Catan Variant Rules

1. Seafarer’s Expansion:

Ever feel you’ve conquered the regular game of Catan? Well, get ready to set sail with the Seafarer’s Expansion! Now you can explore uncharted waters, discover new islands, and expand your settlements across the vast ocean.

In addition to the basic rules of the original game, the Seafarer’s Expansion introduces a few exciting new elements:

• Ships: Build ships to travel to new islands and connect your settlements.
• Gold Fields: Discover gold fields that produce valuable resources.
• Pirate Ships: Beware of pirate ships roaming the seas, ready to steal your goods.
• Scenarios: Choose from different scenarios, each with its own unique challenges and gameplay variations.

If you’re looking to add more depth and strategy to your Catan experience, the Seafarer’s Expansion is for you!

2. Cities & Knights Expansion:

Ready to take your Catan skills to the next level? The Cities & Knights Expansion is here to test your strategic thinking and decision-making abilities.

In this expansion, you’ll face the threat of barbarians invading Catan and disrupt your progress. But fear not, as you can now build powerful city improvements, recruit knights to protect your settlements, and even earn special development cards.

Here’s what you can expect from the Cities & Knights Expansion:

• City Improvements: Enhance your cities with various improvements, such as city walls and marketplaces.
• Metropolis: Upgrade your cities to metropolises and gain additional benefits.
• Development Cards: Acquire powerful development cards that can turn the tide of the game.
• Barbarian Attacks: Prepare your defenses and fend off barbarian invasions.

If you’re ready for a greater challenge and want to experience Catan in a whole new way, the Cities & Knights Expansion is a must-have.

3. Traders & Barbarians Expansion:

The Traders & Barbarians Expansion offers an assortment of new scenarios and game variants to spice up your Catan gameplay.

By adding this expansion to your collection, you open yourself up to endless possibilities:

• Various Scenarios: Play different scenarios that introduce unique objectives and rules.
• Barbarian Attack: Defend Catan against barbarian invasions.
• Traders & Barbarians: Become a master trader, establishing lucrative trade routes.
• New Game Variants: Try out new game variants, such as Fishermen of Catan and Rivers of Catan.

The Traders & Barbarians Expansion is perfect if you want to explore new challenges and keep your Catan games fresh and exciting.

4. Explorers & Pirates Expansion:

Arrr, mateys! Are you ready for an epic seafaring adventure in the world of Catan? The Explorers & Pirates Expansion takes you on a thrilling journey filled with discovery, treasure hunting, and unknown dangers.

This expansion set introduces an immersive campaign mode where you’ll embark on multiple scenarios, exploring different islands and charting new territories. Here’s what you can expect:

• Missions: Accomplish various missions to earn victory points and advance in the campaign.
• Pirate Lairs: Battle against fierce pirate lairs and claim their valuable treasures.
• Exploration: Unveil undiscovered lands and establish new settlements.
• Treasure Hunting: Dig up buried treasures and gain additional resources.

If you’re seeking a true adventure and want to delve into the uncharted waters of Catan, the Explorers & Pirates Expansion is a must-play.

Conclusion:

With a variety of expansion options available, Catan offers endless possibilities to keep the game fresh and exciting. Whether you prefer exploring new islands, facing barbarian invasions, engaging in trade, or embarking on an epic seafaring adventure, there’s an expansion that fits your desired playstyle. So gather your friends, choose your expansion, and get ready for an unforgettable Catan experience!

Did you know that when you’re playing the game of Standard Rules, there’s a requirement that the 4 (or 3 with a port) resources you trade must be the same in order to receive 1 of your choice from the bank? It’s a little bit puzzling, isn’t it?

Now, let’s explore two different options when it comes to trading resources:

• Option 1: You can mix and match different types of resources when trading, and you’ll still get 1 of your choice from the bank at the standard rate.
• Option 2: Want to spice things up? With this option, you can mix and match different resources when trading, but you’ll need to add an additional resource to the standard rate in order to receive 1 of your choice from the bank.

Wow, it’s cool to have choices, isn’t it? Now, let’s talk about something else – the Pirate & Bandit. They have an expiration date, just like a fresh slice of pizza. So make sure to take note of that!

Pirate & Bandit Expires

The Pirate & Bandit are pretty stubborn characters. According to the Standard Rules, they won’t budge until someone takes action. Here are a couple of options to consider:

Option 1: We can let the Pirate & Bandit cause trouble for a few rounds, and then they’ll go away. Maybe after causing problems for a player 1, 2, or 3 times, they’ll finally get bored and leave. Option 2: Another option is to bribe the Pirate or Bandit to leave. We can give them 2 or 3 resources that they desire, and they’ll gladly disappear from the board. This can work alongside Option 1 as well.

Now, let’s talk about how the Pirate & Bandit move. In the Standard Rules, they stay put unless players give them a nudge. Players have control over their movements.

That’s the deal with the Pirate & Bandit. They’re a quirky bunch, but with these options in mind, you’ll be able to handle their antics in no time.

Option 1: Rolling the Dice

• On a roll of “7”, I can choose to move either the Pirate or Bandit to an adjacent hex. To decide which hex corresponds to each number on the die, I roll it. If the move isn’t possible, like if the Pirate is on land or the Bandit is at sea, the token doesn’t move.

Option 2: Bribing and Moving

• If I’m using the Pirate & Bandit Expires Option and choose to bribe one of them, I have a different way to move them. Instead of rolling the die, I can move the bribed token as described in Option 1. If the rolled hex is not valid for the token, I remove it from the board. This option can be used along with Option 1.

Settlement & City Defense

The Standard Rules don’t offer any defense against the Pirates & Bandits affecting a city. But fear not, because there are options you can consider to protect your settlement. Let me walk you through them:

Option 1: You can deploy an army permanently in your settlement or city. Simply place a chip or another marker under the settlement or city to indicate this. By doing so, your settlement or city will be completely safe from the Pirates & Bandits’ effects. However, keep in mind that the army you used might or might not be counted in the army calculations. Option 2: If you have an unexposed army, you have the power to play it immediately and expose it. This move will preempt the Pirates or Bandits from attacking. Not only that, but you also get to place a token on any hex, except the hex where your army started or any hex that was preempted during this turn. This option can be combined with Option 1 for added protection.

Now that you know your options, you can make an informed decision on how to safeguard your city. Remember, the choice is yours, and you have the power to defend what’s yours.

The Standard Rules state that certain number chits have a higher likelihood of being rolled than others.

Option: Instead of using two six-sided dice, use number chits from 1 to 9 in sufficient quantities to apply to the land hexes. Roll a ten-sided die to determine which hexes produce resources. If a 10 is rolled, the normal effects of rolling a 7 with two dice are used.

Permanent Road Placement

The Standard Rules specify that once a player places a road, it remains on the board for the entire game.

Option: A player has the choice to remove a road. The road is returned to the player’s pool of unused pieces. This can be helpful if a player runs out of roads.

Competition Board Layouts

Here are some alternative options for official competition board layouts. These can be used with Settlers, Seafarers, or Seafarer discovery scenarios.

1. In the standard rules, the competition official deploys tiles according to a random setup determined by the rules. This option may potentially be the most unbalanced.
2. In the standard rules, each round of the competition uses the same setup, which is either created according to the rules or designed by the competition officials.
3. In the variable layout option, the competition officials create the layout, and the same layout is used for all boards in a round.
4. In the variable layout option, the players themselves create the layout.

When the competition officials create a layout, it is recommended that they playtest the layout before the competition to ensure it is balanced fairly.

Different Ways to Win

The number of victory points required to win depends on the number of players and how long you want the game to be. You should decide the target number before the game begins. If the target is not discussed, it is 10 for 3 or 4 players, and 20 for 2 players.

I’ve noticed something fascinating about the “Pick a Card” deck – the longer the variant you choose, the more significant it becomes. Let me explain.

	2 Players	3 Players	4 Players
Short	16	10	8
Normal	20	13	10
Medium	24	16	12
Long	28	20	14

Keep in mind that if there are ways to earn extra victory points, you might want to add them to the totals mentioned. It’s always good to have a little extra boost!

Something important to note – if you’re playing the medium or long version with 3 players, you’ll need additional settlement, city, and roads markers. Unless, of course, you want to make full use of the “Pick a Card” deck or if there are plenty of opportunities to earn bonus victory points.

Now, let’s talk about competitions. For a competitive game, I highly recommend going for the 4-player normal, medium, or long versions. They offer the perfect balance of excitement and challenge.

A Game Just for You

When I start playing the game, there’s already a neutral player on the board with 1 Town. I roll to determine its location.

Every turn, the neutral player gets a free Worker and captures the closest uncontrolled tile.

If there’s a worker next to a tile owned by me or a free tile, I can choose to remove it by paying 4 gold as a bribe.

The game ends when I reach enough points or there are no more free tiles left.

Ready to Take on the Team Game?

When it comes to playing as a team, alternating the seating arrangement between teams is the way to go. This ensures that no team gets consecutive turns, making the game fair and exciting for everyone.

Here’s an interesting twist: each color starts with an extra Town and Worker for each additional player. So, the more players, the more power your team will have right from the start.

Now, here’s the deal: resources and units are managed individually by each player, but here’s the exciting part – the score is based on the overall performance of the entire team. So, you’ll need to work together, strategize, and support each other to come out on top!

When you build routes between settlements, something magical happens – you create a pathway for the transfer of resources within your team. This means you can share the wealth and help each other thrive. Talk about cooperation!

Explore New Roads with Toll Roads

Are you ready to broaden your horizons and take advantage of other players’ routes? With toll roads, you can do just that!

Here’s the deal with toll roads: whenever you use someone else’s route, you’ll need to pay them a toll. It’s like a small fee for the convenience they provide. But don’t worry, it’s not too expensive.

• If the route is unoccupied, it’ll cost you 1 gold.
• If there’s a Knight, Bridge, or Fort on the route, the toll goes up by 1 gold.
• If the route has a settlement, you’ll need to pay an extra 2 gold.

But here’s the twist – you can negotiate trades instead of paying tolls. So, if you’re a smooth talker, you might be able to strike a sweet deal with your fellow players. It’s all about finding the right balance!

Enter the War of Catan

Guess what? I’ve got some exciting news for you! Knights now have an amazing new power – they can attack other players! How cool is that?

Instead of just moving around, a Knight can now choose to attack a piece that’s right next to them on the map. But here’s the catch: the outcome of the attack will be determined by a dice roll. Whoever rolls the highest value wins the combat! It’s like a little game within the game!

If a settlement gets attacked and loses the combat, the owner of the settlement will have to give up 2 resources. And if any other type of piece loses, it will simply be removed from the game.

But wait, there’s more! When someone attacks you, you have the option to pay 2 gold to avoid the whole combat situation and get rid of the attacking Knight. It’s like a get-out-of-jail-free card, but for settlers!

And here’s the best part: any piece that’s removed because of combat magically returns to its owner’s hand and can be played again in the next turn. It’s like a second chance!

And that’s not all!

Seasons have also arrived in the game! Say goodbye to boring old resource rolls. Now, we have four themed draw-decks that represent the different seasons. Each deck is assigned a color, which adds a whole new level of excitement to the game.

Red / Spring	–	sheep 2	–	brick	stone
Blue / Summer	wood 2	sheep	wheat	–	–
Orange / Fall wood	–	wheat 2	brick	stone
White / Winter wood	–	–	brick 2	stone 2

Everyone gets resources every time we draw cards, but you only get resources if we draw a card with the same items that you have workers for.

Specialization

When you specialize, you commit to building only one type of settlement. It adds some extra challenge to the game. You can choose to be a Green, Blue, Yellow player, or you can pick any player you like.

• Green players start with 1 Town and a Town Hall, and they can only build Towns. They can also build bridges.

You start off the game with a City and a Dock, and you have the ability to build Forts. Your goal is to upgrade your City to a Port and build Ships. Just keep in mind that if you want to build routes along mountain or ocean tiles, it will cost you more unless you meet the requirements.

Now, let’s talk about Mercenaries. This is an optional addition to the game that allows you to gain units and points through development. You can spend commodities to buy Development cards, which are white in color. If you play a Soldier Card, you can get a mercenary of your choice, whether it’s a Worker, Knight, or Merchant.

There’s another option as well. You can spend commodities to buy Development Tokens or Cards, which come in green, blue, or yellow. However, you need to meet certain requirements to buy these cards. For example, you need to have 1 Town for a green card, 1 City for a blue card, and 1 Port for a yellow card. Each Token is worth 1 victory point and gives you a bonus or unit without any prerequisites. It’s a great way to enhance your gameplay and strategize your moves.

Why You Should Consider Building Guild Halls, Chapels, and Docks in Your Kingdom

I want to talk to you about three important buildings that you should consider adding to your kingdom: Guild Halls, Chapels, and Docks. These buildings can bring you many benefits and play a crucial role in the growth and success of your kingdom. Let me explain why.

Guild Halls: A Free Worker for Your Kingdom

When it comes to expanding your workforce, Guild Halls are a fantastic option. By building a Guild Hall, you will receive a free worker who can contribute to various tasks within your kingdom. This means more resources, faster production, and increased efficiency. You can assign this worker to different jobs based on the needs of your kingdom.

Chapels: Enhancing Your Defenses

Defending your kingdom is a top priority, and Chapels can help you with this. By constructing a Chapel, you will gain the assistance of a powerful knight who will strengthen your defenses and protect your people. This knight is exceptionally skilled in combat and will be your shield against any enemy attacks. With a Chapel, you can put up a tougher fight and have a higher chance of defending your kingdom successfully.

Docks: Boosting Trade and Prosperity

Trade is a key element in the growth of any kingdom, and Docks provide a valuable advantage in this aspect. By building Docks, you will gain a free merchant who can handle your trade affairs and bring in more wealth. Merchants play a crucial role in expanding your resources and establishing valuable trade routes. With a Dock, you can increase your influence and enjoy a prosperous economy.

The Key Benefits of Town Halls and Garrisons

Town Halls: More Gold for Your Kingdom

When it comes to managing your finances, Town Halls are a game-changer. By having a Town Hall in your kingdom, you will receive an additional two gold per turn. This may not seem like much, but it can add up quickly and make a significant difference in your economy. With this bonus gold, you will have more resources to invest in the development of your kingdom and secure a brighter future.

Garrisons: A Second Chance in Combat

Combat is a risky business, but with Garrisons, you can have a second chance. When your settlement is attacked, the Garrison comes to your aid. It allows you to reroll combat once, giving you the opportunity to turn the tide of battle in your favor. This extra chance can be the difference between victory and defeat. With a Garrison, you can defend your kingdom more effectively and ensure the safety of your people.

Now that you know the importance of Guild Halls, Chapels, Docks, Town Halls, and Garrisons, I encourage you to consider adding these buildings to your kingdom. Each one has unique benefits that can elevate your kingdom to new heights. By expanding your workforce, enhancing your defenses, boosting trade, and securing additional gold, you will be well on your way to building a strong and prosperous kingdom.

When it comes to trading in foreign locations, I’ve got an exciting addition for you: wagons! These trusty vehicles are here to help secure your trade and boost your victory points.

Imagine this: camels (worth 1 victory point) placed on tiles with low roll probabilities, like 2, 12, 3, and 11. These camels mark the foreign locations where you can make a profitable trade.

So, here’s the deal: you need to build a route to each foreign location and send your wagon there to earn points. The first wagon to reach a foreign location even gets to snag the camel as a bonus! And don’t worry, the wagons that are left behind will still bring you riches. They’ll receive a chosen resource every turn (or a camel if rolled).

But wait, there’s more! Whenever you build a route to another player’s settlement, you’ll be rewarded with yet another camel. It’s like building bridges and getting camels in return!

The Market: Turning the Tables

Get ready for a twist, my friend. The robber token has received a makeover and is now known as The Market. You see, we’ve flipped the script on the “negative” aspects of the robber and turned them into something positive. Let me break it down for you:

When I’m playing the game and the Market is on a terrain hex with a rolled number, something special happens. Instead of blocking that terrain hex from producing resource cards, its production is actually doubled! Let me give you an example to make it clearer. Imagine there’s a blue city and a red settlement next to a mountain hex with the number 11 on it. Normally, when an 11 is rolled, this hex would produce 2 ore cards for blue and 1 ore card for red. But if the Market is on that mountain hex, and an 11 is rolled, a total of 4 ore cards are produced for blue and 2 ore cards for red. It’s quite a boost!

Now, let’s say the Market gets moved to a different terrain hex, either through a Soldier card or a roll of 7. In this case, something else happens. Instead of stealing a random resource card from another player whose city or settlement is next to that terrain hex, a copy of that resource card is taken from the bank. It’s a bit different when the Market is placed on a terrain hex by a player who doesn’t have any cities or settlements of other players. In that case, no resource card is taken at all.

These are some interesting twists that can really shake up the game and create new strategies. It adds an element of surprise and can change the balance of power. So, keep an eye on the Market and use it to your advantage!

Rolling a 7 and “Market Crash”

When you roll a 7, you may find yourself needing to discard some of your resource cards. If you have 8 or more resource cards, you’ll have to discard half of them, but rounded down. This situation is now known as a “Market Crash”. It’s not the best outcome, but it’s an important part of the game.

Poverty and Red Chips

To play the game, you’ll need 30 red chips. If you don’t receive a Raw Material card during the Raw Material Phase, you’ll be awarded a Red Chip. Additionally, when a 7 is rolled, every player will receive a Red Chip.

Red Chips can be quite useful. Instead of relying on luck and rolling the dice, you can use a Red Chip to name the pay-off number of a Raw Material card.

Now, here’s an interesting twist. At the beginning of your turn, you’ll need to pay a number of Red Chips equal to your Victory Point total. Keep in mind that this total includes your Biggest Knight Army, Longest Trade Route, and Victory Point Chips. However, it doesn’t include any hidden Victory Point cards you may have. It’s an important strategy to consider as you play the game.

Gold

When we play this game, I get to choose a special number called the pay-off number. Then, something exciting happens — all of us players receive Raw Materials based on that chosen number! It’s like magic! Well, not exactly magic, but it sure feels like it.

Now, let me explain what Raw Materials are. They’re like little treasures that we use to build things in the game. But here’s the thing – if there’s any player who doesn’t receive a Raw Material Card, they get something called a Red Chip instead. It’s kind of like a consolation prize!

But hey, naming that pay-off number is a big deal! It could mean the difference between getting a bunch of Raw Materials or ending up with a Red Chip. So, choose wisely, my friend!

Requirements: To play the gold variant, you’ll need counters to represent gold pieces. I recommend using yellow 8mm cubes.

Whenever we roll the dice and I don’t get one of the five regular resources, I receive a gold piece. The only exceptions are when we roll a 7, or when a number comes up that would have given me a resource, but the robber is blocking that hex.

On my turn, I can trade in three gold pieces for any one resource I want.

I can also barter with other players using gold, just like I would with the regular resources.