How to Play Settlers of Catan

Settlers of Catan is a tile-based, multiplayer, German-style (thematic, non-abstract strategy) board game which was designed by Klaus Tauber and debuted in 1995. Its mechanic relies on resource consumption and trading, with the victor being the first player to earn 10 Victory Points. Learning to play Catan is easy, although it can take plenty of practice and lots of trial and error to become an expert.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Settlers of Catan board game

1. Place the resource tiles according to the rules (5 lengthwise across the middle, 4 on each side parallel, then 3 to form a larger hexagon).

2. Position the coastal and port tiles in an alternating manner around the perimeter of the "island." Be sure that the edges of the port align with the coast.

3. Place the markers clockwise according to alphabetical order on the resource tiles, beginning on any resource hex that borders the coast. Turn them over to reveal their numbers.

4. Roll the dice to see who goes first.

5. Place a settlement and one road in order of play. Whoever is playing last places twice in a row, and placement continues in reverse order (first to last, last to first). Be aware that no settlement or city can be within two hex sides of another (there must be at least two roads in between each type of building structure).

6. Begin play by having the first person roll the dice. Take resource cards according to the number rolled and the placement of adjacent settlements and cities. For example, if you have two settlements that border a "Hill" tile that has a 4 on it and a 4 is rolled, you'd get two brick cards.

7. Trade resource cards with your opponents to get the cards you need to build roads, settlements, cities or development cards. You may only trade with the person whose turn it is.

8. Get the "Longest Road" by linking five or more road pieces together in a single continuous chain, or get the "Largest Army" by playing three or more "Soldier" cards. Either of these achievements is worth two victory points.

9. Keep a tally of your victory points and reach a total of 10 to win. Settlements and development cards are worth 1, cities, "Longest Road" and "Largest Army" are all worth 2.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to get your initial placement around timber or brick hexes. This makes it easier to build roads and expand during the early game.

• Be aware that clustering settlements or castles around a 6 or an 8 will inevitably draw the Robber from your opponents, either on rolls of 7 or through the use of Soldier cards. Split and diversify your placement around spaces that have other frequently rolled numbers like 5 or 9.