Prepare for the Barbarian Invasion!

Something is brewing on the horizon. The land of Catan, once peaceful and prosperous, is about to face its biggest challenge yet. An army of ferocious barbarians is invading our shores, filled with a hunger for booty and a thirst for conquest.

This is a game-changer. Gone are the days of tranquility and security. Now, we must always be on guard, for we never know where the barbarians will strike next. At first, they might only disrupt our raw material production, but if they grow in strength, they will launch full-scale attacks, besieging our settlements and cities with devastating consequences.

But fear not, brave Cataners! It is in times like these that we must band together. We must train courageous knights to defend our land and send them into battle against the barbarian horde. Together, we have a chance to stand strong and protect all that we hold dear.

So, are you ready to rise to the occasion? Do you have what it takes to face this mighty challenge head-on? The fate of Catan rests on your shoulders. Now is the time to prove yourself. Will you be strong enough? Will you be our savior?

Imagine a group of fierce warriors, hungry for treasure, arriving on the shores of Catan. They instill fear and chaos merely by being in their presence. Their numbers grow as more and more barbarians arrive, claiming the land and disrupting its productivity. When these barbarians pose a threat to your settlements and cities along the coast, it’s up to you to prepare. Train the brave Catan knights in the safety of the castle and unleash them onto the battlefield to defend against the barbarian hordes.

What You Need to Play the Game

• 4 Barbarians
• 24 Knights (6 in each color)
• 26 Event Cards
• Castle Field
• Color Cube
• Gold Coins with values of 1 and 5

Getting Ready to Play

First, place the desert and castle field in the landscape layout, just like the picture shows. Then, randomly place the following landscapes in the outside grey coastal areas: 2 forests, 2 hills, 3 pastures, 1 mountain, and 2 grain fields. These landscapes are called coast fields.

When you open the box and lay out the board, you’ll notice that the internal white surface is covered with a mixture of different terrains. There’s a forest, a pasture, a hill, two mountains, and two grain fields. These tiles are arranged randomly, adding an element of surprise and wonder to the game. Speaking of surprises, there’s also an extra forest tile that you won’t need. Keep an eye out for it!

Now, let’s talk about the number chips. Once you’ve set up the landscapes, it’s time to place the number chips. They have a specific pattern that you need to follow, and you can see it illustrated below. The number chips add a strategic element to the game, determining which terrains are most valuable and where you should focus your efforts. So pay attention to their placement and use them to your advantage!

When you play this game, you’ll start with 6 knights of your own color. There will be two barbarians on the map, one on the 2 field and one on the 12 field. The remaining barbarians will be placed nearby.

For this scenario, you’ll use the development cards that come with the game. The development cards from the basic game aren’t necessary.

Put the color cube on the castle field. You won’t need the “Largest Army” token or the robber piece.

First, each player will create a settlement, and then a city. When you establish the city, you’ll receive one starting raw material for each adjacent landscape only.

How to Play

Follow the basic rules, but also keep the following in mind:

1. Barbarians will land on Catan whenever a player builds a city or a settlement.
2. Draw a development card and implement it immediately during the trading/building phase.
3. Knight placement (when you buy the development cards “Ritterweihe” or “Black Knight”)
4. Using knights (after trading/building)
5. Defeating the barbarians (at the end of your turn)

I. The Barbarians Invade Catan

A. The Barbarian Assault

Every time you build a settlement or a city, the barbarians will attack immediately.

You have to stop your turn and roll three different numbers on the dice. If you roll a “7” or a number you have already rolled, roll again until you get three different numbers (except for “7”).

After each roll, place a barbarian on a corresponding numbered coastal field. However, if the coastal field already has three barbarians on it, don’t place any more barbarians there. In that case, you don’t have to reroll the dice.

B. Conquering a Coastal Field

When three barbarians appear on a coastal field, something interesting happens – the number chip of that field gets flipped over!

Once the number chip is flipped, the landscape no longer produces any yield when its number is rolled. This means that no more barbarians can be placed on that conquered coastal field through a barbarian assault.

It’s also important to note that no roads or settlements can be built on the border of a conquered coastal field.

Now, let’s move on to the conquest of settlements and cities by barbarians.

If a city or settlement is completely surrounded by sea or conquered coastal fields, it is considered conquered and does not count for victory points.

If the conquered city or settlement has a port, it can no longer be used. To signify its conquered status, simply lay it on its side.

When it comes to the desert and castle field, they are impregnable. That means no settlements or cities in these areas can ever be conquered, making them safe havens.

Once all the barbarians from the supply have landed on Catan, no more barbarians are added to the game. The threat is limited.

II. Development cards

Development cards must be played immediately after they are purchased. You can buy as many development cards as you want in a turn, but you have to use them right away. Once played, these cards are discarded. When the draw deck runs out, the discarded cards are shuffled to create a fresh draw deck for future use.

III. Knight Placement

If you play the “Black knight” or “Ritterweihe” development card, you can place a knight on the board. When you play “Ritterweihe,” you can place a knight from your supply on any empty edge of the castle field. With the “Black knight” card, you can place a knight on any empty edge of any field.

IV. Moving Knights

After the trading and building phase, you can move your knights. If you placed a knight on the edge of the castle field in your turn, you must move it away from there.

Each knight can move up to 3 spaces. If you pay a grain, one knight can move up to 5 spaces. If you want to move multiple knights 5 spaces, you need to pay 1 grain for each knight.

Knights can jump over other knights, settlements, and cities. However, they cannot end their move on a space that’s occupied by another Knight.

Did you know that knights have specific rules when it comes to moving on a castle field? Well, it’s true! A knight is not allowed to end its move on an edge of the castle field. Seems like they have to follow some pretty strict guidelines!

Speaking of moving, did you know that knights can move onto or pass over spaces with roads of any player? That’s pretty impressive, if you ask me. It’s like they have no limitations when it comes to traveling!

V. Vanquishing the Barbarians

A. Checking for Victory

After every turn, it’s important to check the coastal fields for victory over the barbarians. To do this, start with the coastal field next to the castle field, and then go clockwise to examine each coastal field. The condition for victory is simple – if there are more knights than barbarians at a field, victory is achieved!

B. Fulfilling the Victory Condition

When the victory condition is fulfilled and the barbarians on a coastal field are defeated, they become prisoners. These prisoners are then distributed to the players involved, following a specific rule:

• If only one player has knights on the field, they receive all the prisoners. Talk about a major win!

I have a game to tell you about. It’s called “The Settlers of Catan,” and it’s a lot of fun. Let me explain the rules to you.

First, let’s talk about knights. If you have a knight in the game, and there are other players who also have knights, each of you will get a prisoner. If there aren’t enough prisoners for everyone, we’ll roll two dice, and the players who roll the highest numbers will get a prisoner. If you don’t get a prisoner, don’t worry! You’ll still get 3 gold as a consolation prize. In case of a tie, we’ll roll the dice again.

Now, what happens if there are prisoners left over? We’ll give those prisoners to the players who contributed the most knights to the victory. If there’s nobody who stood out, we’ll roll the dice again. The winner of the dice roll will get the prisoners, and the other players who helped but didn’t get the prisoners will receive 3 gold.

By the way, each player’s prisoners are worth victory points. If you have two prisoners, you’ll get 1 victory point.

Lastly, let’s talk about what happens when you re-conquer a coastal field that is occupied by 3 barbarians. I know, it sounds challenging! But here’s what you need to do: If you are able to re-conquer the field, you’ll earn victory points equal to the number of barbarians on it. It’s a great way to boost your score!

I hope this explanation helps you understand the game better. Have fun playing “The Settlers of Catan”!

When I flip the number chip on the coastal field, it changes to its number side. And when the number on the chip matches the number rolled, the field becomes productive once again. But watch out for the barbarians! If they assault the field, they can make their presence known once more.

If the barbarians had taken control of any cities or settlements on a conquered coastal field, don’t worry! When the field is re-conquered, all the cities and settlements are restored, and the players get their victory points back.

But here’s the catch…

After defeating the barbarians, you have to throw the color cube from the center of the castle field. This determines if any knights are lost. If you have a knight on one of the matching color spaces (green, violet, or brown) on the contested field, you lose that knight. But don’t fret! You’ll get 3 gold as compensation for each knight lost, and the knight will be returned to your supply.

Now let’s talk about rolling a 7…

If you roll a 7, you have the power to take a raw material (not gold) from any of the players. Even if you don’t place the robber, the rule still stands: if you have more than 7 raw materials, you must give back half of them.

The Gold

When it’s your turn, you have the option to spend up to 2 gold, but no more, to buy any raw material. You can also get gold by using your own ports or by trading with other players.

Event Cards

The Knight’s Ceremony

I can place one knight on any side of the castle field.

The Mysterious Black Knight

I get to put one knight on any open space in any field.

The Treacherous Betrayal

I receive two gold coins. Then, I move two barbarians from two different fields and put them on two other fields. If there aren’t enough barbarians on the fields, I can take any extras from the supply.

The Secret Plot

I can take one barbarian from any field and add them to my prisoners! If there are no barbarians on the coastal fields, I draw another card.

Hey there! Let’s talk about the fascinating world of Catan. You see, in this game, that’s all about strategy and resource management, there are a couple of events called “betrayal” and “plot” that have some interesting consequences. When these events occur, barbarians are kicked out of the coastal fields. It’s kind of like a little victory against them!

Now, here’s where things get really interesting. When a barbarian is removed from a conquered field, which is a field that had 3 barbarians on it, it actually has a cool regenerative effect. It allows a neighboring settled or city area, which might have been conquered too, to be restored. It’s like breathing new life into the land!

But here’s the thing – it’s a bit of a give-and-take. When the barbarian is removed, the number chip that was on that field goes back to showing its number. And hey, the field becomes productive again, giving you all those sweet resources, until another third barbarian decides to make it their home once more.

Now, let’s talk about the end game.

It’s not any ordinary game that goes on forever, my friend. Instead, the game comes to a grand finale when a player, during their turn, manages to rack up 12 victory points. That’s right – they become the Catan champion, the ruler of the island!