Section 6: Variants & House Rules
Variants should be chosen before setup so every player understands how they affect placement and scoring. Unless stated otherwise, all standard rules remain in effect.
River Opening
If the game includes River tiles, use them instead of the ordinary starting tile. Place the spring first, shuffle the intermediate River tiles, and place the lake last. Players take turns extending the river while following the terrain shown on all touching edges.
A common restriction forbids the river from making an immediate U-turn that would cause it to double back on itself. Players may place followers normally on features shown on River tiles, but the river itself is not claimed or scored. After the lake is placed, shuffle the regular landscape tiles and continue the game from the completed river.
No-Farmer Learning Game
For a simpler first game, do not allow followers to be placed as farmers. Roads, cities, and monasteries work normally, but fields are ignored during final scoring. This shortens the explanation and keeps new players focused on tile matching and follower recovery.
Three-Tile Hand
Each player maintains a visible or private hand of three tiles and chooses one to play on each turn, then draws back to three. This reduces luck and increases planning, but it gives experienced players more control. When the supply cannot refill every hand, continue until all held tiles have been played or discarded as unplayable.
Friendly Tile Redraw
For a relaxed game, allow each player one voluntary redraw during the game. The rejected tile goes face down at the bottom of a stack, and the replacement must be played if legal. Use a marker or turn the player's unused scoring-lap reminder to show that the redraw has been spent.
Limited Table Space
Before play, define a rectangular boundary for the landscape. A tile that would extend beyond the boundary is not a legal placement. This variation works well on small tables but can make some tiles impossible to play sooner than usual.
Two-Player Draft
Reveal three tiles at the start of each turn. The active player chooses one to place, the opponent chooses one of the remaining tiles to reserve for their next turn, and the third returns to the bottom of a stack. Agree on how to refill the display and handle unplayable tiles before starting.
Tie-Break Options
The standard casual result is a shared victory. Groups wanting one winner may instead compare, in order, the number of followers remaining on the landscape, the number of completed cities controlled during play, and then the number of followers in supply. Because these are house rules, the tie-break method must be announced before the first tile is placed.
Combining Expansions
Add only components whose rules everyone understands. Keep expansion tiles identifiable during cleanup, explain new symbols before shuffling, and settle any interaction questions in advance. When an expansion changes scoring or follower placement, its specific procedure takes priority for the affected component while the rest of the base game remains unchanged.