Hello everyone,
Here is my proposal for a variant with a mining theme that reimagines all of the tiles and tokens from Carcassonne: The Tower.
I had wanted to upload a nicely formatted PDF file, but it far exceeded the maximum allowable file size (probably due to including several pictures). I will have to see about reducing the size.
Your comments and suggestions are welcome on the text version below!
Two diagrams are attached.
CARC_Zoner
==
UPDATE: Here is the PDF for the
Carcassonne: Miner and Underminer variant:
http://www.mediafire.com/?8c4p3dycl5dbg3r==
CARCASSONNE: MINER AND UNDERMINER
A Carcassonne Central variant by CARC_Zoner
DESCRIPTION
The mineral wealth around Carcassonne is being exploited, with mines appearing on the landscape. However, disputes flourish and city walls are under attack – even from below – while defenders struggle to counter the breaches!
Mining - Iron, coal, zinc and lead were mined in medieval France. Lead was used for roofing , gutters and decorative objects. Minecarts could be used to transport ore or the tools and materials needed for mining.
Under mining - Because stone walls could not be burned or effectively bombarded, tunnels would be excavated to either access the fortifications or to destabilize and collapse the walls. This would undermine the defences.
Counter mining - By digging a counter mine, a defender could enter the sapper tunnel to attack or could even undermine it to collapse it. A secondary barrier could be built to attempt to seal off an undermined wall.
EXTRA PIECES
18 landscape tiles from the Carcassonne: The Tower expansion, redefined and divided into three equal sets of mining tiles, as follows:
Mining Tiles (6) - the tiles with the mine entrances (tower foundations) in the fields.
Under Mining Tiles (6) - the tiles with the mine entrances outside of the city segments.
Counter Mining Tiles (6) - the tiles with the mine entrances inside the city segments.
30 wooden pieces, each representing one cartload of valuable mined ore (tower pieces).
ADDITIONAL RULES
PREPARATION
Shuffle the 18 mining tiles together with all other tiles. The 30 cartload pieces are placed nearby for use during game play.
1. Place a tile
The tiles are placed according to the original rules. However, there are some restrictions on tile placement, depending on how followers are deployed (see below).
2. Deploy a follower
Mining Tile - After playing a mining tile, a player may choose to deploy a follower as a miner. To become a miner, the follower must be placed on the mine entrance.
Under Mining Tile - A follower placed on the mine entrance of an undermining tile will become an underminer (or sapper), and this tile can be added to a city already claimed by another player. Ownership of the city will then be automatically shared. When the city is scored, points will be allocated according to existing rules (based on follower majority). However, if the city occupied by another player already contains a counter mining tile, an under mining tile may not be added to it.
Counter Mining Tile - A counter mining tile can be played like any other city tile. A follower claiming a city that contains a counter mining tile will act as a counter miner, as needed, regardless of the city segment the follower occupies. If a player already occupies a city that has been “undermined,” his or her placing a counter mining tile on that city expels the underminer/sapper, which is returned to its owner’s supply. If two partial cities merge, introducing a counter mining tile, the same rule applies.
The follower can otherwise be placed on any other feature on a mining tile (field, road or cloister), an under mining tile (city segment, field, or road), and a counter mining tile (field or road), with the standard rules applying.
3. Score
The mining feature is completed when the mining tile is surrounded on all four of its sides. Matching the number of tiles in the feature, the player scores 5 points and earns 5 cartloads of ore from the supply. The miner is returned to the player.
At the beginning of his or her turn, the player can spend the ore, as follows:
1 cartload: Swap a drawn tile for another tile.
3 cartloads: Take another turn following the completion of your turn.
5 cartloads: Return one of your meeples from the playing area to your supply.
Scoring for the under mining and counter mining tiles is as noted above. The underminer/sapper is returned to the player’s supply after scoring.
Diagram 1 - The red player places the mining tile and becomes a miner by putting his or her follower on the mine entrance. Once the final road tile is placed, the five-tile mining feature is completed. This is similar to the mechanic for scoring the cloisters. The red player earns 5 points and 5 cartloads of ore (wooden tokens) to spend during subsequent turns, as noted above.
Diagram 2 - The red player places the under mining tile and becomes an underminer/sapper by putting his or her follower on the mine entrance. In this situation, the red player has completed two of the blue player’s cities and shares the points for each. The red player would not have been able to put the under mining tile on the blue player’s city at the top left, given the counter mining tile.
FINAL SCORING
At the end of the game, incomplete mining features are allocated one point per tile, but no cartloads of ore are earned. Unspent cartloads of ore have no final value.
Incomplete cities are scored according to the original rules, but with underminers/sappers sharing city points as per the variant rules.
==
