In the whimsical world of Catan, you’re not just a settler; you’re a resource-hungry, brick-loving, sheep-collecting adventurer on a hexagonal island. It’s like playing with toy blocks, but with a twist – these blocks are made of wood, clay, and ore!
Imagine a land where negotiations are as wild as a woolly sheep and where roads are built with boundless enthusiasm.
You and your fellow settlers vie for the best spots to plop down your quaint little settlements and start a lumberjack-themed suburbia. But watch out! The Robber, a rogue bandit, keeps moving around and stealing your precious resources.
Trading is the name of the game, and it’s as whimsical as a unicorn parade. You’ll haggle, swap, and plead with your friends for that last piece of wheat or that much-needed clay. Victory points are your holy grail – you’ll build roads, villages, and cities with the gusto of an overzealous Lego builder.
In the end, it’s all about having fun, swapping tales, and plotting your way to victory in this quirky game.
What’s included in Settlers of Catan
- Game board with a modular hexagonal grid representing the island of Catan.
- Resource cards (brick, wood, ore, wheat, and sheep).
- Development cards (knights, road building, and victory points).
- Building pieces (roads, settlements, and cities).
- Robber piece.
- Dice.
- Number tokens for hexagons.
How to play Settlers of Catan?
The Settlers of Catan, often referred to as simply Catan, is a popular board game where players collect and trade resources to build settlements and cities on an island. The game is played by 3 to 4 players, but expansions allow for up to 6 players. The goal of Catan is to be the first player to reach a specified number of victory points. In the base game, the standard victory point threshold is 10 points.
Setup
- Assemble the hexagonal grid according to the setup diagram in the rules. Randomly place number tokens on the hexagons.
- Each player chooses a color and places their settlements on the intersections of the hexagons. Each player starts with two settlements and two roads.
- Place the Robber piece on the desert hexagon.
- Shuffle the resource cards and development cards separately and place them face down within reach of all players.
- Roll the dice to determine the starting player, with the highest roller going first.
Rules for Settlers of Catan
Catan is played in turns, and each turn consists of three phases:
- Roll Dice: The current player rolls two six-sided dice. The roll determines which hexagons produce resources this turn. Any settlements bordering a hexagon with the number rolled receive one resource card of the corresponding type (e.g., if an 8 is rolled on a hexagon producing wood, players with settlements on wood hexagons adjacent to the 8 receive one wood card each).
- Trade and Build: The current player may:
- Trade with other players. Resource cards can be traded at any time during the player’s turn.
- Build roads, settlements, or cities using resource cards. Each building has a specific cost.
- Purchase one development card (if available and if they have the required resources).
- Robber Phase: If a 7 is rolled, the player moves the Robber piece to any hexagon on the board. This hexagon no longer produces resources. The player then steals one resource card at random from an opponent with a settlement or city bordering the hexagon. Additionally, players with more than seven resource cards must discard half of them (rounded down).
Victory Points: Players earn victory points by:
- Building settlements (1 point each).
- Upgrading settlements to cities (2 points each).
- Holding the Largest Army development card (worth 2 points).
- Holding the Longest Road development card (worth 2 points).
- Drawing Victory Point development cards (each worth 1 point).
Winning: The first player to reach or exceed the specified victory point threshold (usually 10 points) wins the game.
For the official rules, see the link below:
How to win Settlers of Catan
- Diverse Resource Gathering:
- Aim to collect a variety of resources early in the game, as you’ll need different types to build settlements, roads, and cities.
- Prioritize resource hexagons with numbers that are more likely to be rolled on two dice (e.g., 6 and 8) as these produce resources more frequently.
- Expansion and Placement:
- Try to expand your settlements early to secure key locations that provide a variety of resources.
- Build settlements at intersections where multiple resource hexagons meet, as this maximizes your resource production.
- Block or disrupt opponents’ expansion plans by strategically placing your settlements and roads.
- Trading and Negotiation:
- Don’t underestimate the power of trade. Negotiate with other players to obtain the resources you need and to offload surplus resources.
- Be open to fair trades and avoid overpricing resources, as cooperation is often beneficial.
- Development Cards:
- Invest in development cards to acquire the Largest Army or Longest Road bonuses, which provide victory points.
- Development cards can also contain other valuable abilities, such as the Monopoly card, which allows you to steal all of a specific resource from other players.
- Building Cities and Roads:
- Upgrade your settlements to cities when you have enough resources, as cities produce double the resources of settlements.
- Extending the Longest Road (worth 2 points) can be a viable strategy if you have access to many open road segments.
- Largest Army:
- Pursue the Largest Army bonus by collecting enough knights through development cards. This not only provides victory points but also grants the ability to move the Robber.
- Robber Control:
- Use the Robber strategically to hinder your opponents’ resource production. Target hexagons that provide resources your opponents need.
- Place the Robber on hexagons with high-producing numbers to disrupt the resources that other players rely on.
- Resource Monopoly:
- If you have access to a hexagon that produces a specific resource abundantly, consider monopolizing it to gain an advantage in trading or to control a valuable resource.
- Victory Points:
- Keep an eye on your progress toward victory points. Focus on building settlements and cities, acquiring development cards, and holding the Largest Army or Longest Road bonuses.
- Flexible Strategy:
- Be prepared to adapt your strategy based on the available resources, the moves of other players, and the development cards you acquire.
- Avoid overextending yourself; be mindful of your resource income and the potential for the Robber to disrupt your plans.