Contents
- 1 Catan: Seafarers Game Rules
- 1.1 Expanding the Adventure
- 1.2 Putting It All Together
- 1.3 Building Ships
- 1.4 The Reason for Ships
- 1.5 Building on New Islands
- 1.6 Understanding Shipping Routes
- 1.7 Moving Ships
- 1.8 The Wonders of Catan Chits and Unique Victories
- 1.9 The Amazing “Road Building” Development Card
- 1.10 The Gold Fields
- 1.11 Starting With a Ship
Catan: Seafarers Game Rules
Hey there! Ready to dive into the thrilling world of Catan: Seafarers? I’m here to guide you through all the rules so you can start playing and exploring this exciting game.
First, let’s talk about the basics. In Catan: Seafarers, you and your fellow players are in charge of settling an uninhabited island. The goal is to establish your settlements and cities, build ships to explore new lands, and become the mightiest settler on the island. Exciting, right?
Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how the game works. The game board is made up of randomly placed hexagonal tiles, each representing a different type of terrain like forests, fields, hills, mountains, and pastures. These tiles are placed to form an island, which will serve as the playing field for your adventure.
To start the game, each player places two settlements and two roads on the board. These settlements are placed on intersections where three tiles meet, and roads are placed along the edges that connect these intersections. Once all players have placed their initial settlements and roads, it’s time to roll the dice and get the game going.
On each turn, you roll two dice to determine which terrain hexes produce resources. If one of your settlements is located adjacent to a hex that produces resources matching the number rolled, you receive resource cards of that type. Resources are key in Catan: Seafarers because they allow you to build ships, roads, settlements, and cities.
Speaking of ships, they are a crucial element of the game. Ships are used to explore new lands and connect your settlements to new territories. You can build ships by spending resource cards and placing them on the edges of the hexagonal tiles. With ships, you can reach distant islands, discover new resources, and potentially expand your settlements.
One of the exciting parts about Catan: Seafarers is the scenario options you can choose from. Each scenario presents a unique set of rules, introducing different challenges and strategies. From fetching fish in the Fishermen of Catan to engaging in fierce battles in the Pirate Islands, there’s always something new to explore in each scenario.
So, are you ready to embark on a thrilling adventure on the island of Catan? Gather your friends, follow the rules, and let the excitement begin. May the best settler win!
- For this game, you’ll need:
- 6 frame pieces
- 19 sea hexes
- 11 terrain hexes (tiles)
- 50 Catan chits
- 10 number tokens (numbered on one side)
- 10 harbor tokens
- 60 wooden ships in 4 colors (15 ships of each color)
- 1 pirate ship (black)
- 1 Game Rules & Scenarios booklet
Expanding the Adventure
Once you’ve got the basics down, Catan: Seafarers takes things to the next level. Here’s what you need to know:
- Learn how to build, place, and move ships.
- Discover new ways to earn special victory point tokens.
- Watch out for the dreaded pirate!
Putting It All Together
Hey there! So, if you want to set sail and conquer the seas of Catan, you’ve gotta start by building the board. No worries, though, I’ll walk you through it step by step.
First things first
Before we can dive into the scenarios with Catan: Seafarers (aka “Seafarers”), you’ll need the components from a copy of Catan (aka “Settlers”). Each scenario will tell you exactly what you need to play it, so no need to stress about that.
Putting Together the Frame Pieces
When it comes to building the frame for a Seafarers scenario, it’s important to use the six frame pieces from Catan and the Seafarers frame pieces properly.
First, take the six Catan frame pieces and flip them over so that the all-sea sides are face up. It’s essential not to use the harbors that are printed on those frame pieces.
Each scenario illustration will show you exactly how the frame pieces should be assembled, so make sure to follow the guide closely.
Arranging the Hexagonal Tiles and Harbor Tokens
Once you have assembled the frame, it’s time to place the hexagonal tiles (hexes). These must be arranged exactly as shown in the scenario diagram.
After the hexes are in place, you’ll need to arrange the round tokens with the production numbers. Again, follow the scenario diagram precisely for the correct placement of these tokens.
Once you have finished constructing the board, it’s time to place the harbor tokens. Check the scenario description for a list of harbor tokens and shuffle them face down. Then, randomly pick a token and place it on the board according to the scenario diagram.
Note: When playing with the Seafarers expansion, make sure not to use the smaller harbor tokens from the standard Catan game!
Building Ships
To explore new islands, you’ll need ships. Building roads alone won’t satisfy your desire to expand!
The ship pieces in the game don’t represent individual ships like the roads represent carts and wagons. Instead, they symbolize a “shipping route.” These routes are used by ships to trade and travel between the islands.
To make a ship, you need 1 wool resource for the sails and 1 lumber resource for the hulls and masts.
Ships, like roads, can only be placed on the border between two hexes. However, ships cannot be placed between two land hexes. You can only build ships between two sea hexes to create an aquatic route, or between a sea hex and a land hex to create a coastal route. If there is already a road or ship on a coast route, you cannot build the other (e.g., if there is a road, you can’t build a ship, and vice versa).
When you build a new ship, you can place it next to any settlement or city you’ve already built on the coast.
OR – you can put your new ship next to any of your other ships that are already on the board. (Check out the “YES” paths in Illustration B.) When you put ships on the board, you can branch out as much as you want, just like when you build roads.
If you look at the ships, you’ll see that they follow sea routes. These routes aren’t connected to roads, and you can’t connect roads directly to ships. To link a land road to a sea route, you need to build a settlement where they meet. Even if the roads and ships reach the same point, they aren’t connected until you build a settlement there. Networks that aren’t connected don’t count towards the “Longest Trade Route.”
Remember, you can’t build roads and ships along the same coastline. Each coastal hex side can only have one ship OR one road, as the Catan rules on road building state.
The Reason for Ships
Ships are like roads on water. They help connect different places together, just like roads connect intersections on land. Think of a chain of connected ships as a highway that runs across the water or along the coast. These connected ships make up what we call a “shipping route”.
Shipping routes are important for expanding your territory. Just like roads, they allow you to reach new areas and build new structures. When calculating the “Longest Trade Route”, remember to count the shipping routes you have. They contribute to determining the length of your trade route.
When I’m playing Catan, I love exploring new territories. If I have a shipping route that reaches the coastline, I can even build a settlement on a new island. It’s like discovering a whole new world!
Building on New Islands
Here’s the thing, though. Even if it’s a new island, I still have to follow the “distance rule” from basic Catan. It’s important to remember that. But once I’ve built a settlement on that new island, it becomes a base for me to expand even further. I can build new roads and ships, connecting my newfound territory to the rest of my empire (see Illustration D).
Understanding Shipping Routes
Now, let’s talk about shipping routes. They can be either “closed” or “open”. A “closed shipping route” is like a chain of ships that connects two of my settlements or cities without any breaks in between.
Here’s the catch, though. I can’t move any ships that are part of a closed shipping route. Even if moving them wouldn’t break the connection between my settlements or cities, I have to leave them be. It’s a rule I have to follow, as frustrating as it may be. On the other hand, an “open shipping route” is any route that doesn’t connect my settlements or cities.
Moving Ships
Did you know that ships have a unique advantage over roads? They can actually sail from one place to another! Unlike roads, ships are more flexible. But there are some rules to follow when moving your ships:
- You can only move one ship per turn, but you can only do this during your building phase.
- Remember, you can’t move a ship on the same turn you built it.
- When you move a ship, you need to follow all the regular rules for placing a new ship.
- You can only move a ship if one of its ends is not next to any of your other pieces. Take a look at Illustration D – the ships outlined in white can move while the orange ships cannot. And only three of the red ships, as well as one of the blue ships, can move.
Example: (See Illustration E). There are 2 red shipping routes that are open. The red ships outlined in white are at the end of their respective routes. You can move the ship outlined in white, but only if you didn’t buy the ship this turn. The ship pointed to by the arrow can be moved to any of the edges marked “Yes”.
The Wonders of Catan Chits and Unique Victories
Catan chits are like magical little helpers with different roles to play in each scenario. They can be your special victory points, handy markers, or even an aid in keeping track of your accomplishments.
Now, here’s the thrilling part. You see, in some scenarios, the game isn’t just about expanding your territory. It’s about accomplishing specific goals that can earn you those precious special victory points. And when you manage to secure one of these points, ta-da! You receive a fabulous catan chit as a reward! Isn’t that incredible?
Want to know what happens next? Well, when you proudly claim a special victory point, you’ve got to place the corresponding catan chit right under one of your settlements or cities on the game board. That way, everyone can gaze upon your flourishing points and admire the clever ways you earned them.
When you place a settlement or city, you’ll earn special victory points on top of the normal points. For example, in Scenario 1: Heading for New Shores, you’ll earn 2 victory point tokens when you build your first settlement on one of the smaller islands. This settlement will be worth a total of 3 victory points: 1 for the settlement itself and 2 for the tokens.
In Seafarers, shipping routes are just as important as roads. As a result, the competition for the “Longest Road” has been replaced with the competition for the “Longest Trade Route.” So, when you’re playing, make sure to keep an eye on your shipping routes and try to build the longest one!
When it comes to scoring, the longest trade route is just as valuable as the longest road – both are worth 2 victory points. However, determining who controls the longest trade route is a bit more complex. You can count shipping routes, whether they are open or closed, and roads to figure out who has the longest continuous line. If you have the longest line of roads and/or ships, you get the special Longest Trade Route card and earn 2 victory points.
It’s important to keep in mind that you can only connect a road to a shipping route if there is a settlement or a city where they intersect. Additionally, you must only consider the single longest branch of a road and/or shipping route when calculating the longest trade route.
For reference: (Take a look at the diagram labeled F). You’ve got the longest trade path. It’s made up of 4 ships that create a closed loop and 2 roads that connect at point “A”. On top of that, you’ve built another shipping route that starts at point “B”. If you construct a settlement at intersection “C”, you’ll be able to connect this second set of ships (which form an open loop) to your road. This will extend the length of your trade path to 8.
The Amazing “Road Building” Development Card
Wow, have you heard about the incredible “Road Building” development card? Let me tell you all about it! This card is a game-changer in the world of strategy. When I play this card, I can instantly build two roads on the board. It’s like magic!
Picture this: I’m in a game, and I want to expand my road network, connecting my settlements and cities. But, oh no! I don’t have enough resources to build those roads. That’s when the “Road Building” card comes to the rescue. It allows me to build two roads at once, without needing any additional resources. How cool is that?
Imagine the possibilities! With this card, I can create a strategic web of roads, expanding my reach across the game board. It not only gives me more opportunities for expansion, but it also helps me block and obstruct my opponents’ paths. It’s a double win!
But here’s the catch – this card is rare and precious. It’s not something you come across every day. So, when I have this card in my hand, I have to use it wisely. I need to consider the best spots to place my roads, ensuring maximum impact and advantage.
And that’s not all! The “Road Building” card also comes with a surprising twist. Once I’ve built my two roads, I can pass the card to another player, giving them the chance to build their roads too. Sharing is caring, after all!
In conclusion, the “Road Building” development card is an essential tool in any strategic player’s arsenal. It can give me the edge I need to expand my network, block my opponents, and ultimately conquer the game. So, if you’re on the lookout for a game-changing card, you’ve got to get your hands on the amazing “Road Building” development card. Trust me, you won’t regret it!
Hey there! Did you know that when you play the “Road Building” development card in Seafarers, you’ve got some options? You can build two roads, two ships, or one ship and one road. How cool is that?
The Gold Fields
Guess what? There’s a new addition to Catan called the gold field! Some smart gold diggers found this precious mineral on certain islands around Catan. It’s like a treasure hunt!
The gold field hexes are areas where you can find tons of gold nuggets. But here’s the thing – gold can’t be used to build anything. So there aren’t any gold resource cards in the game. However, gold is super valuable for trading purposes.
When you roll the number on a gold field hex, you get resources for each settlement or city next to it. Each settlement gives you 1 resource, and each city gives you 2 resources.
If you can get resources from a gold field hex, you can choose any of the five resources available: grain, lumber, ore, brick, or wool.
You can pick any combination of these resources, but remember that settlements can only have 1 resource, and cities can only have 2 resources from the gold-producing hex.
Starting With a Ship
If you want to get an advantage over other players, you can start by exploring the oceans around Catan. You can choose to have one or both of your starting settlements on the coastline.
If you decide to do so, you can put a ship next to a settlement instead of a road. This is a good strategy if you want to quickly expand your maritime presence.
Now, let’s talk about the Pirate.
The sea, just like the fields of Catan, can be troubled by robbers. But in the case of the sea, we have to worry about pirates!
The pirate is a new element in Catan. Before the game starts, you place the pirate piece near the board. The pirate can have three effects on the game:
1. If you roll a “7” during your turn, instead of moving the robber, you can choose to move the pirate. Like the robber, you can place the pirate in the center of any hex you want. But there’s a catch – you can only place the pirate on a sea hex.