Das Schicksalsrad - rules

[mjharper]

In an attempt to have some division of labour concerning the new expansion I'd like to suggest the following:

• General discussion (RGG, the book and so on) should take place in the original thread.
• Suggestions for FAQ should be posted here
• Discussion of the translation of the rules themselves should take place in this thread.

So, here's a first run at a translation of the rules. This one is a real pain   Please take a look at the Translation issues section at the bottom, and let me know what you think.
__________

Preparation:
The Wheel of Fate tile is placed in the middle of the table. The pig of fate should be placed on the Fortune section of the wheel, its nose point to the right. This tile is also the starting tile, which land tiles must be connected to at the beginning of the game (and may be later as well). All land segments on this tile count towards scoring as usual.

Play
1a) The player must draw a new land tile. If a tile with a wheel of fate icon is drawn, the appropriate actions are performed (see below).
1b) The player must place the land tile.

2 Deploy a follower
If a player has not placed a follower on a land tile, he or she may place one follower on a any free crown spot on the Wheel of Fate. No more than one follower may be placed on a crown spot.

Wheel of Fate tiles
When a player draws a land tile with a coloured wheel of fate icon (1) (2) (3), it should be placed in front of him- or herself. Then the following actions occur:
1) the pig of fate is moved around the wheel a corresponding number of times.
2) the events of the Wheel of Fate are performed
3) followers on crown spots are scored and returned
4) the land tile is placed and a follower may be deployed (in other words, the turn continues as normal)

1) Move the pig
The player moves the pig forward as many wheel segments as the number on the tile which was drawn. The pig is always moved clockwise around the wheel.

2) Perform Events
The Wheel of Fate has six segments. Each represents a distinct action. Only the segment on which the pig ended its movement is activated. The Fortune event affects only the player whose turn it is, while the others affect all players.

Fortune
The player whose turn it receives 3 points.

Taxes
Every player receives points for each of his or her knights. Every knight receives as many points as there are pennants in the city plus the number of knights belonging to the player in that same city.

Example: Blue receives for each knight 2(knight) + 2 (pennants) = 4 points, or 2x4 = 8 points altogether. Red receives 1 (knight) + 2 (pennants) = 3 points.

Famine
For each of his or her farmers, every player receives 1 point for every completed city adjacent to the farm (in the same way as farms are scored during final scoring).

Stormy Weather
Every player receives 1 point for every follower currently in his or her supply.

Inquisition
Every player receives 2 points for each monk.

Plague
Every player must return 1 follower to his or her supply. Followers may not be removed from a crown spot. The player whose turn it is removes a follower first, and the other players follow in a clockwise order.

3) Score followers on crown spots.
Now the crown spots in the active segment are scored. Followers on crown spots which the pig passed are not scored and remain where they are.

- a follower which stands on the only crown spot in a segment scores 3 points.
- a follower which stands alone on a crown spot in a segment with two spots scores 6 points.
- if two followers are stood in a segment with two spots, each follower scores 3 points—even if both followers belong to the same player.

After the points have been allocated, followers are returned to their owners.

4) Complete the turn
Now the player whose turn it is may place the land tile and deploy a follower to it as he or she wishes. The follower may also be deployed (again) to a crown spot on the Wheel of Fate.

__________
Translation issues:

i) pig of fate - we need to distinguish between this pig and other pigs somehow... Fate's Pig? The Pig of Fate? The Pink Porker?

ii) Wheel of Fate - the big tile (capitals?) / wheel of fate icon - the symbols on tiles (no capitals)

iii) crown spot - what on earth can we call that?

iv) Anyone know what the proper word for sections between spokes of a wheel is?

v) The division between 1a and 1b sections of play seems to be useful, even outside of this expansion - should I correct the main rules to reflect that? Are we going to accord this a similar status to the Big Box, or is it more like an expansion, and the 1a 1b distinction should only be mentioned in the rules for this set only?

[Scott]

i) pig of fate - we need to distinguish between this pig and other pigs somehow... Fate's Pig? The Pig of Fate? The Pink Porker?

If the rules don't distinguish it well enough (just calling it a pig), you could call it the large pig, the pink pig, or the large pink pig.

ii) Wheel of Fate - the big tile (capitals?) / wheel of fate icon - the symbols on tiles (no capitals)

Probably should be capitalized both times.

iii) crown spot - what on earth can we call that?

I don't think crown spot is a technical term.

iv) Anyone know what the proper word for sections between spokes of a wheel is?

I poked around on Google and all I could come up with is "spaces". If we were talking about pie, the term would be slice.

EDIT: in mathematics the term is sector.

v) The division between 1a and 1b sections of play seems to be useful, even outside of this expansion - should I correct the main rules to reflect that? Are we going to accord this a similar status to the Big Box, or is it more like an expansion, and the 1a 1b distinction should only be mentioned in the rules for this set only?

Yes and yes.

[mjharper]

i) pig of fate - we need to distinguish between this pig and other pigs somehow... Fate's Pig? The Pig of Fate? The Pink Porker?

If the rules don't distinguish it well enough (just calling it a pig), you could call it the large pig, the pink pig, or the large pink pig.

The rules don't distinguish at all - it's just "the pig".

ii) Wheel of Fate - the big tile (capitals?) / wheel of fate icon - the symbols on tiles (no capitals)

Probably should be capitalized both times.

That's fair.

iii) crown spot - what on earth can we call that?

I don't think crown spot is a technical term.

It isn't  Literally, the rules say "Crown Field". I chose "Crown Spot" because it was the least satisfactory translation...

iv) Anyone know what the proper word for sections between spokes of a wheel is?

I poked around on Google and all I could come up with is "spaces". If we were talking about pie, the term would be slice.

EDIT: in mathematics the term is sector.

"Sector" sounds good. I was sliding between 'segment' and 'section', but 'segment' has other uses in Carc, while 'section' seems just to... weak.

v) The division between 1a and 1b sections of play seems to be useful, even outside of this expansion - should I correct the main rules to reflect that? Are we going to accord this a similar status to the Big Box, or is it more like an expansion, and the 1a 1b distinction should only be mentioned in the rules for this set only?

Yes and yes.

One vote for yes!

[Novelty]

i) The rules mention "the pig" because (and I'm guessing) it's supposed to be a standalone   We could always use the "Pig of Fate" I guess.

iii) That's on the rim of the wheel isn't it? "each area of the rim marked with crowns" might be a bit of a mouthful though.

v) I vote for yes as well.

[Whaleyland]

I guess I'll give it a go:

i) Why not call it the Large Pig, or the Traveling Pig, or the Pig of Destiny! Maybe not the last two. I think Large Pig may differentiate it enough from the T&B pigs and also avoids confusion if a person has purchased a pink meeple set.
ii) Call the wheel itself the "Wheel of Fate" and, when referencing the 4x4 tile, call it the "Wheel of Fate tile(s)". Call the symbols, "Fate Numbers" or "Fate Icons", and the watermark the "(Wagon) Wheel" watermark.
iii) The crown spot could be something like the "Crown Marker" or "Crown Icon".
iv) Since there are six sections, you could call them "Sixths".
v) Yes, it won't take much work, I'd think, to separate Section 1 into two sub-sections and it could certainly help clarify things.

The rules should have separated them entirely into two separate sections, I think, instead of sub-sections. I mean, the breakdown of a turn is basically (with actual subsections):
1) Draw Tile
— Resolve Wheel
2) Place Tile
— Use catapult
— Move Dragon
3) Score completed items and return follower(s) (if completing an already-claimed feature)
— Move Followers from City of Carcassonne (optional)
— Move wagon
— Collect Trade tokens
4) Place follower; or:
— Place Large Follower, Builder, Pig, Barn, Wagon, or Mayor
— Move the fairy
— Place follower in City of Carcassonne
— Place follower on Wheel
— Bump follower using Princess
— Build a Tower
5) Score completed items and return follower(s) (if completing an unclaimed feature)
— Move Followers from City of Carcassonne (optional)
— Move wagon
— Initiate second draw phase with builder
Next player begins turn (rinse, lather, repeat)

I guess upon review, there were not actions that took place between drawing and placing a tile, but it still seems like a natural break. Break them up!

[meepleater]

The rules should have separated them entirely into two separate sections, I think, instead of sub-sections. I mean, the breakdown of a turn is basically (with actual subsections):
1) Draw Tile
— Resolve Wheel
2) Place Tile
— Use catapult
— Move Dragon
3) Score completed items and return follower(s) (if completing an already-claimed feature)
— Move Followers from City of Carcassonne (optional)
— Move wagon
— Collect Trade tokens
4) Place follower; or:
— Place Large Follower, Builder, Pig, Barn, Wagon, or Mayor
— Move the fairy
— Place follower in City of Carcassonne
— Place follower on Wheel
— Bump follower using Princess
— Build a Tower
5) Score completed items and return follower(s) (if completing an unclaimed feature)
— Move Followers from City of Carcassonne (optional)
— Move wagon
— Initiate second draw phase with builder
Next player begins turn (rinse, lather, repeat)

I guess upon review, there were not actions that took place between drawing and placing a tile, but it still seems like a natural break. Break them up!

This looks good... but you forgot the buy back of captured followers before the turn...

[mjharper]

Th problem with this, unless I'm misunderstanding, is that it introduces elements / distinctions which are not in the rules themselves...

[Skull One]

The rules should have separated them entirely into two separate sections, I think, instead of sub-sections. I mean, the breakdown of a turn is basically (with actual subsections):
1) Draw Tile
— Resolve Wheel
2) Place Tile
— Use catapult
— Move Dragon
3) Score completed items and return follower(s) (if completing an already-claimed feature)
— Move Followers from City of Carcassonne (optional)
— Move wagon
— Collect Trade tokens
4) Place follower; or:
— Place Large Follower, Builder, Pig, Barn, Wagon, or Mayor
— Move the fairy
— Place follower in City of Carcassonne
— Place follower on Wheel
— Bump follower using Princess
— Build a Tower
5) Score completed items and return follower(s) (if completing an unclaimed feature)
— Move Followers from City of Carcassonne (optional)
— Move wagon
— Initiate second draw phase with builder
Next player begins turn (rinse, lather, repeat)

Not to be overly picky but where, in any of the rules from HiG or RGG, does it say there is a scoring step for completed feature before the so called "Move the wood" or your Step 4?

In fact after a few seconds of thought, I can see a HUGE hole with that.  Your step 3 allows for someone to take a returned meeple from scoring and then placing it during step 4.  Which is a really big no-no.

[mjharper]

Not to be overly picky but where, in any of the rules from HiG or RGG, does it say there is a scoring step for completed feature before the so called "Move the wood" or your Step 4?

In fact after a few seconds of thought, I can see a HUGE hole with that.  Your step 3 allows for someone to take a returned meeple from scoring and then placing it during step 4.  Which is a really big no-no.

I think it's describing a double turn. But if so, you're right - it isn't clear enough.

[Whaleyland]

Actually, what I was describing is features being scored by the placement of the tile, before the current player has a chance to "move the wood". The rules allow players to complete a feature and then place a follower on the newly-placed feature, in effect moving the wood from one to another. In cases of completing a small city or a road, or rarely a cloister, they may score twice in the same turn. Once for completing an old feature upon which they already had a follower, and one for completing an unclaimed feature, which by placement of the tile is now completed.

[Tobias]

Actually, what I was describing is features being scored by the placement of the tile, before the current player has a chance to "move the wood". The rules allow players to complete a feature and then place a follower on the newly-placed feature, in effect moving the wood from one to another. In cases of completing a small city or a road, or rarely a cloister, they may score twice in the same turn. Once for completing an old feature upon which they already had a follower, and one for completing an unclaimed feature, which by placement of the tile is now completed.

This is how we play it as well. What the rules say I do not know right now.

[Skull One]

Actually, what I was describing is features being scored by the placement of the tile, before the current player has a chance to "move the wood". The rules allow players to complete a feature and then place a follower on the newly-placed feature, in effect moving the wood from one to another. In cases of completing a small city or a road, or rarely a cloister, they may score twice in the same turn. Once for completing an old feature upon which they already had a follower, and one for completing an unclaimed feature, which by placement of the tile is now completed.

You should never score a feature before "move the wood".  Simply put that breaks the very rule HiG laid out concerning placement and then resolution of all completed features.  By resolving a "part of" the scoring before "move the wood" you are now allowing for a person to use one meeple to score two different features in the same round.  Which can and will lead to a whole new level of rules lawyering that I believe is unnecessary and 100% avoidable.

[Whaleyland]

Then what order does scoring go? If you complete a previously-claimed feature by placing a tile, you are allowed to collect the points from that follower and then re-place the follower on a different feature of the tile, such as a city. If the city has also been completed by placing the tile (such as when a whole is filled), a player is allowed to immediately return the follower to his/her supply and collect the points. It really isn't that complicated and I have been playing the game that way since I purchased it three years ago. I really don't see any other way to play it.

[Skull One]

Then what order does scoring go? If you complete a previously-claimed feature by placing a tile, you are allowed to collect the points from that follower and then re-place the follower on a different feature of the tile, such as a city. If the city has also been completed by placing the tile (such as when a whole is filled), a player is allowed to immediately return the follower to his/her supply and collect the points. It really isn't that complicated and I have been playing the game that way since I purchased it three years ago. I really don't see any other way to play it.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you have been playing it wrong for the last 3 years.

I only have my Big Box 2 rules here to reference, but since it is almost identical to the base Carcassonne rules that are currently in print I will use them as reference. It lists the 3 majot steps of the game as:

Placing Land Tiles.

Deploying Followers.

Scoring completed Road, Cities, cloisters.

After that they then list "Returning Scored Followers".

If you would like you can also look at http://www.riograndegames.com/uploads/Game/Game_48_gameRules.pdf

It has the same 3 major bullet points for how to play the game.


EDIT:
I just remembered to check CAR version 5.04b and it has the same bullet pointed rules in the same exact order.

[Whaleyland]

Wow, you've both fixed a misconception of mine, and, for a moment, confused me beyond all belief. I guess the de facto rule is that you can only claim a feature on a newly placed tile if you have a follower left in your supply. As long as you do, you can simply move the follower from the just completed feature to the new one and get the points for both, remembering that you are really placing a second follower on the tile and then reclaiming and scoring points for both. In a sense, I guess that is what I have always done, but this rule just means that if you have no applicable followers in your supply, you can't move the follower from a just completed feature to a new feature. You must return it to your supply since the "Deploying Follower" phase is over. I have broken that rule many times, but I believe I played the game correctly for a long time and suddenly stopped observing that rule. Not sure, though.

Thus, I re-write my summary:
0) Pre-Draw:
— Buy back imprisoned followers
1) Draw Tile
— Resolve Wheel
2) Place Tile
— Use catapult
— Move Dragon
3) Deploy Follower; or:
— Place Large Follower, Builder, Pig, Barn, Wagon, or Mayor
— Move the fairy
— Place follower in City of Carcassonne
— Place follower on Wheel
— Bump follower using Princess
— Build a Tower
4) Score completed items and return follower(s); and/or:
— Move Followers from City of Carcassonne (optional)
— Collect Trade tokens
5) Returning Scored Followers:
— Move wagon
— Initiate second draw phase with Builder
Next player begins turn (rinse, lather, repeat)