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The Ultimate Guide to Playing Catan: A Step-by-Step Tutorial for Beginners

Catan is a tactical board game that is highly interactive, accessible, and offers a plethora of creative strategies for players to explore. It is a game of skill, offering a unique and engaging experience with its simple yet intricate gameplay. Catan provides an immersive tactical experience, allowing players to build and develop their own unique strategies.

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11 July, 2024

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After a long day of work and study, it’s important to unwind and de-stress. But if you’re looking for a way to relax while still engaging your brain, look no further than the board game Catan! In this guide, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to get started with this fun and strategic game.

1 Introduction to Board Game Catan

Catan Board Game Set

Catan is a strategy board game that challenges players to build settlements, cities, and roads while trading and acquiring resources. It’s a game of tactics and negotiation, as players barter and trade with one another to get the resources they need to expand their civilizations. With its interactive gameplay, Catan creates a lively and social atmosphere that fosters communication, negotiation, and a bit of friendly competition.

For more information: Basic Rules and Expansions

2 Learn the Rules of Catan in 5 Minutes

Illustration of Catan Players

Step 1 Set up the game according to the instructions, and choose a player to go first.

Step 2 Roll the dice to collect resources (the result applies to all players).

Step 3 Trade resources with other players or the harbor.

Step 4 Build settlements, roads, or cities, or purchase Development Cards to use during the game. Remember, you can only use one Development Card per turn.

Step 5 Pass the dice to the player on your left and continue from Step 1.

For more information: Rules Summary

3 How to Play Catan

Catan Game Simulation

Playing Catan is simple. All you need is a group of players and a complete Catan game set, which includes:

19 land tiles
6 sea frames
9 ports
18 round number tokens
95 Resource Cards (including stone, wheat, wood, sheep, and brick)
25 Development Cards (including 14 Soldier Cards, 6 Project Cards, and 5 Victory Point Cards)
4 Building Cost Cards
2 “Longest Road” and “Largest Army” cards
16 Cities (4 of each color)
20 Settlements (5 of each color)
60 roads (15 of each color)
2 dice (1 yellow, 1 red)
1 Robber
1 Rulebook and summary sheet

Once you have your game set, it’s time to set up the board. There are two types of board setups: one for new players and one for experienced players. After setting up the board, one player should explain the rules, and then you can start playing according to the steps outlined in Section 1.

For more information: Detailed Rules

4 Game Setup

Catan Game Setup Illustration

Each player chooses a color and takes 5 settlements, 4 cities, and 15 roads of that color. To start, players place 2 settlements and 2 roads on the game board, keeping the remaining pieces in front of them. Next, each player takes the Building Cost card corresponding to their chosen color.

Place the “Longest Road” and “Largest Army” cards next to the game board, along with the two dice. Separate the Resource Cards into 5 stacks and place them next to the board. Shuffle the Development Cards and place them face down next to the board.

5 Cards

Catan Game Cards

Catan features several types of cards, each with its own function and importance in the game. There are 95 Resource Cards, 25 Development Cards, 4 Building Cost Cards, and 2 special cards (“Longest Road” and “Largest Army”). Understanding how to use these cards effectively is key to winning the game.

6 Detailed Rules

Catan Game Components

Resource Production

To produce resources, players roll two dice and sum the numbers. The total corresponds to the resource-producing land tiles. Players receive one resource for each settlement they own and two resources for each city. If there are not enough resources to distribute in a turn, no one receives any resources.

Trading

After resource production, players can trade resources with each other to accumulate the resources they need. There are two types of trades in the game:

Internal Trade

During your turn, you can negotiate and trade with other players to get the resources you need.

Port Trade

In this type of trade, you can exchange resources at any time during your turn, but the exchange rate is 4:1. You must give 4 cards of the same resource to get 1 card of the resource you want.
If you have a settlement or city adjacent to a port, you can trade at the port’s rate.

Building

In this phase, you can employ different strategies to win the game by expanding your roads, upgrading settlements to cities, or purchasing Development Cards.
To build, you must pay the required resources as indicated on the Building Cost card, and keep your Development Cards secret.

Road Building Requirements

New roads must connect to existing roads or settlements. Only build one road per path.
The player who builds the longest continuous road (5 or more roads) receives the “Longest Road” card. If another player builds a longer road, they take the card.
The player holding the “Longest Road” card earns 2 points.

Settlement Building Requirements

Build only one settlement at an intersection when all three intersections are unoccupied. Each settlement must be connected to at least one of your roads.
When a resource-producing land tile is revealed, you receive one resource card for each adjacent settlement you own.
Each settlement is worth 1 point.

City Building Requirements

To build a city, upgrade a settlement. Cities produce twice as many resources as settlements. You will receive 2 resource cards for each resource-producing land tile adjacent to your city.
Each city is worth 2 points.

Development Card Purchase Requirements

When purchasing a Development Card, draw from the top of the deck and keep it secret.

Special Cases

During the game, you may encounter special cases, such as rolling a 7 or encountering a robber. In these cases, carefully read the instructions on the cards and follow the rules for these special situations.

7 Where to Play Catan Online

When playing Catan, it’s important to understand the functions of the different cards and how they can be used to develop winning strategies. Pay close attention to the rules for building settlements and cities, and be mindful of potential errors during trades to avoid losing points.

A good tip for playing Catan is to focus on occupying the 6, 8, 5, 9, 4, and 10 positions, as these allow you to collect resources immediately. Additionally, be strategic and clever when trading and using Development Cards.

Now you know the basics of playing Catan! We wish you many enjoyable gaming experiences.

Frequently asked questions

Catan is a strategy board game for 2-4 players. The goal is to build settlements, cities, and roads to connect resources and earn points. Each player starts with two settlements and two roads, and takes turns rolling dice to gather resources, trading with other players, and expanding their civilization. The first player to reach 10 points wins.

There are five resources in Catan: wood, brick, grain, sheep, and ore. These resources are produced by specific terrain hexes on the board: forests (wood), hills (brick), fields (grain), pastures (sheep), and mountains (ore). Players gain resources by rolling the dice and collecting from hexes adjacent to their settlements or cities. Players can also trade resources with other players or purchase them from the bank.