Scott Wheelock
Canada
Woodstock
New Brunswick
"Nope... back to a good year like 1626 when a good Manhattan cost a mere 24-bucks."
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I've never been very interested in using the Cult tiles. Derek Whaley's Barbarian report on The Cult does a great job of breaking down the flaws in the this expansion's rules, which I'll summarize below, by paraphrasing the points in Derek's review:
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• Only one cloister can be next to one cult place, or vice versa.
• When a tile completes both features, both players score, and the cloister-heretic tile block often gets completed at the same time, since at least some tiles will be adjacent to both features.
• The cloister-to-cult Place ratio is completely off; there are many more cloisters than cult places.
• Abandoned incomplete features can also cause problems, especially if playing with the magic portal from The Princess & the Dragon, the Count of Carcassonne, or the wagon from Abbey & Mayor. There is no ruling on whether a feature left incomplete after a cloister-cult place duel can be claimed later.
• It's not worth it; you can a) place your cult place beside a cloister and risk everything to deprive a player from getting their 9 points or b) place your cult place in a seven-tile area and be one off from getting 9 points uncontested.
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I've come up with a simple variant that I feel keeps the theme intact, eliminates the common both-score situation, and makes the contest worth it for the winner.
Variant rules
Requirements: cult tiles (any number), pairs of tokens/markers in different colors (e.g., glass beads, tiddlywinks, flags, etc.).
Shuffle the cult tiles in with the other landscape tiles. If a player draws a cloister or cult tile, they may place it like any other tile (following regular placement rules). If they choose to place a follower on the tile (a monk or heretic), they do so, and then score any features completed by the tile. If the cloister/cult place has been completed (and the monk/heretic removed), then their turn is over, and no challenge may be made. If the cloister/cult place has not been completed, the player may issue a challenge to an opponent (which may not be refused), according to the following rules:
1) The opponent must have a monk/heretic (whatever is the 'opposite' of the challenging player) in an incomplete cloister/cult place; this can be anywhere on the board,
2) That feature must be comprised of as many as, or more tiles than, the challenging player's feature,
3) That feature may not already be engaged in a challenge (see below).
Once a challenge has been issued, a pair of alike tokens are placed on the board, one on each of the features involved in the challenge, to visually indicate that these two features are engaged in the same challenge.
In subsequent turns, whichever competing feature is completed first receives the nine points normally given for a completed cloister/cult place, plus points equal to the current value of the opponent's feature. If competing features are both finished by the same tile, both players score per the normal rules, and no extra points are awarded to either player.
After scoring, the challenge tokens are removed from both features. The opponent's follower is not removed, and may score normally per the rules for cloisters/cult places not involved in challenges. That feature may still be involved in future challenges, according to the conditions listed above.
Princess & Dragon
If the dragon removes a follower that is on a feature engaged in a challenge, that feature is still considered to be engaged in the challenge; the challenge token is not removed. Therefore, the player with the still-occupied feature may complete it and gain extra points per the above rules.
A player who draws a magic portal tile may place a follower on the incomplete feature, continuing the challenge as normal.
The Tower & the Plague
Similar to the Princess & Dragon, a follower may be removed from a feature by a tower, or by the plague, and the features remain engaged in the challenge. If, however, both features become unoccupied (and there are no other rules in play which allow incomplete features to become re-occupied), the two challenge tokens are removed.
Abbey & Mayor
An incomplete Abbey may challenge, or be challenged by, a cloister or a cult place. All other rules remain the same.
The Count of Carcassonne
Upon scoring of a feature engaged in a challenge, players may move followers from the cathedral (in Carcassonne) to the scoring cloister/cult place. The player(s) with the majority of figures scores for the feature, including any extra points, per the above rules.
Bridges, Castles, & Bazaars
If a cloister/cult place engaged in a challenge is completed (winning the challenge), and lies within the range of an incomplete castle, the player who owns the castle scores points equal to those scored by the cloister/cult place (i.e., the base nine points, plus any extra points).
So, there you have it. I believe that this variant solves some of the flaws present in the original rules:
• No more placement restrictions. (Putting cloisters and cult places adjacent is actually less advantageous with this variant, but it can still be done.)
• Both players will score at the same time much less often; unless the features are sharing tiles, there will always be a winner.
• Abandoned, incomplete features can still be problematic if it happens to both features, but will usually be less of an issue.
• Challenges are much more appealing now, for a few reasons: A) the challenging feature will not necessarily have fewer tiles surrounding it than the challenged feature; B) losing a challenge is not punitive (perhaps a drawback to some); C) the points to the gained are much higher.
In addition:
• Players still have the option of initiating challenges, but may be later challenged (as in the original rules),
• The tension of challenges is greater, as each player must balance contributing to their own feature even as they increase the potential points available to the opponent, should they win.
At this point, I'll offer this up to the community to critique. Good, terrible, boring? Is there something I've overlooked? Refinements and/or improvements? I'll appreciate any feedback.
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"Nope... back to a good year like 1626 when a good Manhattan cost a mere 24-bucks."
