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Catan Rulebook
Catan Rulebook
Game Rules
& A lmanac
Game Rules
These 4-page rules (pages 2-5) contain all the important Constructing T he Island
information that you need to play! The frame pieces hold the board together and prevent
If you need more information during the game, you can look the pieces from moving after the board is in place. Before
up keywords (marked Y) in the “Almanac,” which follows building the island, assemble the frame by matching the
these rules. numbers at the ends of the frame pieces together (i.e., 1-1,
G ame Components 2-2, etc.).
• 19 terrain hexes (tiles) You can then construct the island of Catan using the 19
terrain hexes as shown on page 3.
• 6 sea frame pieces
• 9 harbor pieces Starting Set-up for Beginners
• 18 circular number tokens You can play the game Catan on a variable game board.
• 95 resource cards (bearing the symbols for the brick, For your first game, however, we suggest that you use the
grain, lumber, ore, and wool resources) “Starting Set-up for Beginners Y.” (See Illus. A on page 3.)
• 25 development cards (14 knight cards, This set-up is well-balanced for all players.
6 progress cards, 5 victory point cards) Before your first game, you must remove the die-cut
• 4 “Building Costs” cards components from the cardboard holders. Carefully punch
• 2 special cards: “Longest Road” & “Largest Army” out and separate the pieces. When punching tiles out of the
die-cut sheets, always push the tiles through from the front,
• 16 cities (4 of each color, shaped like churches)
“cut” side (pushing from the back may cause the tiles to rip).
• 20 settlements (5 of each color, shaped like houses)
Lay out the map as specified in Illustration A (or on the
• 60 roads (15 of each color, shaped like bars)
back of this booklet).
• 2 dice (1 yellow, 1 red)
First, assemble the frame as shown. Second, create Catan
• 1 robber by placing the 19 terrain hexes on the table—again as
• 1 “Game Rules & Almanac” booklet shown. Third, place the circular number tokens on top of
the designated terrain hexes. Finally, place your settlements
and roads.
Africa is spring and we walk five paths toward the sun
the Almanac.
If you’ve never
played Catan, 9H
••••
11
••
3
•• 8
•••••
please read the Robber
game Overview
first—it’s on the
back cover of this 8H
•••••
3
••
H 4
•••
5
••••
Starting Set-up for Experienced Players Place the special cards “Longest Road” and “Largest Army”
It is more fun to play with a variable game board—with the beside the game board along with the 2 dice.
game board laid out randomly. The board changes each game. Sort the resource cards into 5 stacks and put them face up
If you would like to use the variable set-up, you can find the next to the game board.
guidelines in the Almanac under Set-up, Variable Y. Also look Shuffle the development Illustration B
for useful tips under Set-up Phase Y and Tactics Y. cards and place them face
down by the board.
Setting Up the G ame You receive resources Y
Select a color and take your 5 settlements, 4 cities, and for each terrain hex • A City replaces an already-built Settlement.
• Usually, you only play 1 development card per
turn, and you cannot play a development card on
the turn it’s built.
L argest A rmy
2 Victory Points!
The first player to play 3 Knight cards
15 roads (no more and no less!). Place your 2 roads and around your starting
gets this card. Another player who plays
more Knight cards takes this card.
your 2 settlements on the game board. Place your remaining settlement marked
settlements, roads, and cities down in front of you. with a white star H L ongest R oad
2 Victory Points!
This card goes to the player with the
Note: If you are playing a 3-player game, nobody plays the (see Illustration A). Take longest road of at least 5 segments.
Another player who builds a longer
road takes this card.
1. Resource Production
You begin your turn by rolling both dice. The
The first player to build a continuous
road (not counting forks) of at least 5 =
sum of the dice determines which terrain hexes road segments receives the special card
© 2015 Catan GmbH
back in your supply and replace it with follow steps 1 and 2. Move the robber.
a city piece (church). Once played, knight cards remain face Steal 1 resource from the
owner of a settlement or
city adjacent to the
You acquire 2 resource cards for an adjacent terrain hex that 3 knight cards in front of himself receives
produces resources. the special card “Largest Army,” which is
Each city is worth 2 victory points. worth 2 victory points. If another player has
MONOPOLY
more knight cards in front of him than the
d) Buying a Development Card Y
current holder of the Largest Army card, he
Requires: Ore, Wool, & Grain
immediately takes the special card and its
© 2015 Catan GmbH
There are 3 different kinds of these Progress Cards (Green Frame) Y All other players must give
you all of their resources
cards: knight Y, progress Y, and If you play a progress card, follow its
© 2015 Catan GmbH
victory point Y. Each has a different instructions. Then the card is removed from
effect (see 4.b, below). the game (i.e., toss it in the box).
Development cards never go back into the supply, and you Victory Point Cards (Orange Frame) Y LIBRARY
cannot buy development cards if the supply is empty. You must keep victory point cards hidden.
Keep your development cards hidden (in your hand) until You may only reveal them during your turn
you use them, so your opponents can’t anticipate your play. and when you are sure that you have 10
1 Victory Point!
4. Special Cases victory points—that is, to win the game. Of Reveal this card on your
turn if, with it, you reach
the number of points
course, you can reveal them after the end of
© 2015 Catan GmbH
for them and they are still available in the supply. (See •••••
Desert
The desert is the only terrain hex that
does not produce resources. The
A
robber Y is native to the desert,
and he starts the game there. A
settlement or a city built adjacent B
to the desert yields fewer resources C B A
than those built next to one of the
other terrain types.
Development C ards
There are 3 different kinds of development Domestic Trade
cards: Knight Cards Y, Progress Cards Y, and On your turn, you may trade resources with the other players
Victory Point Cards Y. (after rolling for resource production). You and the other
When you buy a development card, take players negotiate the terms of your trades—such as which
the top card of the draw pile into your hand. cards will be exchanged. You may trade as many times as you
Keep your development cards hidden until can, using single or multiple cards. However, you cannot give
you play them. This keeps the other players away cards, or trade matching resources (“trade” 3 ore for 1
in the dark. ore, for example).
You cannot trade or give away development cards. Important: While it is your turn, you must be a part of
all trades, and the other players may not trade amongst
You may only play 1 development card during your turn—
themselves.
either 1 knight card or 1 progress card. You can play the
card at any time, even before you roll the dice. You may not, Example: It is Pete’s turn. He needs one brick to build a
however, play a card that you bought during the same turn. road. He has 2 lumber and 3 ore. Pete asks aloud, “Who will
give me 1 brick for 1 ore?” Beth answers, “If you give me
Exception: If you buy a card and
3 ore, I’ll give you a brick.” Cooper interjects, “I’ll give you
it is a victory point card Y that L IBRARY
M ARK
ET 1 brick if you give me 1 lumber and 1 ore.” Pete accepts
brings you to 10 points, you may
Cooper’s offer and trades a lumber and an ore for a brick.
immediately reveal this card
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Note Beth may not trade with Cooper, since it is Pete’s turn.
(and all other VP cards) and
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victory points and declares victory. points on your turn, the game ends
immediately and you win! You can only
Distance R ule win during your turn. If somehow you find
You may only build a settlement on an unoccupied you have 10 victory points during another
intersection Y and only if none of the 3 adjacent intersections player’s turn, you must wait until your next
contains a settlement or city. turn to claim victory. L ongest R oad
Example: See Illustration F. Coleman, the blue player, wants Example: Siobhán has 2 settlements 2 Victory Points!
This card goes to the player with the
longest road of at least 5 segments.
Another player who builds a longer
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claims victory!
7
•••
Intersections
Intersections are
the points where Illustration G
3 hexes meet. See L
Illustration G. You may
only build settlements
Largest Army
on intersections. The If you are the first player to play
influence (for resource 3 knight cards, you receive this special
yields) of settlements card, which is worth 2 victory points.
and cities extends into You place the “Largest Army” card face
the 3 adjacent terrain up in front of you. If another player L argest A rmy
2 Victory Points!
hexes that form the plays more knight cards than you have, The first player to play 3 knight cards
gets this card. Another player who plays
more knight cards takes this card.
:
longest road of at least 5 segments.
branches, you may only count the Another player who builds a longer
road takes this card. to the supply in exchange for
GmbH
GmbH
Catan
© 2015
GmbH
Catan
If you hold the “Longest Road” card and another player
© 2015
at a harbor location) to trade at 4:1,
builds a longer road, he immediately acquires your “Longest so when nobody wants to trade…
Road” card. He also acquires the 2 bonus victory points. (Since Example: Benny returns 4 ore cards to the supply and takes
you also lose the 2 victory points, it is a 4 point swing!) 1 lumber card in exchange. Normally, he should first try a
Example: See Illustration I. Emily, the red player, builds a more favorable trade with the other players (domestic trade).
continuous road with 7 wooden pieces (A–B). The branch If you have built a settlement or city at a harbor Y location,
roads (marked with arrows) are not counted. Emily snags you can trade more effectively. There are 2 different kinds of
the “Longest Road” special card. harbor locations:
Generic Harbor (3:1): Here
Illustration I
A you may exchange 3 identical
resource cards for any 1 other
resource card during your
trade phase.
Example: Brad has a settlement
at a generic harbor. He can, for
C instance, exchange 3 lumber cards
for 1 wool card.
Special Harbor (2:1): There is
only 1 special harbor for each
type of resource (with the same
B symbol). So, if you earn plenty of
a certain type of resource, it can
be useful to build on the special
harbor for that resource type. The
exchange rate of 2:1 only applies
You can break an opponent’s road by building a settlement on
to the resource shown on the
an unoccupied intersection along his road!
harbor location. A special harbor does not permit you to
Example: In Illustration I, the blue player Coleman builds a trade any other resource type at a more favorable rate (not
settlement on intersection “C” (which is legal). This breaks even 3:1)!
Emily’s road into 2 parts. Emily must give the special card to
Example: Ron built a settlement at the ore special harbor.
Coleman, who now has the Longest Road (and 2 more VPs).
He may exchange 2 ore cards for any 1 other resource card.
Special Case: If your longest road is broken and you are He can also trade 4 ore cards for any 2 other cards. If he
tied for longest road, you still keep the “Longest Road” card. traded 4 wool instead of 4 ore, he would get only 1 card in
However, if you no longer have the longest road, but two or return.
more players tie for the new longest road, set the “Longest
Road” card aside. Do the same if no one has a 5+ segment
road. The “Longest Road” card comes into play again when only
1 player has the longest road (of at least 5 road pieces).
A B
© 2015 Catan GmbH
Monopoly: If you play this card, you must Take any 2 resources from
the bank. Add them to
your hand. They can be
name 1 type of resource. All the other players
© 2015 Catan GmbH
must give you all of the resource cards of It is possible that during the game there will not be enough
this type that they have in their hands. If an MONOPOLY resources in the bank to supply all of the yields. If there are not
opponent does not have a resource card of enough resource cards to give every player all the production
the specified type, he does not have to give they earn, then no player receives any of that resource that turn.
you anything. When you play this card,
announce 1 type of resource.
Exception: If the shortage of resource cards only affects a
All other players must give
of that type.
your turn. left in the supply, and any extras are lost. In either case,
production of other types of resources is not affected.
10
B 4
J
•••
(1) Your settlement must always connect to 1 or more of your
own roads Y.
(2) You must observe the Distance Rule Y. For an example of
the distance rule, see Illustration M on page 12.
Example: See Illustration L. It is Xander’s turn and he rolls a
“7.” He must move the robber. The robber was in a fields hex.
Xander places it on the “4” number token of a hills hex. If a
“4” is rolled in the coming turns, the owners of settlements
11
A A Round Two
B Once all players have built their first settlement, the player
who went last in the first round begins round two: he builds his
second settlement and its adjacent road.
Note: After he builds, the other players follow
counterclockwise, so the starting player in round one places
his second settlement last.
Note: If you have built all 5 of your settlements, you must
The second settlement can be placed on any unoccupied
upgrade 1 of your settlements to a city before you can build
intersection, as long as the Distance Rule is observed. It
another settlement. You will then have the settlement in your
doesn’t have to connect to the first settlement. The second road
supply, so you can build another settlement.
must attach to the second settlement (pointing in any of the 3
Set -Up P hase directions).
Begin the “set-up Each player receives his starting resources immediately after
phase” after you Illustration N building his second settlement; for each terrain hex adjacent to
build the game map this second settlement, he takes a corresponding resource card
(see Illustration from the supply.
10 9
Note: The starting player (the last to place his second
2
N and Set-up,
••• • ••••
Variable Y). 6
12
•
•••••
4
•••
10
••• settlement) begins the game: He rolls both dice for resource
Everyone chooses 9 11
•• 8 3
••
production. You can find helpful tips about the set-up phase
under “Tactics.”
•••• •••••
corresponding game
•••••
5 6
Set -Up, V ariable
pieces: •••• •••••
11
••
D
If you want to use the starting set-up, lay out the board as
12
H 6 4 10
shown in Illustration R (and the Game Overview): •
••••• ••• •••
Robber
3
•• •••••
The oldest player is the starting player. The oldest player takes
the first turn and rolls for resource production.
13
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1 Victory Point!
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L ongest R oad
= 2 VPs
victory. (You should also 2 Victory Points!
This card goes to the player with the
longest road of at least 5 segments.
Another player who builds a longer
Hint: Again, keep your victory point cards hidden until the
end of the game. Place them face down in front of you. Of
course, if you have 1 or 2 unused cards face down in front of
you for a long time, the other players will assume that they L argest A rmy
= 2 VPs
are victory point cards. 2 Victory Points!
The first player to play 3 Knight cards
gets this card. Another player who plays
more Knight cards takes this card.
UNIVERSITY
= 1 VP
1 Victory Point!
A general note on Catan rules. This is the 5th English- Reveal this card on your
turn if, with it, you reach
the number of points
14
15
8
have dots (pips) below the numbers. The taller the
game with 2 victory points! The first player to acquire 10 victory depicted number, and the more pips it has, the more
points on his/her turn wins the game. likely that number is to be
•••••
To gain more victory points, you rolled. The red numbers
4 must build new roads and 6 and 8 are the tallest
settlements and upgrade your numbers with the most pips; they
settlements to cities. Each city are likely to be rolled most
is worth 2 victory points. To 10•••
2
• 9 ••••
frequently.
build or upgrade, you need Bottom line: The more
to acquire resources.
A D frequently a number is
How do you B rolled, the more often
5 acquire 6 4 10
resources? It’s
12
•
H ••••• ••• •••
the hexes with those
numbers produce
D
simple. Each
turn, 2 dice
Harbor Intersection H resources.
You should
are rolled to 9
•••• H 11
••
3 •• 8 •••••
consider
determine Robber Path settling on
which terrain hexes that have
hexes produce C good potential for
resources. Each 8
••••• H 3
•• H 4 •••
5••••
production (i.e.
terrain hex is marked 6 and 8 vs. 2 and 12).
with a round number
E However, these same
token. If, for example, a high-producing hexes are
“10” is rolled, all terrain 5
••••
6 •••••
11 ••
often the primary target for
hexes with a “10” number the robber.
token produce resources—in
the illustration on the right, those
terrain hexes are a mountains
hex (ore) and a hills hex (brick).
16