Carcassonne: Stained Glass

[Trebuchet]

I finally got around to adjust a few of the Stained Glass rules. I consider it now completed.

alterations are:

- a rule for placing road tile on existing road leading to cloister
- a rule when playing with dragon expansion
- end of game score completed windows
- altered may in must draw a stained glass tile when completing any cloister

Stained glass expansion rules V1

Stained glass tiles (to be printed out 2x)


Bluedogs !

[Carcking]

Hi Trebuchet,
Here is some feedback. My wife and I enjoy playing your fanspansion but we have tweaked the rules a bit because we found that not enough tiles were getting into play and there seemed to be too much stealing of tiles. We've played several two player games with it and a couple three player games with it.

We said that if you place a cloister tile you must draw a stained glass tile. If you complete a cloister you must draw a stained glass tile and if you score a cloister you must draw a stained glass tile. The reason for the must is to help get more tiles out of the bag even if a player insists they are not trying to build the windows. Our game consists of about 12 cloisters along with 2 cathedrals and 2 abbeys. If draws are awarded only for placing and completing that amounts to around 30 draws for the game. When windows are scored and thrown back into the bag there is a good chance of them not coming out again. If we award also on scoring it can add as many as 14 more draws. This really helped getting more tiles circulated.

Regarding stealing with cloister roads we said that you don't get to steal unless you complete your own cloister road. When you can place anywhere up to 4 thieves on a cloister tile it seemed a bit much to instantly steel 4 tiles from a single player while he has no means for defense. Having to wait until you complete your road gives other players the opportunity to complete your road on you which deprives you from using that road to steal. It offers some method for defense and tempers the amount of stealing. A smart player will place a cloister tile so that it completes one or two roads instantly so he can get a couple of steals off before any of his other cloister roads are completed. He can also place his abbey so it completes one or more of his own roads - also allowing him to steal.

Even with all this we found that the number of scoring opportunities was really quite limited and it seemed to be a lot of work for not very many points. The most we ever had was one player scoring a 6 tile window. So we tweaked the scoring.
We said that each of the columns 1, 3 & 4 are worth 6 points each, while column 2 (featuring Jesus) is worth 9. This is a valuable twist because it tends to cause the thieves to target this column a little more which perhaps allows players to more easily complete the other columns. We said that any of the 6-tile combinations are worth 12 points plus a 3 point bonus for sticking it out and coupling two columns. If the combo includes column 2 then there is an additional 3 point bonus, so as much as 18 points. Either of the 9-tile combos is worth 18 plus a bonus of 6 points for coupling three columns, plus 3 points for column 2, so a total of 27 points. The full layout is worth 36 points.

I am curious to know what you think of these ideas. I don’t expect you to incorporate any of them but maybe you can use some of it.

Nice job on the expansion concept!

[Trebuchet]

Carcking! Thanks for your feedback on this. I find your ideas interesting. Thumbs up; as long as you're having fun with it! Indeed the 'musts' had been altered to get more tiles in play in the last rules version.

I understand your change of rule regarding the stealing of stained glass tiles. However this means you would be further limited to score windows. Indeed we don't score as much, which isn't really the play involved; it is the prevention of the opponents scoring by stealing their oh so needed fitting glass tile by placing a follower on a road leading to a cloister. We find it great fun. In a two player game we have managed to score nine tile windows a couple of times, it seemed greatly rewarding for all effords made. 

I won't change the rules on the sheet though. If anyone feels like changing rules to have them fit to their enjoyment, that's fine of course 

[Carcking]

We got to play last night with four players and what we thought is there was not enough stealing involved if you can only steal when you complete your own cloister road. So what we are going to try is if you score a cloister road - no matter who completes it - you get to steal. This way you still don't get to steal immediately upon placing the cloister tile but you do get to stake your claim so to speak that you will be able to steal once your roads are completed. This at least makes you have to work a little for the chance to steal. But more stealing should allow for more stained glass scoring.

We very much like this expansion!

[Trebuchet]

That's great!
 

Not sure if I understand correctly. On page 6 in the rules it says : "A road tile can of course at any turn be placed to an unoccupied road leading to a cloister. Regardless of how many road tiles are in between, when a follower is then placed on that road as usual, the player is entitled to steel 1 stained glass tile from any player in this turn."

note: when you as per normal rules manage to merge a road leading to a cloister and get a majority on that road, the player who gained majority gets to steal 1 tile. (this is not in the rules sheet, this occurred the other day. We thought this was most logical to interpret the stealing rule vs basic rules)
 
To score a road does not entitle to steal a stained glass tile, that would be new. You could add the rule very well indeed in a 4 players game i reckon to have the tiles go swapping around more.