Just in time, as they say, for the holidays...here is a Christmas variant for Carcassonne!
Build roads and cities, et cetera, scoring them like normal ... but the Christ-child will soon be born in Bethlehem! You know the prophecies. How well can you plan for the Messiah's birthplace?
Send your Shepherds and Magi to be ready when that Silent Night comes.* And you might influence which city will become Bethlehem ... but others might interrupt your plans. Or you could interrupt theirs....
This variant adds some very strategic twists to the base game of Carcassonne. But the game still plays easily, and little drummer boys who focus merely on basic completion points still stand a good chance of winning! You may think you're an expert player. But can you win with both short- and long-term strategizing? Or will the gifts you sent to Bethlehem arrive at the wrong place?
You can download this variant here. Or see below for a text version.
* It’s true, we now understand that when Jesus was born it would likely have looked very different from the traditional “manger scene” depicted in popular American culture. But letting all those characters from the Christmas story come together on stage at once helps us remember the bigger story.
The Search for Bethlehem
A Carcassonne variant by Jamie & Adam Sequoyah
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel.” – Matthew 2:6 HCSB
In ancient Israel, the first Christmas night draws near. The Roman Caesar has demanded a census, and his cities bustle as travelers gather to be counted. Joseph and the strangely pregnant Mary are making their journey, as are shepherds with their flocks by night and wise magi far from the east.
They are heading to Bethlehem, but they don’t quite know where it is! As you build cities like in Carcassonne, only the largest completed city will emerge as the “little town” of Bethlehem. You will score points as you go, but will your shepherds, sheep, and magi find the baby born in the hay?
Extra Requirements to Play
Besides the base game of Carcassonne, you will need:
1 token in each player’s color to represent a Magi (Builder pieces from Traders and Builders).
1 token in each player’s color to represent a flock of Sheep (Pig pieces from Traders and Builders).
1 unique token to mark Bethlehem (a star, a miniature nativity, or the yellow Builder from Traders and Builders).
Recommended: the Traders and Builders expansion for Carcassonne and/or an extra copy of the base game of Carcassonne. This variant is best played with extra land tiles. See “Setup” below.
Setup
Shuffle tiles according to the number of players.
2-3 players – Use a copy of Carcassonne and a copy of the Traders and Builders expansion (or an equivalent number of 96 tiles).
4 players – Use 2 copies of Carcassonne (or an equivalent number of 144 tiles).
5+ players – Use 2 copies of Carcassonne and a copy of the Traders and Builders expansion (or an equivalent number of 168 tiles).
You can choose to play with the expansion The River at the start of the game, and you can add in any other expansions or expansion features you like.
Warning: we have playtested this variant with The River but with no other expansions’ rules!
Each player starts with:
7 meeples/followers of the player’s color, plus their 8th meeple on the scoring track. (With 2 players, use red and green to celebrate the season!)
1 Magi meeple of the player’s color.
1 Sheep meeple of the player’s color.
Retheming
The original meeples/followers have different names in this variant:
Farmers in fields are now called Shepherds in pastures, watching their flocks by night.
Highwaymen/robbers on roads are now called Travelers, journeying to their cities of birth to be counted for the national census.
Knights in cities are now called Tax Collectors, eager for visitors to be counted in the census.
Monks in monasteries/cloisters are now called Rabbis in synagogues, anticipating the foretold Christ-king.
The new Magi are searching for the newborn king (and hoping they’re pointing in the right direction!).
The new flocks of Sheep can be a comfort and a blessing to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in Bethlehem.
Gameplay
The Search for Bethlehem
The largest completed city is Bethlehem. But behold! At any time, a larger city may supersede a previously completed city, so the location of Bethlehem can change!
A city’s size is measured by the total number of tiles on which it appears. Each tile can only be counted once per city. (I.e., 1 tile showing 2 separate city segments does not count as 2 tiles toward the city size, even if both city segments connect to the same city through other tiles.) Coats of arms/crests do not add to the size of a city.
When a city is completed and qualifies as Bethlehem, mark it using the token you chose. Place the token anywhere on that city.
If a city is completed which is larger than the city currently marked as Bethlehem, immediately move the marker to the newly completed city. It becomes the new and true Bethlehem.
If there is a tie for largest completed city, the city that was completed first gets the honor. So if a city is completed that is the same size as the city already marked as Bethlehem, nothing changes.
If, on a single turn, a player completes more than 1 city of the same size which would qualify for becoming Bethlehem, that player chooses which city gets marked as Bethlehem.
Placing Meeples
When placing a meeple, a Magi or Sheep can be placed instead of a normal meeple. Like normal, a player can choose to place no meeple after placing a tile.
Magi: The Magi can only be placed on a road segment already occupied by at least 1 Traveler owned by the current player. Other players’ Travelers can also already occupy the road. The road chosen does not necessarily have to be connected to the city currently marked as Bethlehem. It’s okay if the Magi was already placed somewhere else. The Magi can be re-placed onto the current tile.
Sheep: The Sheep can only be placed in a pasture already occupied by at least 1 Shepherd owned by the current player. Other players’ Shepherds and/or Sheep can also already occupy the pasture. The pasture chosen does not necessarily have to be connected to the city currently marked as Bethlehem. Sheep cannot be removed or re-placed. Once Sheep are placed, they are settled there.
Note: No more than 1 meeple can be placed on a tile on a player’s turn. That could be a normal meeple or the Magi or the Sheep but not a combination of several of these.
Note: Neither the Magi nor the Sheep are required to be placed during the game. These can score bonus points, so play them if you can ... but play them wisely!
In-Game Scoring
All in-game completed cities, roads, and synagogues (monasteries) score points like in normal Carcassonne.
Roads with Magi If a road is completed, other Travelers on the road are taken back by their players, but any and all Magi remain on the road. Magi do not count as Travelers for majority ruling if there are more than 1 player’s meeples on a road when it completes. Examples: * A road is completed that has 1 Red Traveler and 1 Green Traveler, plus the Green Magi. Both Red and Green score full points for the road. Red and Green take back their Traveler meeples, but the Green Magi remains on the road. * A road is completed that has 2 Red Travelers and 1 Green Traveler, plus the Green Magi. Red scores the full points for the road. Green scores no points. Red and Green take back their Traveler meeples, but the Green Magi remains on the road.
Final Scoring
All incomplete cities, roads, and synagogues (cloisters) score points like in normal Carcassonne.
Magi: Each Magi on a road connected to Bethlehem scores 12 points. The road must be connected by actually entering the city. A road that passes by a section of the city is not connected there.
Shepherds: At the end of the game, each Shepherd in a pasture connected to Bethlehem scores 7 points. No points are given for Shepherds in pastures not connected to Bethlehem. There is no majority rule for different players’ Shepherds sharing the same pasture. Examples: * Red has 2 Shepherds in a pasture connected to Bethlehem. Green has 1 Shepherd in the same pasture. Red scores 2 x 7 = 14 points. Green scores 1 x 7 = 7 points. * Green has 1 Shepherd in a pasture connected to Bethlehem and 3 Shepherds in a pasture that does not connect to Bethlehem. Green scores (1 x 7) + (3 x 0) = 7 points.
Sheep: A player’s Sheep in a pasture connected to Bethlehem doubles the points of its player’s Shepherds in that pasture. Examples: * Red has 2 Shepherds and her Sheep in a pasture connected to Bethlehem, 1 Shepherd in a separate pasture connected to Bethlehem, and 4 Shepherds in pastures not connected to Bethlehem. Red scores (2 x 7 x 2) + (1 x 7) + (4 x 0) = 35 points. * Green has 1 Shepherd in a pasture connected to Bethlehem, and he did not place his Sheep during the game. Green scores 1 x 7 = 7 points. * Blue has 2 Shepherds in a pasture connected to Bethlehem. Yellow has 1 Shepherd and her Sheep in the same pasture. Blue scores 2 x 7 = 14 points. Yellow scores 1 x 7 x 2 = 14 points.
Strategy
At times, it may be wise to place tiles even when doing so would score points for other players. You can do this to limit the size of a city – especially if you plan to grow a different city to become Bethlehem! (Watch out, because other players may decide to put a stop to a city you were hoping to grow larger, too!)
Farmers in Carcassonne can often be placed at the very beginning of a game, securing lots of land for end-of-game scoring. The Shepherds in this variant work a little differently. They can be placed early, but remember that only Shepherds connected to the true Bethlehem will score points at game-end. Thus, it may be wise to wait until larger cities begin to emerge before permanently committing your meeples to pastures.
Roads can sometimes be completed unexpectedly, including by your opponents. If you intend to place your Magi on a particular road, don’t delay!
Optional: “King Herod” variant
To add a sinister element, you can play with the expansion The Count of Carcassonne!
The Count is now King Herod, scouring Judea to smother the line of the Hebrew Messiah. Play with the normal setup rules for The Count of Carcassonne. The city of Carcassonne is now Jerusalem. Herod starts in the “Castle” section of the city facing toward the “Blacksmith” section.
The direction Herod faces is important! He is considered to be “facing” both in front of and behind himself, to infinity along the column or row of tiles on which he is standing. These are the areas where his attention is directed. Players can place tiles like normal, but if they place a tile in a column or row King Herod is facing, no player piece can be placed there!
When a player places a tile (anywhere) and does not place a meeple, they can move and/or turn King Herod. Herod can be moved to any space in Jerusalem, but he never leaves the city.
© 2020 House Rules
Carcassonne and its expansions © Z-Man Games