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Let’s Learn the Catan Game Rules!
Are you ready to embark on an exciting adventure in the world of Catan? I’m here to guide you through the rules of this popular board game. So, grab your dice and settle in!
Object of the Game
The goal of Catan is to become the dominant force on the island of Catan. To achieve this, you’ll need to strategically build settlements and cities, trade with other players, and collect valuable resources.
Setting Up the Game
At the start of the game, each player places two settlements and two roads on the board. The settlements are placed on the corners of the hexagons, while the roads connect the settlements. The board is made up of different hexagonal tiles that represent different resources, such as brick, wood, sheep, wheat, and ore.
Gameplay
Each turn, you’ll roll the dice and collect resources based on the outcomes. If any of your settlements are adjacent to a tile with the number rolled, you’ll receive the corresponding resource. These resources will allow you to build roads, settlements, and cities.
You can also trade with other players or the bank to obtain the resources you need. Negotiation and teamwork can often lead to advantageous trades that benefit both parties.
Building and Development
As the game progresses, you’ll want to upgrade your settlements to cities. Cities are more valuable and produce more resources. You can also build development cards, which provide special abilities and advantages.
Victory Points
The game is won by acquiring 10 victory points. You can earn victory points by building settlements, cities, and certain development cards. You can also earn points by having the longest road, the largest army, or by completing special tasks.
Trading and Diplomacy
Trading is a key aspect of Catan. By trading with other players, you can acquire the resources you need and strike up alliances. Sometimes, it may be beneficial to negotiate and trade with multiple players to gain an advantage.
Robber
Beware of the robber! If a 7 is rolled, the robber is activated. The robber can block the production of resources in certain areas and even steal resources from other players.
Game Dynamics
Catan is a dynamic game where the board and resource availability can change throughout the game. It requires adaptability, strategy, and a bit of luck to succeed.
Conclusion
Now that you understand the basics of Catan, it’s time to gather your friends or family and start building your empire on the island of Catan. Enjoy the journey and may the best player win!
- There are 19 terrain hexes (tiles).
- There are 6 sea frame pieces.
- There are 9 harbor pieces.
- There are 18 circular number tokens (chits).
- There are 95 Resource Cards.
- There are 25 Development Cards. This includes 14 Knight/Soldier Cards, 6 Progress Cards, and 5 Victory Point Cards.
- There are 4 Building Costs Cards.
- There are 2 Special Cards: Longest Road & Largest Army.
- There are 16 cities, shaped like churches, with 4 of each color.
- There are 20 settlements.
- There are 60 roads, shaped like bars, with 15 of each color.
- There are 2 dice, one yellow and one red.
- There is 1 robber.
- There is 1 Game Rules & Almanac booklet.
For Beginners: Getting Started
This game is played on a variable gameboard. For your first game, I suggest using the following map. It is balanced for all players:
(NOTE: Don’t forget to punch out and separate the pieces from the cardboard holders before playing your first game.) Here’s how to set up the game:
1. First, assemble the frame according to the instructions provided.
2. Next, lay out the 19 terrain hexes on the table as shown to create Catan.
3. Place the circular number tokens on the designated terrain hexes.
4. Finally, position your settlements and roads.
Now, let’s go through the setup process step by step:
1. Choose a color and collect your 5 settlements, 4 cities, and 15 roads. Make sure you have the correct number of each.
2. Put down 2 roads and 2 settlements on the game board.
3. Keep your remaining settlements, roads, and cities in front of you. If you’re playing a 3-player game, remove the red pieces from play.
4. Take your color’s Building Costs Card.
And there you have it! The game is now set up and ready to play. Enjoy!
First, I’ll place the “Longest Road” and “Largest Army” Special Cards next to the game board along with the 2 dice.
Hey there! It’s pretty important that you know where you’re allowed to place settlements and cities when playing this game. You can only put them on the corners of the hexes, and never along the edges. Take a look at Illustration C to see what I mean.
As for roads, they can only go on the edges of the hexes. Yep, just one road per edge. Check out Illustration D for a visual.
Because of the Distance Rule, some intersections on the roads won’t have anything on them. That’s just the way it goes!
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How to Play the Game
Hey there! So you want to learn how to play this awesome game? Well, you’ve come to the right place! Let’s dive in and see what it’s all about.
Game Play
First things first, let’s figure out who goes first. If you’re not using the Starting Set-Up for Experienced Players, the oldest player gets the honor of taking the first turn. Okay, now that we have that settled, here’s what you can do on your turn:
- Roll the dice to see what resources are produced. Remember, this result applies to everyone playing the game.
- If you want, you can trade resources with other players or use maritime trade. Get those negotiations going!
- Building time! You can construct roads, settlements, and cities, and you can even buy Development Cards. If you have any Development Cards, feel free to play one during your turn.
- Once you’ve finished your turn, pass the dice to the player on your left. It’s their turn now! The game continues with step 1, so let the good times roll.
Game Turn
I. Resource Production
- When it’s my turn, I start by rolling both dice.
- The total of the dice determines which parts of the map produce resources.
- If I have a settlement on a spot next to a resource-producing area with the rolled number, I get 1 Resource Card of that type.
- If I have 2 or 3 settlements bordering that area, I get 1 Resource Card for each settlement.
- For every city I have next to that area, I get 2 Resource Cards.
- If there aren’t enough resources for everyone that turn, nobody gets any of that resource.
II. Trading
After rolling the dice, you can trade to get Resource Cards that you need. You can do this in two different ways:
A. Trading within the game
B. Maritime Trade
III. Build
Now it’s time to build! Building allows me to earn victory points, expand my road network, improve my resource production, and even buy useful Development Cards.
To build, I need to pay specific combinations of Resource Cards (check the Building Costs Card). I must take the right number of roads, settlements, and/or cities from my supply and place them on the game board.
Don’t forget to keep my Development Cards hidden in my hand.
Hey there! I want to tell you something really important, so listen up. When you play this game, there’s something you need to know: you can’t have more pieces than you’re given. That means you can’t have more than 5 settlements, 4 cities, and 15 roads. It’s like a bunch of building blocks – you only have a certain number to work with.
B. Road Requires: Brick & Lumber
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When playing the game, it’s important to know the rules for building roads and settlements. Here are some key things to keep in mind:
– A new road can only be connected to an existing road, settlement, or city.
– Each path can have only one road.
– If you build a continuous road with at least 5 segments (excluding forks), you’ll receive the special card “Longest Road.”
– The player who builds a longer road than the current owner of the “Longest Road” card will take the card and its 2 victory points. This can result in a swing of 4 victory points!
Now let’s discuss the requirements for building a settlement:
– To build a settlement, you’ll need Brick, Lumber, Wool, and Grain.
Remember these rules and requirements as you strategize and plan your moves in the game. Good luck!
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When playing the game, there are some important rules that you need to keep in mind. Let me go over them with you:
1. The “Distance Rule” is crucial. Remember that you can only build a settlement at a crossing if all three of the adjacent crossings are empty.
2. Each of your settlements must be connected to one of your own roads. This is a must!
3. When a terrain hex produces resources, you get one Resource Card for each settlement you have next to that hex. This happens regardless of whose turn it is.
4. Each settlement you build is worth one victory point. So, try to build as many as possible to increase your chances of winning.
Now, let’s talk about building a city. In order to turn one of your settlements into a city, you need to collect three Ore and two Grain resources. Once you have the required resources, you can upgrade your settlement to a city. Remember, cities are more valuable and can earn you more victory points.
By following these rules and making strategic decisions, you can increase your chances of winning the game. Good luck!
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When I first learned how to play this game, one thing that confused me was the process of upgrading a settlement to a city. It’s actually quite simple, but let me explain it to you in simpler terms.
To establish a city, you just need to upgrade one of your settlements. That means taking one of your existing settlements and turning it into a city. When you upgrade a settlement, you remove the settlement piece (you know, the little house) from the board and put it back in your supply. Then, you replace it with a city piece, which looks like a church.
Now, here’s the cool part: cities produce twice as many resources as settlements. So, if you have a city on a terrain hex that produces resources, you’ll get double the amount of resources compared to having a settlement on the same hex.
Another thing to keep in mind is that each city is worth 2 victory points. So, upgrading your settlements to cities not only gives you more resources but also helps you get closer to winning the game.
Now, let’s talk about buying development cards. To buy a development card, you’ll need to have three specific resources: Ore, Wool, and Grain. Once you have these resources, you can spend them to buy a development card.
Development cards can be really helpful because they give you special abilities or bonuses. For example, you might get a card that allows you to build a road for free, or a card that gives you extra victory points.
To summarize, when you’re playing this game, upgrading your settlements to cities is a key strategy for getting more resources and victory points. And buying development cards can give you some extra advantages. So, keep these tips in mind as you play, and have fun building your cities and exploring the world of Catan!
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When you make a purchase from the Development Card category, you get to draw the top card from the deck. These cards come in three different types: Knight, Progress, and Victory Point. Each type has its own unique effect. Once you acquire a Development Card, it stays with you and cannot be purchased if the supply is empty. It’s crucial to keep your Development Cards hidden until you’re ready to use them, as this prevents your opponents from predicting your moves. Here are a few special cases that you need to be aware of:
1. Rolling a “7” and Activating the Robber:
– When you roll a “7”, no one receives any resources.
– Instead, any player who has more than 7 Resource Cards must choose and return half of their cards to the bank, rounding down to the nearest whole number.
When playing the game, one important action you’ll need to take is moving the robber. Here’s what you need to do: First, you must immediately move the robber to a different terrain hex or to the desert hex. Once you’ve moved the robber, you get to steal 1 Resource Card from an opponent who has a settlement or city next to the hex where the robber is now located. The opponent will hold their Resource Card hand face down, and you’ll randomly take 1 card from them.
It’s important to note that if the production number for the hex where the robber is located is rolled, the owners of adjacent settlements and cities will not receive any resources. The robber prevents them from getting resources.
Now, let’s talk about playing Development Cards. You have the option to play 1 Development Card at any time during your turn. However, you cannot play a card that you just bought during the same turn.
One type of Development Card you can play is called a Knight Card (also known as a “Soldier” Card), which has a red frame.
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If I play a Knight Card, I need to move the robber right away. To understand exactly how to do this, just refer to the section called “Rolling a “7” and Activating the Robber” and follow the first two steps.
Once I’ve played a Knight Card, I can keep it face up in front of me.
The first time I have 3 Knight Cards in front of me, I become the proud owner of the “Largest Army” Special Card. This Special Card is pretty valuable, too, because it’s worth 2 victory points!
But, here’s the thing: if one of the other players gathers more Knight Cards than I have, they can snatch that “Largest Army” Special Card right from under me. And not only that, they also get the 2 victory points that come with it! Talk about stealing the show!
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Green Frame: Progress Cards
Yellow Frame: Victory Point Cards
Keep your Victory Point Cards a secret – don’t let anyone else see them!
During the game, there are a couple of important things you should know about Victory Point Cards. You can only reveal them during your turn, once you have accumulated 10 victory points. This means that you can still reveal them after the game has ended and someone else has won. Additionally, you have the freedom to play any number of Victory Point Cards during your turn, even if you just purchased them.
Now, let’s talk about the end of the game. If you manage to collect 10 or more victory points during your turn, congratulations! You are the winner! However, if you reach 10 points when it’s not your turn, don’t worry. The game will continue until any player, including you, reaches 10 points on their turn. So keep playing and striving for victory!