Preparing the Board
Before you can begin setting up your game of Catan, you will need to understand the following definitions:
| Board(-s): | Noun. Singular or Plural. The area upon which a game of Settlers of Catan is played. , which can be played right out of the box without making additional purchases. There is only one standalone (base) game of Catan. |
| Playing Surface(-s): | Noun. Singular or Plural. The area upon which a game of Settlers of Catan is played. The physical dimensions of the space determine the maximum size of the Catan game board, and thus affects the number of game participants and the length of game play. |
| Player(-s): | Noun. Singular or Plural. An individual or team who participates as one person in a game of Catan. When referenced in this website, means a particular color of playing piece. |
When you start setting up a game of Catan, the first thing you will need to do is decide on the dimensions of the board. This can be influenced by a lot of factors: the number of players (Catan supports up to six, although the CatanFudion system supports more), the size of the playing surface (like how big your table is, unless you are kneeling on the floor), and the number of expansions and scenarios you will be using together (there are thirteen official expansions).
Depending upon the number of players, the size of your playing surface, and the number of expansions and scenarios you are using, your game of Catan may be very large. During setup, it can be easy to have spaces on the board that unfairly advantage or disadvantage certain players. As such, follow these guidelines to construct a fair game that simultaneously offers a great deal of variability and randomness. This set-up is well-balanced for all players.
Note that many other variations are possible, depending on your number of players, your number of border pieces, and your aesthetic preference.
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