Two Players: High Courtier

Use the neutral High Courtier to occupy the city and action path.

Setup

Use a third colour for the High Courtier. Set aside its master meeple and all nine buildings. Start its meeple in the last space of the north-west queue. The High Courtier does not use player discs, servants, resources or cards.

High Courtier

Control is shared. The player who had or will have the first turn in the round chooses an available action slot for the High Courtier. The player who had or will have the second turn chooses its building site. It must be empty if possible; place a High Courtier building there. If every site in the active row or column already has a building, it does not activate a site. The High Courtier never takes an action and never generates resources.

Buildings and queue

You may activate a High Courtier building’s site as if it belonged to another player, receiving resources as usual; the High Courtier receives none. Protecting one of its sites with a soldier or wall earns you two influence, like protecting any opponent’s building. Its meeple receives camels from the queue like a player and spends as many as possible to improve its next queue position.

During invasion, remove any High Courtier building that is attacked and unprotected. It never pays ransom. The High Courtier never scores points and cannot win.