Welcome to the Volcano Game Rules!

Hey there! I’m here to guide you through the exciting world of the Volcano game. All you need is a Settlers of Catan game and a few extra things mentioned below. If you’ve got the Seafarers variant, you’ll also need a copy of Seafarers of Catan. Let’s dive in!

Let’s Discover the Treasure

Get ready to collect shiny gold by braving the mighty Volcano. The objective of the game is to fill your coffers with as much gold as possible. So put on your adventurer’s hat and let’s begin!

I. Time to Set Things Up

First things first, let’s get everything ready. Shuffle all the land tiles and create the game board. It’s just like setting up a normal game of Settlers of Catan. Once the game board is ready, place the harbor tiles and sea tiles as usual. Then comes the thrilling part – replace the Desert tile with the extraordinary Volcano tile (you’ll find more about this tile under Additional Components). And voilà, we’re ready to rumble!

Choose a number, any number, except for “7.” Let’s all agree on which number to use and place it on the Volcano. Depending on the chosen number, the Volcano will become more or less active. At the start of the game, the Robber is on the Volcano.

Now, let’s go over the special rules.

During the initial construction turns, you can’t place your settlements on intersections that border the Volcano. Keep an eye out for this restriction.

The Volcano can erupt during the game! If the number on the Volcano token is rolled, get ready for an eruption. Any settlers in the path of the lava will unfortunately be swept away. Watch out!

When the Volcano erupts, you roll a die to see which way the lava will flow. There are six possible paths on the Volcano tile, and one of them will be affected. If there is a settlement on the selected path, it gets destroyed!

You take it off the board (but the owner can build it again later). If there’s a city there, it becomes a settlement instead! The city is replaced with a settlement in the same color as its owner. If the owner doesn’t have any settlements left, the city gets destroyed.

The Robber being on the Volcano hex doesn’t stop the eruption from happening.

Gold Variant

Note: This is an optional rule. Everyone has to agree to use it.

Volcanoes usually have valuable stuff like gold or gems. If the players want, the Volcano can produce resources when its number is rolled.

Imagine there’s a special type of “gold” that’s unique to the game. It’s called Gold River hex and it works just like the regular gold hex in the Seafarers expansion. But here’s the twist: when the Volcano hex erupts, any settlement that’s next to it can produce any one of the five resources that its owner wants. Isn’t that exciting?

And guess what? It gets even better! If you have a city adjacent to the Volcano, you can produce not just one, but two resources of your choice. But here’s the thing, this resource production happens before the volcano eruption, so you can maximize your gains! However, keep in mind that the Robber can’t stop the Volcano from erupting, but he can prevent any player from producing resources from the Volcano hex if he’s hanging out there.

III. Components

In addition to all the regular game components, you’ll need two extra ingredients for this special edition of Settlers:

• I need 1 Volcano Hexagon (or more if I want to play with the Krakatoa Variant)
• I also need 1 additional resource number token (or 3 if I’m playing the Krakatoa Variant)

IV. The Volcano Tile

This is what the Volcano Tile looks like. I can make my own by copying this image and attaching it to cardboard! Just click on the image to see a bigger version.

V. Playing with the Seafarers Expansion

If I want to play the Volcano scenario with the seafarers expansion, I have some flexibility. The Volcano tile can replace any desert or sea tile, but all the players have to agree on which one. The only rule is that the tile I replace must be next to at least two other tiles that produce resources.

Krakatoa Variant

Hey there! I’ve got a special variant to share with you today. If you have the Seafarers expansion, this one’s for you!

So, here’s how it goes: you’ll create a cool island using three Volcano tiles. And on each of those Volcanoes, you’ll place the resource number tokens 4, 5, and 6. Pretty neat, right?

Now, bear in mind, this variant should only be used if you’re also playing with the Gold Variant I mentioned earlier. They go hand in hand!