The Outpost

[Novelty]

What it adds
16 tiles with watchtower outpost on a forest or field (8 each).  When played, a player may play a follower (big or small only) to the outpost.  If any one of their other meeples is removed by the tower or the dragon, they may remove the follower on the outpost instead of the original target.  If the follower removed by the dragon is on a field or forest that is connected to the outpost with a follower, the player may choose to move the original follower to the market in the City of Carcassonne instead of returning to hand.

Expansions required
Of course this expansion will only be used when playing with either P&D or The Tower or both.  CoC is optional, but when played with, it will enhance the outposts.

Comments anyone?

Edit: Sample tile below...

[Scott]

Might run into a problem if the dragon's final move is to a tile with a meeple on it. Technically the meeple cannot occupy this tile with the dragon at the end of the turn.

[Novelty]

I guess then it can't be used on the dragon's last turn then...

[Novelty]

Well, the tiles are rather boring, but here they are.  These are the "plain Jane" versions to be used with "vanilla" Carc.  They can also be used as normal tiles without the special rules.

A Forest version is forthcoming and so are the rules.  There will not be a Fishermen/Rivers version.  The Cities version will probably be a separate expansion in the future... maybe.

[Novelty]

Here are the forest outpost tiles.  These are on a separate sheet from the other tiles so that one doesn't have to print these out if they are not playing with the Forests expansion.  They can be used without the special rules.

The rules are almost complete, but I want to add in an example which means there needs to be an image, which means it will take time, and I won't have the time until this weekend (and maybe not even then!).  I have made a few changes... text below:

OUTPOSTS

A Carcassonne Central expansion by Novelty

Tales of dragons harassing the countryside has been told since time immemorial.  The nobles of Carcassonne has garrisoned a number troops in outposts dotting the countryside in the hopes that the soldiers will protect the countryside against the rampaging dragons.

EXTRA PIECES

·   16 new tiles, including 8 with Forests

ADDITIONAL RULES

Preparation

This expansion is designed to be played with the dragon from the Princess and Dragon expansion (1).  The 8 tiles with forest segments are designed to be played with the fan-made Forests expansion.  Remove these tiles if the fan﷓made Forests expansion is not being used.  Shuffle the new tiles with the other tiles.

1. Place a tile

The tiles are placed in accordance to the normal rules.  Forest segments are placed in accordance with the fan-made Forests expansion rules.

2. Deploy a guard

When an outpost is played, a player may deploy a small follower or a big follower to the outpost as a guard (2).  The follower is placed standing up on the outpost.

The Dragon

When the dragon moves to a square with a follower (3) (but not the barn, pig or builder), before the follower is removed, a player may elect to return one of his or her guard from any outpost back to his or her supply to move one of his or her follower on the same square as a dragon to the connected feature on an adjacent tile (4).

Alternatively, if playing with the Count of Carcassonne expansion, the guard may be moved to the castle in the City of Carcassonne instead of returning to a player’s supply, to allow a player to move one of their followers on the same square as the dragon to the connected feature on an adjacent tile (5).

{Example goes here}

(1)  It can also be played with the fan-made Dual Dragon expansion.
(2)  Only the small follower and the big follower may be deployed as a guard to the outpost.
(3)  This includes the small follower, the big follower, the mayor and the wagon.
(4)  This means that only followers on cities, roads, farms, forests (if playing with the Forests fan-made expansion), rivers (if playing with the Fisherman fan-made expansion) or any feature that is connected by the edge of a tile to an adjacent tile can be moved.  Followers on a cloister, outpost, tower or any feature that is not connected by the edge of a tile to an adjacent tile cannot be moved.  If the Dragon enters a tile with a guard on the outpost, the guard is return back to a player's supply.
(5)  Only one follower may be moved per player for each move the dragon makes.

[Novelty]

Rules in PDF.  Please let me know if the rules are clear and whether I need to specify anything else.  Thanks.

[Novelty]

I'm guessing no one is interested in this or with any comments, so here's the final rules in PDF, and the zip file with tiles.  I'll call this complete, but if there are any further comments, it may still be modified.

[Joff]

Sorry Nov. I had downloaded it, but had not had the chance to go through it.

Anyway, introductory blurb:
"The nobles of Carcassonne has garrisoned a number troops in the outposts dotting the countryside..."
should read, "The nobles of Carcassonne has garrisoned a number of troops in the outposts dotting the countryside..."

Also the repeated word 'garrisoned' looks strange.

I have no idea what you are trying to say here:
"When the dragon moves to a square with a follower (but not the barn, pig or builder), before the follower is removed, a player may elect to return one of his or her guards from any outpost back to his or her supply to move one of his or her followers on the same square as a dragon to the connected feature on an adjacent tile."

I do think that the 'his or her' should be replaced. Either with the standard English rules of just 'his' or by the use of the words 'the player's'.

Example text:
"Red has a follower on an outpost as a guard (shown on the tile to the left) and another follower on a field as a farmer. When the dragon moves to the tile that Red has a Red monk (shown on the right tile), red may choose to return the guard to his or her supply (or to the castle in the City of Carcassonne if playing with the Count of Carcassonne expansion) to move the farmer to a farm that is connected to the existing farm. The outpost that the guard is on does not have to be connected to the tile that the dragon is on.
The dragon may, of course, move to the adjacent tile during its next move, if this is allowed by the rules for the dragon from the Princess and the Dragon expansion."

Again, this confuses me. Let me explain:
"Red has a follower on an outpost as a guard (shown on the tile to the left)... No problems. "...and another follower on a field as a farmer." Where is the farmer in the example? At first glance, I actually thought that was a farmer on the tile that the Dragon is on in the example, because I cannot see a cloister (I know the follower is standing up!!). "When the dragon moves to the tile that Red has a Red monk (shown on the right tile),..." the repeated word Red is not needed. "...red may choose to return the guard to his or her supply (or to the castle in the City of Carcassonne if playing with the Count of Carcassonne expansion)..." No problem but I do not see the point in this. "...to move the farmer to a farm that is connected to the existing farm. What??? A comma is required before the word 'to', however. The outpost that the guard is on does not have to be connected to the tile that the dragon is on. what happens to the Monk??? The dragon may, of course, move to the adjacent tile during its next move, if this is allowed by the rules for the dragon from the Princess and the Dragon expansion." No problem.

I fail to see the point of the Outpost at all. If I can deploy a follower to the outpost but can't score with it, what is it's actual use? I am playing devil's advocate here (I know what you are trying to achieve), but the rules do not convey what the Outpost is supposed to actually do.

[Novelty]

Heh, that example was really badly written.  Rewrote it and I hope it's better.  The outpost guard is just suppose to save a follower by sacrificing itself.

I've also added the footnote that one can use the magic portal to deploy a follower into an empty outpost.  Here's the updated rules.

[Lardarse]

2 questions.

1: Does the guard on the outpost have to be adjacent to the followers that he can sacrifice himself for?

2: Have you thought about letting the outposts interact with towers?

[Novelty]

My apologies, I had the wrong link in the previous post.  I have corrected it.

1. No.  It's stated in the last sentence of the first paragraph of the example.
2. Yes, but I decided it could go into a separate expansion (perhaps known as the garrison?).  After all, one might not wish to play with those (e.g. when not playing with the Tower).

[Lardarse]

I have some ideas about how to do it, which I am creating a separate thread for.

[Novelty]

I have some ideas about how to do it, which I am creating a separate thread for.

That's what the Variants forum is for.  It's always nice when someone takes your idea and run further with it.

Edit: Just a couple of footnotes in the rules for clarification of questions brought up by Lardarse in another thread.

[Joff]

Sorry Novelty, I do not understand.

"When the dragon moves to a square with a follower (but not the barn, pig or builder), before the follower is removed, a player may elect to return one of their own guards from any outpost back to their supply to move one of their followers on the same square as a dragon to the connected feature on an adjacent tile and thus prevent the follower from being removed by the dragon."

This paragraph does not make sense. The statement: 'before the follower is removed' implies that the follower is removed whether you decide to move a guard or not. Reading on I am still confused about what happens. I see that the follower that is on the tile that the dragon lands on can be moved to a feature by the sacrificing of the outpost guard. I think that is what you're trying to get across.

"Alternatively, if playing with the Count of Carcassonne expansion, the guard may be moved to the castle in the City of Carcassonne instead of returning to a player’s supply, to allow a player to move one of their followers on the same square as the dragon to the connected feature on an adjacent tile."

Perhaps better written: ""Alternatively, if playing with the Count of Carcassonne expansion, the guard may be moved to the castle in the City of Carcassonne instead of returning to a player’s supply, allowing the player to move one of their followers on the same square as the dragon to the connected feature on an adjacent tile."

The offending word in both paragraphs is 'to'.

[Novelty]

The statement: 'before the follower is removed' implies that the follower is removed whether you decide to move a guard or not.

Erm... no.  "Before the follower is removed", you may move him out of the way.

"Before you get hit by a car, you could step off the road." doesn't mean you'll get hit by a car.

I do agree that the sentence is way too long.

Edit:  How about:

"When the dragon moves to a square with a follower (but not the barn, pig or builder), before the follower is removed, a player may elect to return one of their own guards from any outpost back to their supply.  If a player returns one of their guards from any outpost back to their supply, they may move one of their followers on the same square as a dragon to the connected feature on an adjacent tile and thus prevent the follower from being removed by the dragon as it will no longer be on the same tile as the dragon."

That's a lot verbose then I'm used to.  A background with CCGs have hardwired me to the phrase "Do action A to do Action B" (e.g. If an opponent plays a card to discard your creature card, before your creature card is discarded by the opponent, you may play a card from hand to prevent your creature from being discarded, and thus cancel out your opponent's card).