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Before you read this article, you will need to know the following terms and definitions:
| Game(-s): | Noun. Singular or Plural. A standalone version of Settlers of Catan, which can be played right out of the box without making additional purchases. There is only one standalone (base) game of Catan. |
| Expansion(-s): | Noun. Singular or Plural. An Catan game that cannot be played by itself. It must be used in conjunction with a standalone (base) game. The 5 & 6-player expansions are a good example of this. |
| Scenario(-s): | Noun. Singular or Plural. A small set of playing pieces and instructions that can be added to normal Catan gameplay. It cannot be played by itself--it must be used in conjunction with a standalone (base) game. The "Oil Springs" scenario is a good example of this. |
| Variant(-s): | Noun. Singular or Plural. A set of instructions for using the pieces from a Catan game or expansion in a new way. Most variants are fan-generated and require printing and cutting out new pieces. |
Discovering Unexplored Hexes
Moving: To discover new land, you must move one of your ships towards the unexplored areas of the board (Example 3A). If, after moving a ship, one of its ends (bow or stern) points toward the corner (intersection) of an undiscovered hex, you must discover that hex (example 3B).
Discovering: Turn the hex over. If it is a land hex, take a number token from the stack whose color/icon matches the color/icon on the back of the terrain hex and place it, number side face up, on the hex (example 3C).
Rewarding: If you discover a hex, you get 1 resource of the type produced by that hex (example 3D). If you discover any other type of hex…
Ending Movement: After a discovery, you are not allowed to move the ship any farther. Any remaining movement points are forfeited.
Gold Field Tokens: If after a discovery, you complete a new intersection (a previously-incomplete intersection is now surrounded on all sides by discovered hexes and not the frame), you must place a gold field token on that intersection. Draw 1 token from the top of the randomly-shuffled stack next to the board and place it face-up on the new intersection. If the supply runs out, a gold field token may not be placed. IMPORTANT: Buildings and Boundary Stones may not be constructed on top of Gold Field Tokens, until the Tokens have been “mined” and removed from the intersection. Neither may round Knights occupy the same intersection as a Gold Field token at the end of their movement. They may, however, pass over a Gold Field Token during movement along a trade route.
Reshuffling the game board for “earthquake” hexes, flipping over hexes that are already placed into the frame, or exchanging hexes partway through the game is simply too hard and damaging in practice. Simply use the shuffled, face-down pile of hexes and draw new hexes from the top of this pile. The volcano, storm, robber, and pirate should provide plenty of variability in the game, and moving production tokens from depleted hexes to newly discovered ones is also a good way to rearrange the game board (see Settlers of America).
Every time you discover a previously unexplored hex (takes the top hex off the appropriate stack and places it in the frame, flipping it over as he does so), the player receives two benefits:
- First, you gain an “exploration point.” You must move your marker on the Greatest Explorer Victory Point Track (built into the game board frame) forward 1 space. The player furthest along the track receives the Greatest Explorer Victory Point Award Tile.
- Then, you reap a benefit that corresponds with the type of hex you flipped over:
- Fish Shoal Hex: If the player discovers a fish shoal sea hex, the player receives a random fish token from the opaque supply bag (instead of two gold--figure out the correct terminology for this--"gold", "gold token," etc.). This is a one-time benefit, in addition to the ability to roll a die to try to produce fish tokens for transport.
- Non-Fish Shoal Hex: If the player discovers a non-fish shoal sea hex, the player takes the topmost chest token from the randomly-shuffled chest token stack (or opaque bag). (if you do not have Legend of the Sea Robbers, the player may receive a fish token instead).
- He then places a sea pirate lair token in the center of the revealed sea hex. On top of the sea pirate lair, he places three Barbarians. To defeat the sea pirate lair, the hex must be surrounded with a combined military strength of ____ (knights and crews traveling on ships or along trade routes also count). Maybe sea robber lairs have barbarians?
Gold hex
- If the player discovers a gold hex, he receives 2 gold.
Spice hex
The spice hexes are inhabited by a foreign clan that makes a living trading spices. As a matter of principle, the Catanians do not settle in areas belonging to different cultures. Therefore, the spice hexes do not have production number tokens. However, you may still build settlements or roads on intersections or paths (edges) of spice hexes. If, by means of one of your ships or wagons, you have discovered a spice hex (either from Explorers & Pirates or from Legend of the Sea Robbers), you receive the top resource card from the Spice Card deck.
- Spice hexes do not receive Production number tokens.
- Instead, if it is an Explorers & Pirates spice hex, you place as many spice sacks on the spice hex as there are players in the game.
- If it is a Legend of the Sea Robbers spice hex, you place nothing on the spice hex.
Pirate Lair gold field hex
- If you discover a Pirate Lair gold field hex (from Explorers & Pirates), your receive 2 gold for the discovery, as shown in Example 11A below. You then take a pirate lair token from the supply stack (example 11B) and place it (without turning it over) on the pirate lair gold field hex (example 11C). Finally, you place 3 Barbarians on top of the Pirate Lair token.
- Important: As long as there is a pirate lair token right-side up on this type of gold field hex, it is referred to as a Pirate Lair hex. You cannot build a road on its paths (edges) or any buildings on its intersections. It does not produce anything. It is “conquered.” Once the Pirate Lair is captured, however, you may build on the gold field hex normally.
Reconcile with Pirates & Explorers:
When you connect a trade route (boat, road, bridge) to an unexplored area, you do not discover a new hex! Only Ships and Wagons can discover new hexes. If you place a boat or road that connects to the intersection of an unexplored hex, you may not discover a new hex. You may not construct a building on an intersection until all of the three hexes surrounding that intersection have been discovered.
If you move a Wagon onto an intersection next to an undiscovered hex, draw the top hex from the pile and place it face-up in the empty space.
If the newly-discovered region is a land hex, you must also take a number chip from the pile and place it on the hex. Then you receive a reward: 1 resource card of the type produced by that land hex!
If the newly-discovered region is a sea hex, then there is no reward (sorry!). You have to explore farther across the ocean to find new territories.
When tributes must be paid, they are paid to the pirate owner, not the bank.
Boats make your ship movements easier—in fact, free! If you move your ship along one of your boat paths, they do not consume any of the owner’s ship’s movement points. So, if you make a long stretch of boats from the mainland to the opposite end of the map, you can essentially travel with your ships for free. Other players’ ships can freely move along your boat paths, although they consume their movement points like normal. Boats do count towards the two vessels per sea route limit. In other words, you can end a movement phase with one of your ships on a sea route where there is a boat (yours or another player’s), but not if there is a boat and a ship there. TREAT SEA JUST LIKE LAND!
Friends for Settling Foreign Lands
The first time your trade route or ship reaches a foreign island (to you) that was discovered during this game (meaning it cannot be one of the original islands) and you construct a building on an intersection adjacent to a Field, Hill, Mountain, Pasture, or Forest hex, take 1 Blue Friend card with a Chapter 1 icon. The foreign island does not need to be fully-defined.
If you are the first player to construct a building on a foreign island (to them) that was discovered during this game, choose one of the 4 Blue Friend cards with a Chapter 1 icon displayed. Those who construct their buildings afterwards choose 1 of the remaining Blue Friend cards with a Chapter 1 icon. Because there are only 4 Blue Friend cards with a Chapter 1 icon, only the first four players to construct a building on a foreign island (to them) that was discovered during this game receive a Blue Friend card with a Chapter 1 icon. If there are not enough Friend cards with a Chapter 1 icon for every player, the last ones will not receive a Friend card with a Chapter 1 icon.
You cannot have more than 1 Blue Friend Card with a Chapter 1 icon. If there are Friend cards with a Chapter 1 icon left over after all players have chosen one, remove them from play and place them in a discard pile.
Friends for Settling Foreign Spice Hexes
The first time your trade route or ship reaches a foreign spice hex (to you) that was discovered during this game (meaning it cannot be on one of the original islands) and you construct a building on an intersection adjacent to a Spice Hex (the Legend of the SeaRobbers kind that doesn’t provide any printed benefit), take 1 Blue Friend card with a Chapter 2 icon. The foreign spice hex does not need to be fully-defined.
If you are the first player to construct a building adjacent to a Spice Hex on a foreign island (to them) that was discovered during this game, choose one of the 4 Blue Friend cards with a Chapter 2 icon displayed. Those who construct their buildings afterwards choose 1 of the remaining Blue Friend cards with a Chapter 2 icon. Because there are only 4 Blue Friend cards with a Chapter 2 icon (Nyala does not count, since she is connected to the “Gold For Catan” progress track board), only the first four players to construct a building adjacent to a Spice Hex on a foreign island (to them) that was discovered during this game receive 1 Blue Friend card with a Chapter 2 icon. If there are not enough Friend cards with a Chapter 2 icon for every player, the last ones will not receive a Friend card with a Chapter 2 icon.
You cannot have more than 1 Blue Friend Card with a Chapter 2 icon. If there are Friend cards with a Chapter 2 icon left over after all players have chosen one, remove them from play and place them in a discard pile.
Friends for Defeating Enemy Fleet
If your trade route or ship defeats a Barbarian Ship, take a Blue Friend card with a Chapter 3 icon.
If you are the first player to defeat a Barbarian Ship, choose 1 of the 4 Blue Friend cards with a Chapter 3 icon displayed. Those who defeat Barbarian Ships afterwards choose 1 of the remaining Blue Friend cards with a Chapter 3 icon. Because there are only 4 Blue Friend cards with a Chapter 3 icon, only the first four players to defeat a Barbarian Ship receive a Blue Friend card with a Chapter 3 icon. If there are not enough Friend cards with a Chapter 3 icon for every player, the last ones will not receive a Friend card with a Chapter 3 icon.
You cannot have more than 1 Blue Friend Card with a Chapter 3 icon. If there are Friend cards with a Chapter 3 icon left over after all players have chosen one, remove them from play and place them in a discard pile.
Important: If constructing a building on an intersection fulfills two Friend card requirements at once (such as building next to both a Spice hex and a Terrain hex), you may only choose 1 Friend card. You may not select 2 Friend cards. You may choose which Friend card to receive.
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