How to adapt Settlers of Catan for two players
The Settlers of Catan is a popular board game among gaming enthusiasts. The Settlers of Catan is a strategy-based game in which the players attempt to settle an unclaimed island, Catan. During the course of the game, players compete to build civilizations, harvest resources and protect their claimed property. A winner of multiple gaming awards, The Settlers of Catan normally requires a minimum of three players for traditional play, but with a few adaptations, the game works as a two-player version.
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Instructions
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Setting Up
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1
Set up the tile hexes, ports, numbered dice indicators and cards according to the instructions found in the board game.
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2
Roll to see which player will lay the first settlement. If player A rolls the highest number, player A should begin by laying one settlement and one road, as usual. Following Player A, Player B will lay two settlements with adjoining roads according to the normal rules of the game. Player A may now lay two settlements and roads as well. Player B completes the initial setup by choosing a third settlement and road position.
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3
Both players should pick up the resource cards that correspond to the hexes of their third settlement.
Playing the Game
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4
Play the game according to the three-player rules, but with a few exceptions.
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5
Roll the dice twice per turn, instead of once as in the normal game. No action is allowed between these rolls unless a seven is rolled or a soldier (knight) card is played. Each player then has the opportunity to produce resources twice in each turn.
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Play the game to 15 points instead of the usual 10. To make the game longer or more difficult, simply increase the victory points needed to win, but do not exceed 20.
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Tips & Warnings
Players with access to The Settlers of Catan: Cities and Knights can choose to add walls to this two-player version. Each wall a player adds to the board allows him to hold two additional resources in his hand, increasing the danger zone to nine, 11 or 13 cards. However, adding walls may speed up the game.
The combination of beginning the game with three settlements and rolling twice on each turn produces more resources than in the usual game. Spend your cards quickly. Two rolls per turn doubles the odds of rolling a seven, which will force you to drop half of your resources.
