The southern French city of Carcassonne was founded on an important trade route between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Because of its strange location, the city was often conquered and has known many rulers. As a result of this varied history, the city is known for its unique mixture of Roman and Medieval fortifications.
The players develop the area around Carcassonne by placing land tiles. Each turn the areas becomes larger as the players expand and add roads, fields, cities, and cloister. The players may also deploy their followers as thieves, farmers, knights, and monks to control and score points for the roads, farms, cities, and cloister. As the players have only a few followers, the wise player will plan his moves carefully and deploy followers when and where he/she can earn the most points.