Settlers of Catan

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Settlers of Catan
Players collect resources and build roads, settlements, and cities in an attempt to gain the most victory points, winning the game.
Designer	Klaus Teuber
Publisher	Kosmos Mayfair Games Capcom 999 Games
Players	3 or 4 (standard) 5 or 6 (w/ expansions)
Age range	10 years and up
Setup time	approx. 10 minutes
Playing time	45 to 60 minutes
Random chance	Medium
Skills required	Dice rolling, Trading

BoardGameGeek entry (more...)

Settlers of Catan is a multiplayer board game invented by Klaus Teuber, first published in 1995 in Germany by Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. (Kosmos) under the name Die Siedler von Catan.

Settlers is perhaps the first German-style board game to reach any degree of popularity outside of Europe. It has been translated into Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Icelandic, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish from the original German. The standard game and its many expansions are available from Mayfair Games in the United States, from Capcom in Japan, Kosmos and 999 Games in the European Union, and Devir in Brazil. Computerized versions also exist for the PC and mobile devices such as the Nokia N-Gage. Also, Microsoft recently announced at the August 2006 Leipzig games convention that a version of Settlers will soon be available on Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360 along with other German board game adaptations.

Teuber's original design was for a large game of exploration and development in a new land. Between 1993 and 1995 Teuber and Kosmos refined and simplified the game into its current form. Unused mechanics from that design went on to be used in Teuber's following games, Entdecker and Löwenherz. The game's first expansion, Seafarers of Catan, adds the concept of exploration, and the combined game (sometimes known as "New Shores") is probably the closest game to Teuber's original intentions.^[1]

Like many games released by Mayfair, the English-language version of the game has different artwork to the German original^{[citation needed]}.

1 Gameplay
2 The Settlers of Catan series
3 Awards
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Gameplay

Settlers of Catan in action

The players in the game represent the eponymous settlers, establishing a colony on the previously uninhabited island of Catan. The island itself is laid out randomly at the beginning of each game from hexagonal tiles ("hexes") of different land types each producing one type of resource: ore, grain, wool, lumber, or brick. One hex is desert which does not produce anything.

As players establish towns and cities on the island, each settlement can receive resources for its adjacent hexes (with cities yielding more resources). The resources, represented by cards, can be used to build more roads, towns, or cities, and to obtain development cards for later use. Various achievements, such as building a town or establishing the longest road, grant a player one or more victory points. The winner is the first player to accumulate ten victory points on his turn.

Players are allowed to trade among each other the resources they have produced, and to trade "off the island" for a hefty price. It is difficult for any one player to produce all the resources necessary for progress, so astute trading is the strategic heart of the game. Player interaction is further complicated by the presence of a robber, which is used to steal from other players and hinder their production of resources. There is no combat. Apart from moving the robber, refusing to trade, and cutting off building routes, there is no way to harm other players. The settler theme and economy simulation gameplay are similar to the 1983 personal computer videogame M.U.L.E., though Teuber may have developed them independently.

Settlers of Catan has rapidly become popular in part because its mechanics are relatively simple, while its dynamics are quite complex. At a recreational level, the game is well-suited for family play. No one gets eliminated, and players who are behind can strive towards quantized goals that are within reach, such as building a city in a certain space. Home games generally take between one and two hours to complete.

The layout of the board and restrictions on building allow for a player to be boxed in through poor play or bad luck. Also, given the random component of board layout, it's possible for players to gain a monopoly on certain resource, and demand steep trade rates from other players.

[edit] The Settlers of Catan series

Main articles: Seafarers of Catan and Cities and Knights of Catan

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The manufacturers have released a wide variety of Catan-related products. Some of these require the base game to play, others are separate standalone games:

[edit] Official expansions

The Settlers of Catan (1995), Original release of the basic four-player game.
- The Settlers of Catan: 5–6 Player Expansion (1999)
The Seafarers of Catan (1997), replaces one large island with several smaller islands separated by sea
- The Seafarers of Catan: 5–6 Player Expansion (1999)
Historische Szenarien: Alexander der Grosse & Cheops (1998), two historical scenarios based on Alexander the Great & the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza
Cities and Knights of Catan (2000), players must defend Catan from barbarians and build a variety of city expansions using new commodities
- Cities & Knights of Catan: 5–6 Player Expansion (2000)
Die Siedler von Catan: Das Buch zum Spielen (2000), Settlers of Catan: The Gaming Book, a German book about the game, with scenarios and mini-expansions
Historische Szenarien II: Troja & die Große Mauer (2001), two historical scenarios based on the Trojan War & the building of the Great Wall of China
Die Siedler von Catan: Atlantis: Szenarien & Varianten (2005), a German boxed set of Atlantis: Scenarios & Variants
Die Fischer von Catan (2005), The Fishers of Catan, adds shores which produce a sixth resource, fish. Published in the German magazine Spielbox, and republished in Games Quarterly in 2007.
The Great River of Catan (2005), adds a triple-hex river to the game. The German edition (Der große Fluss) was given away at the Spiel game fair in Essen, Germany in 2005 and is included in the Atlantis boxed set; the English edition was published in Games Quarterly in 2006.
Catan Event Cards (2006), replaces the dice with a deck of cards for resource production and events. The German edition (Ereignisse auf Catan) was included in the Atlantis boxed set.
Die große Karawane (2006), "The Great Caravan", a new add-on scheduled for distribution at the 2006 Essen Spiel.

[edit] Special editions

Catan 3D Collector's Edition (2005), the original game with Cities & Knights for 3–4 players with hand-painted 3-D tiles and playing pieces
Die Siedler von Catan: 10 Jahre (2005), Settles of Catan: 10th Anniversary Edition, gold box edition of basic game with plastic pieces based on the 3D Collector's Edition

[edit] Official spinoffs

Catan Card Game (1996), a two-player game using themes from Settlers of Catan but with very different and competitive gameplay
- Handel & Wandel (1997), Trade & Change, expansion cards for the card game
- Politik & Intrige (1997), Politics & Intrigue, expansion cards for the card game
- Ritter & Händler (1997), Knights & Merchants, expansion cards for the card game
- Wissenschaft & Fortschritt (1997), Science & Progress, expansion cards for the card game
- Zauberer & Drachen (1997), Wizards & Dragons, expansion cards for the card game
- Barbaren & Handelsherren (2003), Barbarians & Traders, an expansion set for the card game
- Künstler & Wohltäter (2006), Artists & Benefactors, an expansion set for the card game
- Catan Card Game Expansion Pack (2002), a collection of the expansions in English. Originally collected the first five, and now collects the first six expansions.
Die Siedler von Nürnberg (1999), a Catan game set at the foundation of the city of Nuremberg
Starfarers of Catan (2001), an adaptation of the Settlers concept to space travel and colonising planets
- Starfarers of Catan: 5–6 Player Expansion (2001)
Starship Catan (2001), a two-player game using themes from Starfarers of Catan but with very different gameplay
The Kids of Catan (2003), a simplified game for small children

[edit] Catan Adventures

The Catan Adventures series are a set of games using the Catan theme, based on the island of Catan, but with largely unrelated mechanics.

Candamir: The First Settlers (2004), set around the first settlement of Catan. Players are individual settlers hunting and gathering, with characteristics affecting success.
Elasund: The First City (2005), two- to four-player game to build up a single city in which players leverage land value and a taste of eminent domain to achieve superiority in constructed buildings

[edit] Catan Histories

The Catan Histories series are a set of games that simulate history using the Settlers game mechanics.

Settlers of the Stone Age (2002), set in the Stone Age
Struggle for Rome (2006), a historical adventure game, set at the fall of the Roman Empire.

[edit] Non-game products

Die Siedler von Catan (2005), a German novel by Rebecca Gablé, in hardcover (ISBN 3-431-03019-X), softcover (ISBN 3-404-15396-0), and audiobook

[edit] Licensed adaptations

Das Wasser des Lebens (1997), The Water of Life, a promotional adaptation of Settlers of Catan (in German) for the Scottish distillery Glen Grant.
The Communication in Catan (2000), a promotional adaptation of Settlers of Catan (in English) for the French telecommunication company Alcatel.
The Settlers of Canaan (2002), a licensed version of Settlers of Catan with additions to fit themes from the Old Testament by Cactus Game Design.
The Settlers of Zarahemla (2003), a licensed version of Settlers of Catan with additions to fit themes from the Book of Mormon by Inspiration Games.
Rockman.EXE Catan (ロックマンエグゼ　カタン, Rockman.EXE Catan^?),^[2] a licensed version of the series based on the MegaMan.EXE character and his series of video games, all published by Capcom.^[3]
- Rockman.EXE Catan Standard (ロックマンエグゼ　カタンスタンダード, Rockman.EXE Catan Standard^?) (2004), based on the original Settlers.
- Rockman.EXE Catan Portable (ロックマンエグゼ　カタン　ポータブル, Rockman.EXE Catan Portable^?) (2004), a portable version, also based on the original Settlers.
Simply Catan (2006), a licensed version with a simplified board setup from SimplyFun Board Games.