing a city with it. The blue mayor's tile is now enclosed by tiles on all four sides. However, by placing the town hall tile, Blue must return their mayor to their supply without activating his ability. Only you score 6 points for the city.

If you cannot place another tile at the end of the game you must place your town hall tile if you still have it, or pass if you have already placed it. The game ends only when all town hall tiles have been placed.

2. Place a meeple

You may not place a meeple on a town hall tile.

3. Score points

If you complete features by placing a town hall tile, score these features as usual. You score no points for the town hall tile itself. While it completes features, it is neither part of a road nor city and is not scored for monasteries or gardens.

Example: You have placed your town hall which completed your road, your monastery and the city. You score 3 points for the road and only 8 points for the monastery. You do not score points for the city since you already had to take back your mayor in Step 1.

The Scarecrow

2. Place a meeple

Instead of a standard meeple, you may place your scarecrow meeple on a field on the tile you just placed. You may place it on a field that is already occupied by a scarecrow or another meeple.

Note: Since the scarecrow is a meeple, you may not place a farmer on a field that is occupied by a scarecrow.

1. Place a land tile

Activating a scarecrow

If any player places a tile so that there is an adjacent tile on all 4 sides of your scarecrow's tile, you may immediately activate one of its two abilities:

• If you have a standard meeple in your supply, you may place it as a farmer next to your scarecrow and take the scarecrow back to your supply. It does not matter if there are other meeple on the field.
• You may lay down the scarecrow and not take it back. A lying scarecrow counts as a farmer.

If you do not want to activate either ability, you must take the scarecrow back to your supply.

Example: A tile is placed so that your scarecrow is enclosed by tiles on all 4 sides. You have a standard meeple in your supply and may decide if you want to replace the scarecrow with that meeple as a farmer, or if you want to lay down the scarecrow. You decide to replace the scarecrow and return it to your supply.

If the ability of multiple scarecrows can be activated at the same time, resolve them in clockwise order, starting with the active player.

3. Score points

Scarecrows participate in the farmer scoring. When determining the majority, a lying scarecrow has a strength of 1 just like a standard meeple. A standing scarecrow has a strength of 0. Score points as usual.

Example: In the farmer scoring, your lying scarecrow and the blue farmer each have a strength of 1. The yellow standing scarecrow has a strength of 0. Therefore, you and Blue both score the points for the field.

The Messenger

2. Place a meeple

Instead of a standard meeple, you may place your messenger meeple on a road on the tile you just placed.

3. Score points

When determining the majority on a road, the messenger has a strength of 1 just like a standard meeple. Score the road as usual.

After a road with your messenger is completed and scored, you may either return it to your supply or move it along the completed road to the "next" road or city. Which roads and cities are eligible depends on where the messenger's road ends (see below). If multiple roads or cities are eligible, you may choose any one. If the chosen city or road consists of multiple tiles, place the messenger on any one of them.

Note: It may happen that you place the messenger (or another meeple) in Step 2 and move the messenger in the same turn (in Step 3).

The messenger rides to the next road

If the completed road ends at a junction where other roads end, you may place the messenger on any one of these roads. The chosen road must not be completed. It does not matter if the road is already occupied by meeple.

Junctions include villages, monasteries, and any other landscape features where multiple roads end. Junctions do not extend across multiple tiles. Cities, fields, and town halls e.g. do not count as junctions.

Example: A road with your messenger has been completed. You score 3 points and decide not to return your messenger. Instead, you place it on one of the incomplete roads connected to one of the junctions. You choose one of the roads that ends at the monastery (even though blue already has a meeple on it).

The messenger rides to the next city

If the completed road ends at a city, you may move the messenger into this city. The city must not be completed. It does not matter if the city is already occupied by meeple.

Example: A road with your messenger has been completed. You score it and decide not return your messenger. Instead, you move it into the incomplete city at the end of the road, even though there is already a meeple in it.

When determining the majority in cities, the messenger has a strength of 1. Score the city as usual and take the messenger back to your supply.

If you complete roads with multiple messengers, resolve them in clockwise order, starting with the active player.

Special Land Tiles

The field above the city continues across the river. The field on the bottom is divided into two segments.

The bridge connects the upper and lower parts of the city. The other city is not divided by the bridge and continues from left to right.

Quick Overview

Mayor

• Type: Meeple. Strength: 0
• Eligible features: City
• Placing rule: Instead of a meeple
• Special abilities: Can be placed in occupied cities. When enclosed by tiles on all 4 sides, you may replace an opponent's standard meeple in the city with one of your own.

Scarecrow

• Type: Meeple. Strength: 0 (standing); 1 (lying)
• Eligible features: Field
• Placing rule: Instead of a meeple
• Special abilities: Can be placed on occupied fields. When enclosed by tiles on all 4 sides, you may replace the scarecrow with a farmer of your color or lay it down as a farmer.

Messenger

• Type: Meeple. Strength: 1
• Eligible features: Road
• Placing rules: Instead of a meeple; on roads without meeple
• Special ability: After scoring a road, move the messenger to a road or city at the end of the scored road or take it back.

Town Hall Tile

• Place your town hall tile instead of drawing a land tile.
• It fits everywhere and completes features on its edges.
• Remove all mayors on the 4 adjacent tiles without activating their ability.