Section 2: Components
A standard base game requires landscape tiles, followers, and a scoring track. Component appearance and exact artwork can vary by edition without changing the core rules.
Required Equipment
- Landscape tiles: The classic base set contains 72 square tiles, including one starting tile with a distinct back. Tiles display combinations of cities, roads, monasteries, and fields.
- Playing pieces: Each player needs a set of eight followers in one color. One follower is normally assigned to the scoring track, leaving seven available for placement in the landscape.
- Game board: A scoring track numbered from 0 through 49 records points. Players who pass 49 continue from 0 and remember that they have completed a lap.
Understanding the Tiles
Each tile edge shows field, road, or city terrain. A tile may be placed only when every one of its touching edges matches the neighboring terrain: city must meet city, road must meet road, and field must meet field. A road may end at a city, monastery, junction, or another printed endpoint, but it may not simply stop against an unmatched field edge.
A city can occupy one or several tile sections. Roads and fields may be divided by cities, roads, or other printed boundaries. Decorative artwork does not create a boundary unless the terrain artwork clearly separates the feature.
The scoring follower is not available for placement in the landscape. All other followers begin in their owner's supply. Followers returned after completed features may be reused on later turns.
Edition-Specific Extras
Some boxes include River tiles, abbot pieces, gardens, mini-expansions, or alternative starting tiles. Keep these separate unless everyone agrees to use the corresponding variation. Mixing unexplained expansion symbols into the base tile supply can create features for which the group has not chosen rules.