I have a fairly basic strategy question (as a newcomer to the game) that might lead to some good answers:
When using the big meeple from Inns & Cathedrals, do you prefer to hold it in reserve so you can try to take over someone's farm/city later in the game, or use it early on to shore up a farm/city of your own as a way to deter other players from sneaking in on your feature? Or something completely different?
We always play with the River II expansion, and I usually end up first using the big meeple on one of the cities there, since there are usually opportunities for those cities to grow together. After that city is completed, I tend to look for other opportunities to use it to steal other cities. As the game gets closer to the end, if there is one farm that is huge and going to swing the game, I'll often try to get the big meeple onto it, either to steal from someone else or to shore it up if it's already mine. If there's no overwhelmingly important farm, I generally just use the big meeple as a normal follower to maximize the number of features that I claim.