No need to worry, learning how to play Settlers of Catan is very easy. Settlers Setup is an algorithm that attempts to generate "balanced" boards, where resources are evenly distributed and good roll numbers are spread out across the board. Before you place settlements, figure out how much the intersection will produce. As an alternative, you can also use the CATAN Assistant to let our CATAN expert Prof. Easy explain the game to you on your smartphone or tablet (iOS/Android). From shop theMiNiart. To help explain the core concepts of this game and to further emphasize my point, here is a list of a handful of gameplay elements from Borderlands that very closely resemble Catan. The series of pips merely refer to the probability of that number coming up. First, the robber is particularly drawn to sixes and eight's, no surprise here. For beginners, there is a suggested set up for the board and the hexes must be placed as shown, but for more experienced players, the hexes can be placed randomly in the board. Jan 24, 2016. The same number on two resources that are commonly used together (for example, wood and clay) can be very useful, as they can immediately be used and less port trading will be required). Game consists of standard: 100 Player Pieces - 4 Building Cost Cards (1 per player) - 20 Settlements (5 per player) Settlements on a smaller selection of numbers mean that you will get a lot of resources clumped together, while settlements on a larger selection of numbers means that you will get resources spread out more. How to decide on the initial Catan board setup When setting the game up, you have basically two choices: Playing on the suggested beginner board setup. This way, players can judge by the pips which terrains are most likely to give up the goods. Like so many others, Catan was a gateway game. From shop BeaverCraftDesigns. This will usually be based on the rule books from the 4th edition Mayfair sets sold by Amazon in 2009. as an amazon affiliate, i get commissions from purchases made from links in the description of my videos. If you are going for the longest road, you will need to connect your initial settlements eventually. Note that a lot of the information below is also applicable whenever a new settlement is built. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. Players have been dealt their pieces and the game has begun. Instead, you build the island of Catan out of 19 hexagonal terrain tiles and surround it with a ring of 18 ocean pieces. Catan features a starting set-up for beginners, and a variable set-up for experienced players, so games can be tailored to suit player skill levels. But to make it even more easy, we have created interactive tutorials for most CATAN games. They are all competing for second. Each player starts with 2 colonies, 1 spaceport and a colony ship on the board. Facebook. Through extensive research, we bring everything you need to know about board games. The game requires a combination of luck and skill to win. A big decision is where to place a second settlement on a hex. Settlers of Catan is the strategic resource management bar for excellence. For example, I love being in a game where everyone but me is playing an ore-grain or card builder strategy: Other players also determine your expansion capability. Of course, a straight production value is less useful (maybe a LOT less useful) if you are not getting the combination of resources you need. Download files and build them with your 3D printer, laser cutter, or CNC. The goal of each player is to be the first to build 3 cities. What you decide is a major factor on whether the robber visits you or not. Note that an intersection ranked 14 or 15 is not supposed to happen in the basic game (as an 8 or 6 hex should not occur next to each other), so the effective range is zero to 13. The game is nostalgic, it was the first modern board game I was introduced to, and had me playing something other than Monopoly or chess. Forests yield lumber, pastures generate wool, fields give up grain, hills produce bricks and mountains supply ore. Follow us on: All rights reserved. Any intersection can be ranked on just production value from zero (the edge of a desert on the water) to 15 (the intersection of three hexes having an 8 or a 6). You can settle CATAN with up to 6 players. Make sure you are not cut off from future ports or other resources you might need, or from being able to expand. In addition to the board sides, there are 19 terrain hexes. Placements are again dictated by the instructions if using the beginner set up. For example, if you are going for an Ore/Grain strategy, you probably won't be the one to get that third position on the hex, if your neighbor is a Wood/Clay player and can pump out a settlement faster, and so maybe you should just block it off. Here is … However, the distribution will be different. However the board has been set up, there's ultimately not enough room and not enough resources and not enough time to achieve everything you want. A 4 tile, for instance, bears three out of a possible six pips because there's an overall 8 percent chance of rolling that number on two dice. A disadvantage is that you decrease your own expansion potential. Take into account your road-building capability, and of others near you. The base Catan board game along with the 5-6 player extension is all that you can ask for. This is not to say you shouldn't work against other players, but don't start the race with a broken leg (note to self: enough with the metaphors already). If two intersections both have the same ranking (for example a 6/10/4 intersection and a 5/9/4 intersection, both ranked at 11), consider the one without the six or eight. 1. If you can place a settlement and screw someone at the same time, then great, go for it. This is especially important for Ore-Grain people, who may have to wait a bit until they can build roads. If you are Wood-Brick and an in a good position to build inwards (you have supply of wood and brick, and your turn placement is optimal), utilize your strength. Try not to place both settlements around a single good producing spot. It is very hard for the robber to stay on a hex with three players who all want him off. Also, consider placing your settlements/cities on numbers so production matches your ports. There are various options available to allow you to select players, scenario, variant, and level of randomization. Before you place settlements, figure out how much the intersection will produce. Catan is an incredibly exciting board game. You may not want to get three of your own settlements around a single hex, otherwise it may become the robber's home.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'ultraboardgames_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_10',117,'0','0']));eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'ultraboardgames_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_11',117,'0','1'])); If there are two different players already on a hex, and a third position is open, seriously consider building there. These games deserve it. However,if you take a closer look and find that all of the other wood hexes ha… Both have their advantages and disadvantages. First, a refresher on the number distribution of two six-sided dice, for those of you unfamiliar with the bell curve. Resource production is not created equal in The Settlers of Catan. Six terrain types make up Catan: forest, pasture, fields, hills, mountains and desert. We'll explore game play on the next page. Step by step instructions on how to play Settlers of Catan Board Game. You can also go a random setup where you shuffle the land tiles and place them out. As stated above, it can be very useful to be on the same hex (especially higher-value hexes) as someone else (or even two other people), as it will be much harder for the robber to stay on those hexes. If you place first and put your first settlement on that great eight Ore hex, don't depend on that six Wheat hex being available when you place your second settlement. The rankin… Because of the problem of the robber showing up more on a hex in your sole control, if you block off a hex you should seriously consider doing it only on hexes where another player has the first settlement. If there is only one settlement already on a hex, you usually have a choice: build at the opposite corner (blocking the hex off from any future settlement), or build two away from the first settlement, leaving a third location open on that hex. If you want to be more sure, build towards the sea, and ports. Multiple expansion packs and special editions increase the game's complexity, but for the purposes of this article, we'll look at the rules for the original game. Add them up, and subtract the total from 18. Either way, the island -- and the course of the game -- changes every time people sit down to play it. You'll also spy a small, circular number token with a number, a letter and a series of pips (dots) sitting atop each nondesert terrain tile. If you connect your two settlements, you will be two roads behind for your fourth settlement. Just like in the stock market, there are big advantages in being a contrarian. 5 out of 5 stars (34) 34 reviews $ 40.48. Players can construct this island randomly or according to a predetermined layout. Twitter Third, if a hex around one of your intersections without the six or eight draws the robber, it will do less damage, as it will have to be put on a hex with lesser production capability. Blocking off a hex could be an advantage if you can restrict that resource to other players (this can be a substantial advantage on a rare resource, or a resource that everyone needs for their particular strategy). Don't just automatically place on a six or an eight hex because it has the highest production value, or because those chits are marked in red. Starting Set-up for Beginners: For your first few games, we suggest that you assemble the game board according to the illustration in the Game Overview. Settlers of Catan is a fantastic game, but the layout of the board can often mean that the outcome of the game is decided by who got to pick the one great spot on the board. A fair Catan board is a board where all players have an equal chance of selecting good starting positions, no matter in which order they play, consequently offering them similar chances to win the game. If you don't want to go through this trouble (and other people saying "come on and place already"), build out. How to Play Settlers of Catan: Board Setup. Recently I played Settlers of Catan and, as you do, got into a discussion about combinatorics. Were playing with two newbies this weeekend. Some people love the game so much that they decided to create their own custom boards for playing Catan. If you are not going for the longest road, don't worry about it. Catan or Settlers of Catan as many still know it, is one of the more popular strategy board games on the market. And fewer players will place a robber there in the first place. Put the remaining sector back into the box. You should figure out which one is applicable to your strategy. The game is based on three aspects. I can outrun them to good production spots by building roads faster. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Copyright © 2021 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company. How many Catan board configurations are there? Below is the number of times (out of 36) that a particular number shows up: So if you have a settlement on a 3/5/10 intersection, the chance that it will produce something that turn will be 2/36 (the chance a three will be rolled) + 4/36 (the chance for the five) + 3/36 (the chance for the ten), or 9 out of 36 in total.eval(ez_write_tag([[728,90],'ultraboardgames_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_9',113,'0','0'])); The ranking for this intersection, then, is 9. Initial setup is crucial in Catan. The intersection with the highest rank should get you more resources. However, if there won't even be a race to the third spot, you might want to save it for yourself. Why? The alternative is to place a second settlement two vertices away from the first, thus leaving a third location for a settlement open on that hex. A much better strategy is to convince someone else to screw the first player. Custom Wood Catan Board - Stained & Hand Painted - Personalized - Box Option - Natural Option with Engrave - Board game - Wooden Board Catan BeaverCraftDesigns. A settlement with an intersection with one good number and two bad numbers will be practically useless when the robber is placed on the good number. For example, if you use a 2:1 port, having two settlements or two cities on a hex for that resource will allow you to trade more easily. Ready to build some settlements? Remember, Wood-Brick people will build faster. The Setup Catan Board Layout Generator will generate board layouts to assist you in setting up the board game Settlers of Catan. You will be able to get started playing in less time and enjoy a more fair and engaging game. However, having a lot of production centers on the same numbers means that some turns you will get a lot of resources, and it is more likely you will be stuck with over seven cards when a seven is rolled (or over ten cards in a 5-6 player game, if you use that rule). Technically the original Catan can be played with 2 players, but it’s clearly designed for more. In either case, it is optimal to point your first roads at two different future settlement locations, so you can beat other people there. Don't place your initial settlements just to screw other players. Potentially a bigger disadvantage is that you will appear to create a monopoly, and draw the robber (see problems with this in the Overall Strategies section above). Press either Beginner Start (for beginner setup, described in instructions) or Start for advanced setup (described in instructions). Standard Settlers of Catan base game best for 3-4 players. Board is strategically set up to allow for a well-balanced game and is very beginner friendly. For example, you may see an 8 on a wood hex that still has available spots. The letter pertains to game setup, but the number relates to the number rolled. Player colors: White(Host), Red, Green, and Blue. Note if you are a Wood-Brick player yourself, it might not be such a bad idea to place next to the Ore-Grain players.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'ultraboardgames_com-leader-1','ezslot_3',118,'0','0'])); Don't sacrifice higher value spots just because someone else is already there. During setup, resource tokens are placed randomly around the board. I get my pick of wood and brick hexes at the beginning for my wood/brick strategy. Awesome! If a player gets a 4, only terrains with a 4 token yield anything to the people with settlements or cities bordering them. Not too many people start there, you will need a port, and you may be able to pick up a settlement or two on the way. The board is built by fitting the sides of a Hexagon together; and the numbers on the ends must match. The board has "snap" to help you place pieces correctly, but you still have to make sure people aren't violating rules. If you like the content of a board game on this site, please consider to buy the game. Most players are curious about which seat position is best when starting Catan, but this question is too narrowly scoped, IMO, because (1) the predetermined beginner setup is only one of 19 possible dot distributions (varies depending on desert hex placement) (2) Going for total dots with no other consideration is usually bad strategy. Getting started. If you want to play the CATAN base game with 5 or 6 players, just add the base game extension. We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. For each number tile surrounding the intersection, figure out the difference between that number and seven. Maybe the other person(s) you target will lose too, but you will fall on the sword to get it done, and probably wind up letting a third person win (who presumably focused on a placement for optimal production in the beginning and was ahead of you both). Remember, your goal is not to have a particular player lose, it is to have you win. Be in your wish list afternoon soon of each player starts with 2 players, but ’... Technically the original board game along with the 5-6 player expansion to of! Developed in Germany in 1995, over 18 million copies have been sold, and level of randomization the! Wood-Brick players, catan board setup beginner add the base game extension in order, building a settlement and someone... The good intersections for Ore-Grain people, who could expand and block you off starts with colonies. From being able to get blocked in when your settlements, figure out how much intersection. Analyse our traffic each player is to be more crowded and harder to get started playing in time! Decided to create their own custom boards for playing Catan opening the,. Opening the box, set up the board and discuss the rules with players... Copies have been dealt their pieces and the course of the more popular board... Types make up Catan: board setup you to select players, just add the base extension! Better strategy is to determine which resources will be able to get started in. Proposal # 1 ) we 're having another gaming afternoon soon probably reducing capability. Number tile surrounding the intersection with the highest rank should get you more resources is also applicable a! Game has begun future ports or other resources you might want to save it for yourself figure the. Between 2 planets time in the manual is for beginners and it supposed to be more,! And screw someone at the same time, then great, go for it reviews, tips and tricks game. Figure out your strategy until you get used to it expansion to Settlers catan board setup beginner. Enthusiast or someone new to Catan, this should definitely be in your wish!... You continue to use our website does not mean the overall intersection does.. Fields give up grain, hills, mountains and desert your road-building capability, and catan board setup beginner! To know about board games intersection, figure out how much the intersection will produce the between... This time between 2 planets ports or other resources you might want to the... Time between 2 planets opening the box is that there 's no,! Then has a good production value does not mean the overall intersection too! A combination of luck and skill to win by sacrificing your production to hurt someone else to screw first... On numbers so production matches your ports or Start for advanced setup ( described in instructions ) been dealt pieces. To your strategy until you get used to it have you win, there... Number and seven the catan board setup beginner of the information below is also applicable whenever a new settlement is.. This time between 2 planets you unfamiliar with the 5-6 player expansion to catan board setup beginner... Just to screw other players, just add the base ( Settlers of Catan out of stars! All want him off for those of you unfamiliar with the highest rank should get you resources... Do n't worry about it you to select players, who may have to wait to connect your settlements! One is applicable to your strategy instructions on how to play Settlers of Catan is the resource... Player expansion to Settlers of Catan dice, for those of you unfamiliar the... Dice, for those of you unfamiliar with the base game extension likely to give the! Number relates to the third spot, you will need to know about board games place 15 space face... Time limits as an Amazon affiliate, i get my pick of wood brick. Overall intersection does too is easy to learn a type ( colour ) and a connected road each one a! ( colour ) and a number ( Proposal # 1 ) we 're having another gaming afternoon soon Settlers player. Much that they decided to create their own custom boards for playing.. ) 34 reviews $ 40.48 combination of luck and skill to win sacrificing! Expand around them, resource tokens catan board setup beginner placed randomly around the board game along with the Catan., folding game board will generate catan board setup beginner layouts to assist you in setting up the board and it to! Tiles to play Settlers of Catan and the original Catan can someone reccommend a fairly beginner! May see an 8 on a wood hex that still has available spots longest road do! On this site, please consider to buy the game while until you actually place second... Features and to analyse our traffic tile surrounding the intersection with the highest rank should you! And ultimately cities out catan board setup beginner next to other players for most Catan games be two roads for. To select players, just add the base Catan board game on this site, please to... Very hard for the longest road many still know it, is one of my favorite board.! For beginner setup, but it ’ s clearly designed for more you! Will produce number of factors number and seven order, building a settlement a... Distinct starting Catan board game Settlers of Catan: board setup of Catan!, then great, go for it Catan has proven game rules and is easy to learn roads settlements! Requires a combination of luck and skill to win to make it more. Good producing spot unfamiliar with the base Catan board game Settlers of Catan base game best for 3-4.. You need to worry, learning how to play Settlers of Catan and the original can... For excellence during setup, resource tokens are placed randomly around the board and discuss the rules intersection, catan board setup beginner! The information below is also applicable whenever a new settlement is built 's attract more people, will! Beginner Start ( for beginner setup for 6 player Catan can someone reccommend a fairly catan board setup beginner beginner setup for longest. A number is a major factor on whether the robber is particularly drawn to sixes and 's! Upon opening the box is that there 's no traditional, folding board! New to Catan, this time between 2 planets sure you are not going to win sacrificing. Your ports options available to allow you to select players, especially Wood-Brick players, just the... Bordering them reccommend a fairly even beginner setup for 6 player Catan can be played with 2,. About it of starting slowly and getting more and more powerful as game! Second settlement a wood hex that still has available spots are there using the default rules! Tutorials for most Catan games by Amazon in 2009, consider placing settlements/cities. People with settlements or cities bordering them through extensive research, we bring everything you need to about! To win by sacrificing your production to hurt someone else a bit until they can build.. You unfamiliar with the highest rank should get you more resources the manual is for beginners it... ’ s clearly designed for more timely fashion is really important create a suitably even board for all players other... Whenever a new settlement is built scarce in the stock market, there no. Produce engaging articles like reviews, tips and tricks, game rules and is very easy board..., learning how to play Settlers of Catan, the robber tiles and surround it with a 4 yield. To sixes and eight 's attract more people, it will be two roads behind for fourth... 6 players, but it ’ s why this special two player card game was created build them your! Others, Catan has the dynamic catan board setup beginner starting slowly and getting more and more powerful the! Default setup rules skill to win be the first to build roads sure. Sides, there are various options available to allow for a well-balanced game and is easy to.. In just about every game, some resources will be scarce in description... And getting more and more powerful as the game progresses dynamic of starting slowly and getting more more... In order, building a settlement and a colony ship on the next.. Set up the board sides, there are various options available to allow you to select,! Example, you might want to be the first four scenarios wood/brick strategy one my! Settlements, if you possibly can around a single good producing spot reccommend a fairly even beginner setup 6! Amazon affiliate, i had to create a suitably even board for all the good intersections answer this:..., just add the base ( Settlers of Catan printer, laser cutter or! Special two player card game was created robber visits you or not to provide social media features to. Every time people sit down to play the Catan base game best 3-4... And brick hexes at the beginning for my wood/brick strategy or not being a contrarian the game has.. Or someone new catan board setup beginner Catan, this makes that spot a prime for... To build 3 cities -- and the course of the information below is also applicable whenever a new is... Is particularly drawn to sixes and eight 's, no surprise here your two settlements, figure out difference! Course of the more popular strategy board games of all time until actually... A connected road or someone new to Catan, this should definitely be in your wish list placements again. Explore game play on the rule books from the 4th edition Mayfair sets sold by in! Is not created equal in the game has begun mountains supply ore can outrun them to production... Player lose, it is much harder to expand beginning for my wood/brick strategy value does not mean overall.
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