The "Settlers" series is one of the most famous, interesting, and original family board games in the world. It gained worldwide fame back in 1995 when it received the prestigious Spiel des Jahres award. Since then, the game has found its place on home shelves and in the hearts of millions of board game enthusiasts. The game served as the prototype for the well-known computer game Settlers and spawned numerous expansions in board format.
"Settlers" became a living classic due to its original, well-thought-out, and friendly gameplay, where players take on the role of peaceful settlers exploring the island of Catan. The gameplay is unique, yet simple and engaging enough to make "Settlers" a wonderful family game! As peaceful settlers populating the island of Catan, you will experience the true life of a colonizer: gathering resources, building settlements, cities, and roads, defending against robbers, and trading with neighbors.
Since its release, the game has become a true cult classic in the board game world – it has received numerous awards and has been localized into more than ten languages. The original "Settlers" is so popular that it also exists in digital form on various platforms. Several major expansions have been released, enhancing the already significant possibilities: "Merchants and Barbarians", "Seafarers", "Cities and Knights", as well as expansions for 5-6 players and various spin-offs, including a version for children!
Colonize the island of Catan and lead it to prosperity!
In the new version of the game "Catan: Settlers", exciting adventures and unexpected experiences await you in the company of loved ones. New rules and an almanac will bring fresh ideas to the game, expanding possibilities for strategies and tactics. Thanks to foldable boxes for figures, the gameplay will become even more convenient and organized.
How to play?
The game begins with the island of Catan appearing on the surface of the game table. The land hexes are randomly assembled into a large hexagon and numbered according to a specific system – this is necessary for the subsequent resource gathering. In this setting, from 3 to 4 settlers begin the struggle for the exploration of the island.
Players start with two Roads and two Settlements, and the choice of their locations belongs to the player. Thus, you start with 2 victory points (VP), and the goal of the game is simple – to reach 10. Remember that Cities (2 VP) arise where there are already Settlements (1 VP), and Settlements can only be built on Roads. Any construction requires resources, which are always in short supply. Here, trading can save you – exchanging resources is a necessity, as you will only receive raw materials of certain types from the lands where your Settlements and Cities are located. And the hex where the Robber stands does not produce resources at all... A bit more detail:
A player's turn always begins with rolling two dice and adding their values to determine the hex number that will produce resources:
All players whose Settlements touch that hex will receive 1 card of the corresponding resource
For Cities, players will receive 2 resource cards
If a 7 is rolled, the wealthiest players (with more than 7 cards) must discard half of their resources, and the active player can become the Robber.
Next, the player has the opportunity to trade at various rates:
With the game bank at a rate of 4:1
At harbors, if you have a Settlement there – at a rate of 3:1 and even 2:1
With players at any mutually agreeable rate.
It's time to spend resources. And here’s what you can do:
You can build a Road to reach valuable lands and establish a Settlement there
You can build a Settlement on your Road
You can upgrade your Settlement to a City
You can purchase a Development Card, which can bring additional victory points or provide another advantage.
The turn passes to the next player
Who won?
The player who first reaches ten victory points wins. Since you start with two settlements, you actually have two victory points at the beginning of the game.
Game features
"Settlers" is one of the most famous board games in the world, known to every self-respecting board gamer. It is a family-friendly and relatively peaceful game that also possesses great strategic potential. Additionally, you can purchase expansions for the game, which will bring entirely new colors to the gameplay. It is a very deep, kind, and interesting board game that we personally recommend to everyone.
Contents:
- 19 landscape hexes
- 6 sea frame pieces
- 97 plastic figures
- 4 boxes for figures
- 18 numbered tokens
- 95 resource cards
- 25 development cards
- 4 building cost cards
- 2 special cards
- 2 dice
- 2 card organizers
- Game rules
Game duration: 45 to 90 minutes
Number of players: 3 to 4