Welcome to the Industrialist Game!

Hey, I have some exciting news for you! The Industrialist victory point card can be used in different ways with Settlers of Catan. You can use it with the basic game or with the Harbormaster and Rivers of Catan expansions from Catan: Traders & Barbarians.

Now, if you happen to have the Catan: Traders & Barbarians expansion, you can use the gold coins and Glassworks markers that come with it. These markers work great as factory markers. But don’t worry if you don’t have the expansion, you can easily use other items like pennies for coins and a glass token or counter to mark your factories.

The Industrialist card pairs exceptionally well with the Rivers of Catan expansion. This expansion introduces rivers and bridges to the game, offering you an extra way to produce gold. And if you really want to take things up a notch, the Harbormaster card is a fantastic addition too. Both are available in Catan: Traders & Barbarians.

If you play with the Industrialist and Rivers of Catan expansion, you shouldn’t use the Richest Player and Poorest Player victory point cards because the Industrialist card replaces the richest player card.

Like any other resource generator, it’s a good idea to build a factory early in the game. The sooner you have a factory, the sooner it can start making money for you.

Now, let’s talk about the setup. You can use the standard Catan setup with or without the Harbormaster card and Rivers of Catan expansions from Catan: Traders & Barbarians.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

– Each player gets 3 factory markers. Remember, no player can build more than three factories in total.

– If you’re playing without the Rivers of Catan expansion, each player starts the game with 2 gold pieces.

Factories are an important part of the game, so make sure you have a good strategy for using them effectively.

In Catan, you have the option to add factories to your settlements and cities. To do this, you’ll need to spend 2 Brick, 2 Wood, and 2 Gold. However, keep in mind that you can only attach one factory to each settlement or city.

The benefit of having a factory is that you’ll receive a gold coin every time you score resources from a hex that is adjacent to a settlement or city with a factory. This is only applicable if the hex is not blocked by the robber.

If you find yourself in need of resources, you have the option to trade two gold coins for a resource from the bank. But remember, you can only do this twice during your trading phase. The Rivers of Catan expansion also states that gold resources cannot be stolen by the robber.

Alternatively, you can use harbor ports or trade four resource cards of the same kind to the bank for a gold piece. This is done just like any other resource card trade.

So, if you’re considering adding a factory to your settlement or city, keep in mind that it costs 2 Brick, 2 Wood, and 2 Gold. In return, you’ll receive a gold coin for every resource you score from adjacent hexes, plus you’ll have the flexibility to make additional trades using your gold coins.

The Industrialist card

Just like the Longest Road and Largest Army cards, I can win the Industrialist card by meeting its requirements. But here’s the exciting part – another player can snatch the card from me if they have more factories and gold than I do! That means I really have to work hard to keep hold of it.

There is only one catch – if my gold drops below five, I have to say goodbye to the card. So, I need to keep a close eye on my gold reserves and make sure they stay above that magic number!