The Settlers of Catan

Settlers of Catan is a strategic board game where players compete to become the dominant force on the island of Catan by building settlements, cities, and roads.

Settlers of Catan

• Game Objective: Build settlements and cities, develop roads, and collect 10 victory points to win.
• Gameplay Mechanics: Roll dice each turn to determine which resources are produced; collect resources in the form of cards: wood, grain, brick, sheep, and ore.
• Game Setup: 19 large hexagonal terrain tiles are randomly placed in a honeycomb pattern and surrounded by sea frame pieces; some sea pieces have harbors for trading.
• Components: 19 hexagonal terrain tiles, 6 sea frame pieces, 9 extra harbor pieces, 20 wooden settlements, 16 wooden cities, 16 wooden roads, 95 resource cards, 25 development cards, 4 building cost cards, 2 special bonus cards, 18 number tokens, 2 dice, 1 wooden robber pawn, 1 rulebook & almanac.
• Players and Time: 3–4 players, recommended age 10+, playing time approximately 90 minutes.
• Resource Management: Players gain resources based on which hex tiles their last placed house borders; a robber pawn starts on the desert tile.
• Turn Sequence: A turn can include: playing a development card, rolling the dice, collecting resources (except on a 7), trading resources for improvements, trading at a harbor or with other players. When a 7 is rolled, the robber is moved and cards can be stolen from opponents with adjacent buildings.
• Scoring Sources: Settlements and cities, longest road, largest army (via certain development cards) and certain development cards that grant direct victory points. When a player reaches 10 points, they declare victory.

Settlers of Catan is a tactical game that rewards planning, negotiation, and adapting to dice rolls. The game is ideal for families and gaming groups in the Nordics looking for a social strategy game with high replay value.

Settlers of Catan — detailed description

• Materials: Wooden pieces for settlements, cities, and roads; paper cards for resources and development; cardboard tiles for the game board; wooden robber pawn; plastic/cardboard for harbor and frame pieces.
• Specifications: 19 hexagonal terrain tiles, 18 number tokens, 2 dice, total component list as above.
• Setup: Place the terrain tiles randomly in a honeycomb shape, place number tokens, give each player two settlements and two roads to be placed at intersections and edges, respectively. Place the robber on the desert tile.
• Strategic Tips: Choose starting locations that provide access to multiple resource types and good probability based on the frequency of the number tokens; keep trading opportunities in mind (harbors) and balance expansion vs. card collection.

Settlers of Catan offers dynamic gameplay experiences because the game board is set up differently each time, increasing replay value. Settlers of Catan is excellent for local game nights and tournaments in the Nordics where both negotiation and resource management are valued.

Frequently Asked Questions about Settlers of Catan