Catan

What you need

• Catan base game: 19 terrain hexes, 6 sea frame pieces, 9 harbor tokens, 18 numbered chits, 95 resource cards (brick/wood/wheat/sheep/ore), 25 development cards, 2 dice, and 4 player sets (5 settlements, 4 cities, 15 roads)

Setup

1. Assemble the island: 19 terrain hexes inside the sea frame — either the recommended beginner layout or fully random.
2. Place number tokens A→R in alphabetical order over the land hexes (skip the desert). The desert has no number and starts with the robber.
3. Shuffle resource cards into 5 stacks by type near the board. Shuffle the development card deck.
4. Each player picks a color and takes 5 settlements, 4 cities, 15 roads.
5. Setup placement (going clockwise, then reverse): place 1 settlement + 1 road, then in reverse order place a 2nd settlement + road. Your 2nd settlement earns you one resource card for every adjacent hex.

How to play

1. OBJECTIVE: First player to reach 10 Victory Points on their own turn wins immediately.
2. TURN ORDER: (1) Roll both dice for production, (2) Trade, (3) Build, (4) Pass dice left.
3. PRODUCTION: All players with a settlement/city adjacent to a hex matching the rolled number gain that resource — 1 card per settlement, 2 per city. Roll of 7 = no production, robber activates.
4. ROBBER (roll of 7 OR playing a Knight): Anyone with 8+ cards discards HALF (round down). Then move the robber to any hex — it blocks production there — and steal 1 random card from a player who touches that hex.
5. TRADING: Trade with other players at any ratio you both accept. Trade with the bank 4:1, or 3:1 / 2:1 at your harbors.
6. BUILDING COSTS: Road = 1 wood + 1 brick. Settlement = 1 wood + 1 brick + 1 wheat + 1 sheep. City (upgrades a settlement) = 2 wheat + 3 ore. Development card = 1 sheep + 1 wheat + 1 ore.
7. PLACEMENT RULES: Roads must connect to your existing roads/settlements. New settlements must be on empty intersections at least 2 roads away from any other settlement (the 'distance rule').
8. DEVELOPMENT CARDS: Drawn face-down, kept secret. Play up to ONE per turn (not on the turn drawn) except Victory Point cards which stay hidden until they win the game. Knight (14): move robber and steal. Progress (6): Road Building (2 free roads), Year of Plenty (2 free resources), Monopoly (name a resource, take all of that type from every player). Victory Point (5): +1 VP.
9. VP SOURCES: Each settlement = 1, each city = 2, Longest Road (5+ continuous roads) = 2, Largest Army (3+ played Knights) = 2, hidden VP cards = 1 each.
10. GAME END: Announce your total on your turn when you hit 10. You must reach 10 during YOUR turn — hidden VP cards can win instantly.

Host tips

• Strategy board game — read the rulebook once before hosting.
• Use the in-app Scorekeeper to track running totals.
• Tap 'Ask AI Judge' if a rules dispute comes up.

Snack & drink pairings

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