How to Play the Game Toulouse Online (An Online Version of the Board Game Carcassonne)

To begin playing Toulouse, go to http://games.asobrain.com to sign up for an account. This website features Toulouse, a game like the board game Carcassonne, and also games called Xplorers (which is like Settlers of Catan), Match and Roadblock.

Once your account is created, click on the 'Play' button to the right of the screen. The listing of games will pop up. Toulouse will be second on the list. Here, you have a choice. You can choose to play a ranked game of Toulouse or a non-ranked version. Ranking ranks you against other players, whereas non-ranked is just for fun.

Choose the selection which you are most comfortable with. A popup screen will appear. This screen is your Toulouse lobby. You can either create a game or play a game that's already begun. To join a game, choose a game under the 'playing but open' category. Click on that game and press 'Enter,' which will appear on your screen. You will join a game that is already in progress.

To start a new game, click 'Create Game.' From here, you can choose how many bots and people you want to play in your game in the four open white boxes. Bots, which are named after Friends characters, act as game players, but are computer generated. Clicking 'open' allows other players to join your game before it begins. You can also make other selections on this page. You can choose the color of your character by choosing a color block by your name. You can also choose from the following options:

The expansion: this adds more tiles.

Traders and builders: this adds special player pieces to the game.

Bot replace allowed: this means that if you are playing against a bot, a person can come in and take the bot's place.

Spectators allowed: this means that people can come watch your game as it unfolds.

Once you're in a game, you'll want to begin placing your pieces. The goal of the game is to build cities, roads and farms. There are also monestaries, which once you put a player on, you want to put pieces all around in order to gain nine points and get your piece back.

To place a piece, click the piece in the corner when it is your turn. Right click with your mouse to turn the piece. Place it wherever you want it to go. Then, add a player piece (meeple) wherever you want to on the tile, should you choose to do so. Once you have a player down, you'll want to continue to build in that area to complete and close your road or city.

Some players choose to build big roads or cities, which can earn major points. However, other players can 'steal' open cities by placing players there too, so you'll want to make sure that others can not steal your Toulouse cities.

Keep in mind that all pieces can be returned throughout the game except farmers, who stay placed until the Toulouse game ends.

If you are playing with Traders & Builders, you'll see three strange pieces. Their functions are as follows:

The piece that looks like a chess piece can be placed on any road or city that you already have a piece on. Everytime you add to that road or city, you get a second turn.

Adding the pig, which is the second piece, to your farm gives the farm more value.

The third piece is a large version of the regular pieces. This counts as two pieces, and is especially good for stealing cities and roads.

The game ends when the pieces run out. The game will count out the remaining points (for open cities and farms and such) as the game completes. The person with the most points wins the game of Toulouse.