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Before you read this article, you will need to know the following terms and definitions: 

Place the following Villains Alongside the Board:

• 1 Privateer (largest black ship)
• 1 Black Pirate Ship (medium black ship)
• 1 Robber (grey marker)
• 2 Black Blockade Runners (small black ships)
• 2 Black Donkey Carts
• 15 Barbarian Ships (as shown below, place each one on top of the sea chest tokens placed on the game board earlier, in Step 9)
• 1 Storm Hex
  • Place this hex beside the game board, next to the other Villain pieces.

 General Information

• In any situation where a card or rule uses a term such as "Robber", "Pirate", or "Barbarian", any of the other villains described below may be substituted for that term instead. Example: the Bishop Progress card allows a player to move the robber. A play may instead choose to move the Donkey Cart. The only exception to this is the Roving Barbarians (see Roving Barbarians below), where each time a thief is moved, an additional barbarian is moved. This is always only a barbarian.
• After the first Barbarian Invasion (see Barbarian Invasion above), players who roll a “seven” may move any two of the following villains. He may not move the same villain twice, unless there are two of that villain (there are two Donkey Carts and two Blockade Runners):

 Donkey Cart

• Each of the two Donkey Carts serves as both an “inhibitor” of movement and transportation for armed forces. They are not placed inside hexes (like the Barbarians, Privateer, or Pirate), but on the edges of hexes.
• A player who chooses to move one of the Donkey Carts to a different, unoccupied side of a hex. “Unoccupied” means “no Wagons, Crews, or Strong Knights on Horseback.”  The Donkey Cart may be placed on a developed side of a hex (with a road or boat), or an undeveloped side of a land hex.  Each Donkey Cart completely obstructs all movement along that side of the hex.  No armed forces, Wagons, or ships may pass along or through that side of the hex.  The storm, however, may pass through.
• Each Donkey Cart may also carry a passenger. Since only Crews, Settlers, and Strong Knights on Horseback travel on the sides of hexes, each Donkey Cart may only carry Crews (up to two) or Strong Knights (just one).  A player may choose to “load” one or two of his Crews or one of his Strong Knights onto the Donkey Cart for that turn (for one movement point), but he is not allowed to move them off again (for one movement point) until another “7” is rolled and the Donkey Cart is moved again.  The Crews of two different players may both share the same Donkey Cart. 

Blockade Runner

• The Blockade Runners are like sea-based Donkey Carts. They are not placed inside hexes (like the Barbarians, Privateer, or Pirate), but on the edges of hexes. They block all transportation along that corridor.  They do not accept tolls or increase movement points—they simply prevent sea or coastal traffic.  They must be placed on hex edges that are not currently occupied by roads, boats, camels, or ships.  These small vessels can be relocated anywhere on the boards’ sea hexes, without meeting the “adjacent edges” rule.
• Should donkey carts and blockade runners be placed on hex edges with roads, boats, camels, or ships?

Black Pirate Ship

• If the black pirate ship is adjacent to a Mill or Sea Port, the player controlling that building must pay 1 gold to the pirate ship to allow safe passage. This gold is placed on the Barbarian Advancement Board, and is added to the pirate's gold stores. This gold can be recovered later by a player’s military forces (see Plundering the Pirate Ship below in the Knights section).
• If the Black Pirate Ship is on a hex which would otherwise allow players to draw a fish token from a fish tile, the pirate prevents all players from drawing any fish tokens. It blocks hex production of fish tiles from both Fishermen of Catan and Explorers & Pirates.
• The pirate only affects ship placement and movement. Hence, if it is placed on a sea hex that contains a fishing ground tile, the production of fish tokens is not affected.
• If the pirate is placed on a Fish Shoal hex, he “steals” the Fish Haul. The Fish Haul is removed from the Fish Shoal hex and returned to the supply.  However, the pirate does not steal the cargo from adjacent ships loaded with Fish Hauls.

Storm Hex

• When a "7" is rolled on the dice, first the storm is moved, and then the robber (or pirate, if desired) is moved. Only the hex where the storm lands is affected (see below).
• Movement: The storm moves the number of steps indicated by the larger number showing on the two dice (or the larger of the two numbers showing on the Event Cards), in the direction in which it pointed at the start of its movement. The storm may not move off the map. When the storm has moved the full number of steps or reaches a map edge, the player who moved the storm may turn it in any direction he chooses, with two exceptions: #1. The player may not turn the storm back in the same direction from which it came. #2. If the storm landed next to a map edge (border), the player may not turn the storm towards the adjacent map edge (border).
• Effects: Players who have roads or ships adjacent to the hex on which the storm lands must turn sideways one segment of their road or one of their ships (their choice what and which). This effect is identical to the “Earthquake” card. If this creates a break in a shipping lane, the player must build a ship to restore the shipping lane, before the player builds a ship anywhere else. If it creates a gap in a road, a road segment must be built to restore the road, before the player builds a road segment anywhere else. This may affect who holds the “Longest Road” Award tile.
• Because the storm prevents resource/commodity production in the hex in which it stops, the production token should be hidden by the storm. The robber, instead, is the stealing/victory-point-inhibiting factor.  Important: If the production number for the hex containing the storm hex is rolled, the owners of adjacent buildings do not receive resources.  The storm hex prevents it.
• If the storm lands on a Fish Shoal hex, the storm blocks production of Fish Hauls on that hex. If the Fish Shoal hex already contains a Fish Haul, the Fish Haul is removed and returned to the supply (no one’s marker is moved on the “Fish for Catan” mission board). As long as the Storm remains on that hex, no Fish Hauls may be placed on that hex.
• Example: Red player has rolled a "7" on the dice (5 and 2). He must move the storm 5 steps in the direction it pointed when he rolled the "7". After one step, it reaches the edge and the player selects southeast as the new direction. After two steps it reaches another edge and the player selects the southwestern direction. After two more steps, the storm stops and the player may turn it in any desired direction. Blue and White player is hit by the storm and each turns a ship sideways. The hex cannot produce resources or commodities while the storm sits there.

Variation: The Storm may affect production of just grain, wood, and wool resources (and thus also paper and cloth commodities), but not the production of clay, ore, or coin (because these things happen underground).  In this situation, the production token is placed on top of the storm hex.

Robber

What’s going on in the forest of Catan?  Strange stories are coming out of the dark woods of the Black Forest, hinting that the vicious Robber has disappeared without a trace, and that a small group of ruffians and thugs have taken his place.  They call themselves the “Merry Men,” and they are led by someone who calls himself Rob de Hood.  Supposedly, the only take from rich clans.  Poorer clans are left alone…

The truth is that the robber is a harmless fellow who is merely taken advantage of by the players, for the sake of their own benefit. He is pushed around from terrain to terrain, unable to escape his sometimes quite harsh destiny.

As an introduction, I would like to familiarize you a bit with the robbers’ personalities.

The gang boss is called “Chief.” Chief is a sly leader who takes care of his group as long as it works to his advantage. However, if his own interests are threatened, charity begins at home.

Lucky is a bit slow and, thus, more of the naïve type. He is the unlucky fellow of the group. But he is good-hearted and couldn’t harm anybody, not even a sheep.

Bert is always hungry, which is why not getting enough to eat is his greatest concern. He is sluggish and is not exactly crazy about work. His favorite dish is – how could it be otherwise – roast lamb.

• If you choose to move the Robber, you may move the Robber to a discovered land hex on the board (even the desert). However, there are several restrictions:
  • You may not place the Robber on Santa’s Workshop Hex.
  • You may not place the robber on a destroyed hex (what is a destroyed hex?)
  • You may not place the Robber on top of a hex’s production token. This is because the Robber does not block hex production (see Storm above). 
• After you move the Robber, you may “steal” 1 random resource/commodity/spice card from a player who has a building adjacent to the target hex the Robber was placed in. The player who is robbed holds his resource/commodity/spice cards face down, so the “island” backsides show.  You then take 1 card at random.  If the target hex is adjacent to 2 or more players’ buildings, you choose which one you want to steal from.
• If you moved the Robber to an undeveloped and vacant hex, you may be eligible to receive 1 Favor Token (see Favor Token rule).
• The Robber works much like the Old Boot in the Fishermen of Catan Variant of Traders & Barbarians. When the Robber is placed in a hex, all of the players with buildings on the edges of that hex must have one more Victory Point to win the game.  It is a bit of a penalty, because the Robber “robs” them of a quick victory.  Once the Robber is relocated to a different hex, the penalty no longer applies to the previous hex. The players there once again only have to reach the normal number of Victory Points to win the game.  Thus, the Robber is not a negative Victory Point.
• In Cities & Knights, the robber does not interfere at all with the operation of the merchant. If the merchant and robber are on the same hex, the 2:1 trading rate remains intact and the merchant is still worth one Victory point.
  • In the original basic game, the placement rules for the robber were simple--anywhere except a sea hex or the desert hex. Since then, many more types of hexes have appeared and the rules have become ambiguous. Our interpretation is that the robber may only be placed on a hex that yields resources or commodities (ie. has a production token). Here is a summary of where the robber can be placed:
  • Yes: Basic resource hexes (Forest, Pasture, Mountain, Hill, Field), gold field hexes (from Seafarers of Catan), river resource hexes (Mountain, Hill, Pasture from Rivers of Catan). Another way to remember which hexes can be robbed is that these are the only hexes that have the production tokens.
  • No: Desert hex, Sea hex, Lake hex (from Fishermen of Catan), Swamp hex (from Rivers of Catan), Oasis hex (from The Caravans), Castle hex (from Barbarian Attack), Council of Catan Island Hex (from Explorers & Pirates), Border pieces, Santa’s Workshop hex, trade hexes (Castle, Quarry, Glassworks from Traders & Barbarians). Another way to remember which hexes cannot be robbed is that these hexes do not have any production tokens.

Example: See Illustration L.  it is Xander’s turn, and he resolves an Event Card Production Number of “7.”  He chooses to move the Robber as one of his two Villains.  The Robber was on a Field Hex.  Xander places it on a Hill Hex, taking care not to cover the Production Token.  If a Production Number of “4” is resolved in the coming turns, the owners of communities “A” and “B” still receive a Brick resource card.  However, both the red and blue players must earn 1 additional Victory Point in order to win the game.  This lasts until the Robber is moved again by another “7” or a Knight Card is played.  Xander may also take 1 resource/commodity card at random from 1 of the players who owns communities “A” or “B.”

Friend of Catan: Suna

Use Robber to Steal More Resources: During your turn, if you move the Robber, you may use this card’s ability and immediately steal 1 random Resource/Commodity Card each from up to 2 affected opponents (players with buildings adjacent to the hex you moved the Robber to).

• You may only use this card’s ability on your own turn (not during other player’s turns or any Special Purchase Phase).
• You may not use this card to move the Robber. You may only use this card’s ability to steal an additional Resource/Commodity Card from a second affected player.
• You may only use this card’s ability once per turn. In other words, you may not use this card’s ability twice in the same turn (yours or someone else’s).
• You may not use this card’s ability to select a Development Card. However, you may use this card’s ability to steal a Spice Card or a Commodity Card, if you randomly draw it from the other player’s hand.
• If you move use this card’s ability to move the Robber to a “harmless” space (where no players are affected), you may not steal a Resource/Commodity Card from any players.
• You may not move the Robber onto the same space it started from.
• After using this card’s ability once, flip the card over to its “B” side. After using this card’s ability a second time, place the card in the discard pile.

Privateer

• Just as the fields of Catan are troubled by the ravaging robber, the sea is vulnerable to the scourage of brigands!
• The dreaded Privateer works the sea lanes for rich profit! The Privateer affects the game in three ways:
  • If you roll a “7” during your turn, you may elect to move the Privateer as one of your two villains. Like the robber, you may place the Privateer in the center of any hex you choose—except that you may only place it on a sea hex.  You are then allowed to steal one random card (resource or commodity) from an ONE player who has a boat adjacent to that hex!  If a player has more than one boat adjacent to that sea hex, you are only allowed to steal one card from that player.  The Privateer does not allow you to steal a random card from a player who only has a ship adjacent to that sea hex.
  • If you play the knight card, you now have the choice of moving either the robber or the Privateer.
  • Because sailors fear the Privateer so much, they will not sail near it. You may not place any new boats on the border of the hex the Privateer is on.  In addition, no boat may be moved away from the Privateer if it is on the border of the hex in which the Privateer is sailing.
• The Privateer operates like the Robber, but on sea hexes. It is NOT the same as the Black Pirate Ship.
• The Privateer may be moved to any sea hex on the board.
• The player who moves the Privateer may “steal” a card from a player who has a building adjacent to the sea hex the Robber was placed in (this does not apply to trade routes nearby).
• The Privateer does not block hex production (see Black Pirate Ship above). Therefore, the Privateer may not be placed on top of a sea hex’s production token.
• The Privateer works much like the Old Boot in the Fishermen of Catan Variant of Traders & Barbarians. When the Privateer is placed in a hex, all of the players with buildings on the edges of that sea hex must have one more Victory Point to win the game.  It is a bit of a penalty, because the Privateer “robs” them of a quick victory.  Once the Privateer is relocated to a different hex, the penalty no longer applies to the previous hex. The players there once again only have to reach the normal number of Victory Points to win the game.  Thus, the Privateer is not a negative Victory Point.

Barbarians

• Anytime the player relocates a thief by any means, except spending by 2 fish or displacing with a knight, displacing with the baggage train or having moved a barbarian with this rule, they may relocate an additional barbarian. Two barbarians can be moved at once in this way. The additionally moved barbarian can never be used to steal resources.
• You may not place the robber on a destroyed hex.
• As in Traders & Barbarians, when a new building or building upgrade is built on a landmass, three Barbarians (Each with a Strength of 1) are placed on that landmass according to the roll of a dice.
• If a single hex ever has three or more barbarians (or knights, described later) adjacent to it, that hex is “conquered,” and the production token is flipped over to its blank side. A conquered hex has several downsides for the players. A conquered hex produces no resources. No new settlements, roads, bridges, boats, nor ships may be build adjacent to a conquered hex. Wagons and ships may not pass along the edges of a conquered hex. Buildings already adjacent to a conquered hex still may be upgraded to a city.
• If a settlement or city is surrounded by nothing but conquered hexes, that settlement or city is conquered. A conquered settlement/city provides no victory points. If a conquered settlement/city controls a harbor, that harbor is no longer usable until the settlement/city is unconquered. A metropolis surrounded by conquered hexes is not conquered. It still counts for victory points, but since it is surrounded by conquered hexes, still produces no resources.
• Only once a conquered hex no longer has any barbarians adjacent to it, is it no longer conquered.
• Flip the production token right side up and the hex functions as normal until it has three barbarians adjacent again.
• Players can also use their own active knights to count as barbarians for the purpose of conquering a hex. To use a knight towards conquering a hex requires the knight to be active and adjacent to the hex to be conquered. The controlling player may use his knights towards conquering a hex without using his knight's action, and must announce his intention to work towards conquering the hex only before the production dice are rolled each turn. A player does not have to use his knights towards conquering a hex, if he does not wish to. Multiple players may work together (and even with barbarian's help) to conquer a hex.
• Every time the event die shows a barbarian ship, another barbarian is added to the board. They do not appear when buildings are constructed or upgraded.  One barbarians is added per fully-defined (and developed) island.  If an island has not been fully discovered, barbarians do not venture there.  If an island does not have at least one level-one building, barbarians do not venture there.

Helper of Catan: Hilde

Hildegard is the abbess of an abbey somewhere on Catan. One of her greatest wishes is to be venerated as a saint. Malicious gossip has it that she already made good progress by being sanctimonious.

Hildegard has no problem combining unctuous talk with furthering her personal welfare, and she often uses biblical quotations, be they adequate or not. When she takes something away from an opponent, she likes to accompany this act with the comment: “Please do not regard this as robbery! Regard it as a relief, granted to you so you can give alms to the needy.”

However, if someone takes something from her, she might wish him to turn into a pillar of salt.

Alms for the Poor: Use this advantage only 1 time during your turn.  After your production roll has been resolved, choose an opponent who has more Victory Point Chits in front of them than you do.  You may look at that player’s selection of resource/commodity cards and take 1 resource card of your choice.

Friend of Catan: Gerhild

Not In First Place? Take Two Resources: If, at any time, any other opponent has more visible victory points chits than you, you may use this card’s ability and immediately take any 2 Resource Cards of your choice from the supply, not the other player.

• You may use this card’s ability during any turn (even during other player’s turns or the Special Purchase Phase).
• You may only use this card’s ability once per turn. In other words, you may not use this card’s ability twice in the same turn (yours or someone else’s).
• You may not use this card’s ability to select a Spice Card or a Commodity Card.
• After using this card’s ability once, flip the card over to its “B” side. After using this card’s ability a second time, place the card in the discard pile.

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