Explorer Pirates Scenario Spices For Catan

By: Dennis B. B. Taylor

Spicing up the Game: Catan’s Spice Scenario

Hey there! Have you ever played the game Catan? It’s this awesome board game where you get to build settlements, roads, and cities. It’s a lot of fun, but sometimes it feels like something is missing. Well, that’s where the Spice Scenario comes in!

Let me tell you all about it. In the original game of Catan, you trade resources like wood, brick, and sheep. But with the Spice Scenario, you can add spices to the mix! Imagine trading cinnamon, pepper, and cloves instead.

Why would you want to do that, you ask? Well, spices bring a whole new level of excitement and strategy to the game. They add an extra element of surprise and challenge, making each game unique and interesting.

Here’s how it works. At the beginning of the game, each player starts with a spice card. These cards have different amounts and types of spices. They can be used to make trades with other players, or they can be turned in for resources.

But be careful, because spices are a double-edged sword. They can be really valuable, but they can also be difficult to come by. You might have to trade multiple resources just to get one spice card. It’s a risk, but it can pay off big time.

One of the key aspects of the Spice Scenario is the spice ports. These special ports allow you to trade spices for resources at a better rate. So if you have a lot of spices, you’ll have a big advantage in the game.

Overall, the Spice Scenario adds a whole new dimension to the game of Catan. It spices things up, if you will. It makes you think differently, strategize more, and adds a sprinkle of excitement to each playthrough. So why not give it a try?

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Hey there! Let’s dive into an exciting game scenario that combines the elements of “Fish for Catan” and “Spices for Catan”. Get ready for some thrilling gameplay!

Getting Started

Setting up the Game Board

If you’ve already set up the board for scenario 3, it’s time to remove the “Pirate Lairs” hexes and tokens and put them back in their bag. Now, grab the starting island, green moon, and orange sun hexes and place them in separate piles.

To expand the frame, simply replace the B1 frame pieces with the B2 frame pieces. Fill the gap between hex D2 and sea hex pieces F1 & F2 with sea hex E. Lastly, add sea hex piece G on the right side of the F sea hex pieces, just like in the example. Don’t worry, the rest of the frame should be built exactly as shown.

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How to Set Up the Starting Island

First, mix up the terrain hexes you’ve chosen. Then, place them randomly on the starting island, making sure the terrain side is face up. Next, arrange the number tokens according to the example provided.

Getting the Unexplored Areas Ready

Start by removing 1 sea hex from the green moon-backed standard hexes. Now, take the remaining 7 standard hexes, along with the 3 green moon fish shoal hexes and the 3 green moon spice hexes, and shuffle them all together. Finally, place these hexes, with the green moon icon facing up, in the unexplored area to the north.

Repeat the same process with the orange-backed hexes and place them in the unexplored area to the south.

Preparing for the Game

Each player should gather the pieces shown below.

Let’s get started with setting up the “Spices for Catan” and “Fish for Catan” missions! First, grab the mission cards and VP cards for each of these missions and place them beside the game board. Now, each of us will need to place one of our markers on the “S” space of the mission cards.

Next, let’s bring in the spice sacks. You’ll find 24 of them, so place them beside the board where everyone can easily reach them.

Lastly, we need to set up the fish hauls. There are 6 of them, so let’s place them beside the board as well.

And that’s it! We’re all set to embark on our exciting missions in Catan!

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If you want to get started, try the free set-up method described in scenario 2: Pirate Lairs. It’s an easy way to dive into the game.

The Quests

Quest 1, “Fish for Catan”: All you need to do is follow the game rules from scenarios Land-Ho, Pirate Lairs, and Fish for Catan. Simple enough!

Quest 2, “Spices for Catan”: This time, you’ll be playing as merchant crews sent to visit villages on spice hexes. Your mission is to make friends with the locals and trade with them for their valuable spices. Once you have the spices, load them onto your ships and deliver them to one of the Council of Catan’s docks.

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Exploring a Spice Hex

If I find a spice hex using one of my ships, I get 2 gold. Then, I put as many spice sacks on the village in the spice hex as there are players in the game.

Placing a Crew and Loading a Spice Sack

If one end of my crew-loaded ship points toward the corner of a spice hex (like in example A), I can put 1 crew on the village of the spice hex. As a result, I can load a spice sack onto the ship (like in example B). Also, I get a permanent advantage in the game from now on.

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Bringing Spices to the Council of Catan

Hey there! If one end of my ship with the spice sack points towards the docks on the Council of Catan hex (you know, those anchor icons), I can unload the sack. For each sack I deliver, I move my marker forward 1 space on the “Spices for Catan” mission card. Oh, and those delivered sacks? They’re out of the game now.

Extra Stuff to Keep in Mind

I can only put 1 crew member on each spice hex. But it’s a fair tradeoff because I can take or load 1 spice sack from that hex. Cool, right?

Once a crew member is on a spice hex, it must stay there. No hopping on a ship anymore!

I can’t build a road on the paths (edges) of the spice hex or settle at its corners until I have a crew member on the spice hex. Gotta follow the rules!

Oh, and if I have extra movement points on my ship, I can totally keep sailing even after loading or unloading a spice sack. Never waste a good opportunity!

The Perks of Spice Hexes

If you send your crew to a spice hex village, you become friends with the locals and can immediately take advantage of the benefits offered by that hex. Each benefit is associated with two villages: one in the northern unexplored area and one in the southern unexplored area.

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    A Quick Journey:

Being an experienced seafarer, I’ve learned how to make the most of my ships. With the help of the two villages, my ships can move faster, granting me a significant advantage. You see, the “Swift Voyage” gives all my ships an extra movement point, increasing their total to 5. Imagine that! But wait, it gets even better. If I happen to be on good terms with both villages, my ships get a whopping 6 movement points per turn. That’s a lot of ground to cover!

Onward and Upward:

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. If I spend a wool, I can boost the movement points of one of my ships by another 2 points. That means I can reach a maximum of 8 movement points for my ships! Just think of the possibilities with that kind of speed. It’s like sailing on a gust of wind, cutting through the waters with ease. Oh, the places my ships can go!

A Word of Caution:

The Swift Voyage advantage is quite the game-changer, but there are a few rules to keep in mind. You can apply this advantage to any ship that has delivered a crew to a hex, as long as that hex wasn’t just discovered by the same ship. So, as long as I strategize and plan my crew deployments wisely, I can take full advantage of the Swift Voyage and conquer the seas with grace and speed.

  • Explorer Pirates Scenario Spices For Catan UltraFoodMessAhoy, mateys! Let me tell ye the tale of a Pirate Bonus ye can find on a mysterious island. There be two villages on this island filled with experienced fighters who be knowin’ how to handle pirates. These villagers increase yer chances of success when ye be chasin’ away a pirate ship.

    One of the villages be showin’ ye a die with 5 pips on its face, while the other village be showin’ ye a die with 4 pips. If ye be in good favor with one of these villages, ye not only be drivin’ away an opponent’s pirate ship by rollin’ a “6”, but ye can also chase them away by rollin’ the number shown on the village.

    But it gets even better, me hearties! If ye be friends with both villages, ye be drivin’ away the pesky pirate ship by rollin’ a “6”, a “5”, or a “4”.

    So, me fellow buccaneers, choose wisely and strike fear into the hearts of those pirates with the strength of these villages by yer side!

  • Explorer Pirates Scenario Spices For Catan UltraFoodMessQuick Money: There are two villages in this game, and they’re full of seasoned traders. These villages will buy your resources and pay you gold in return. If you have a good relationship with one village, you have the chance to exchange one of your resource cards for a gold during your trading and building phase. Simply give your card to the supply and take one gold from the supply. Now, if you’re on good terms with both villages, you can sell a resource for two gold during your trading and building phase.
  • Winning the Game

    I’ll tell you what it takes to win “Spices for Catan.” The magic number is 15 victory points. Once you reach 15 VPs on your turn, congratulations, you’ve won the game!

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