Eselbeus' Settlers of Catan Page
This is my Settlers of Catan page. Whupdedo! I going to keep it fairly simple. I personally don't think much about personal websites so I'm going to keep this imformative about Die Siedler (The Settlers of Catan). However I am basing this all from personal experience. So it doesn't really work after all.
The Settlers of Catan
That's right! It's the best board game on the face of this planet. For the non-existent portion of the population reading this that does not know anything about it, I provide this information: It's a really cool game, you should buy it, and you shouldn't bother reading my page until you know the basics.
My Experience with the game
If there is one thing I don't like about the game, it's that the rules a vague. I have this much to say for starters, "I have never once in my entire life played this game by ALL of the rules, except for online maybe." I'll should say at this point that this site is especially focused to those people who are looking for more variants of the rules. I'm quite good with variants since I'm sure I don't know all real ones. Every now and then I search the web for answers to my questions and I find out that I've been playing it wrong. Then I may go to a different site and find out that I've been playing it right. Since there is obvious controversy, who cares about the REAL rules anyway? And it's not as if some Mayfair guy is going to come in during one of your games and bust you.
So this is how it all started. We were playing the game for the first time, and we actually followed the rules. We did the part at the beginning that says read them as we go along. Big mistake. But not to big, since I won. We interpreted the "placing a settlement to intersections away" rule to exist only for starting settlements. This is why I have never really played the game the right way. Many of the scenarios I'm listing include that provsion for that reason. It's still a cool game. Not until several months ago had we discovered that rule...and we've only played by that rule twice. We also played with our cards face up, and I don't think that was even an alternate rule yet since we were using the first edition. However, since we were beginners, that was a good rule and I can recommend it for beginners. But it works best when all of the people playing are beginners.
Soon after, a friend of mine played it with us and liked it so much that he directed his family to buy one on a vacation. He discovered a rule that I didn't know about. We had always thought that you had to build roads connecting to a settlement or city. He discovered in the rules that that is not necessary. No wonder we had always played that your settlements could be closer than two intersections. Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to build very far.
Those are a few problems I've run into. I hope you don't. I keep discovering smaller provisions that we have not followed and therefore we have never actually played by all the rules.
General Tips
These are my general strategies. You don't have to follow them, but I should let you know that I usually win. These work even better for the Free Settlement Strategies variant, where you ignore the two intersection rule for settlements.
1: First, when placing settlements, make sure you are on an "8" or a "6", preferably both. Make sure you have five different rolls at least.
2: When you place them, make sure you have access to everything you need for a settlement. You want to be able to buy one as fast as possible. If your only supply of something is on a "2" or "12", make sure that was your second settlement so you get those resouces at the beginning.
3: If you play with people who like to play "nice" with the robber (i.e. the robber is a desert nomad or water demon), then wait until you get a knight and freely put the robber on whoever you want when you roll a "7".
4: Always try to have the most knights.
5: If they are ahead, put the robber on them anyway. Always attack the person in the lead. If you don't make an effort to stop them, you should lose.
6: Be resourceful. For instance, if you need two grain and some ore for a city and you are trying to get rid of your bricks to have less than 8 cards and your only supply of grain is with a city (where you get 2), cash in for the ore. If you get the grain 2 at a time anyway and it's just as good of a roll as your ore hex, why not?
7: Monopolize something. This works extremely well with the Free Settlement Stategies Variant. Build all you can on that ore "8" and get the ore port. This also makes it eaiser for you to go up in spurts.
8: Go up in spurts. Most people try to attack the person in the lead. Get cards, flip over two knights as soon as you get a third. Don't let them know you are "winning". If you have a common access to wood and bricks, hold off on building that fifth road for the two points. Build a settlement instead.
Variants
FREE SETTLEMENT STRATEGIES VARIANT:
These are the rules we have usually played with for 15 vp games. Only the first rule is essential to this scenario.
1. Free Settlement Policy
Settlements do not have to be two intersection away from any other settlement or city. This rule does not apply to starting settlements.
2. Capitals
Players may during the course of the game upgrade one city to a capital. A capital is worth three victory points. For each hex bordering a capital, three resourses are produced. To upgrade a city to a capital costs: one brick, one wood, one grain, one sheep, and three ores.
3. Strategic Road Rotation
During the course of the game each player is entitled to rotate one of their road segments so that it points to a new intersection. This rule is useful if a player's road gets trapped or blocked by an opponet's settlement. Once they have rotated it they may not rotate it back. They may not rotate any other roads after that either. A player may not rotate a road until they haave built at least one settlement. (that last clause is usually omitted)
4. Declining "7"s
On a player's turn, after they have rolled the dice, if they rolled a "7", once and only once during the game, they may choose to re-roll the dice until they are on a value that is not 7. This may only be used once by each player. When playing with the alternate rule under which all "7"s in the first two turns around are re-rolled, this rule does not come into effect until the third.
5. Winning
The game ends when a player has 15 or more vicory points at the end of their turn.
RULES FOR BATTLE CATAN
1. Players can build armies.
To build an army, it costs three wood, one ore and one brick. A player must also either have a knight or a city. Each night or city can support one army.
Armies are placed at intersections and may be used to defend your cities and settlements or to attack your opponent’s. When an army is built it may be placed in any of your cities, as its starting location. If you have no cities, but have one or more knights, then you place your army to the side somewhere, and as soon as you build a city, you can place your army there. That city does no support that army, so you can build another. This means as long as you have one city, you can have as many armies as the sum of your cities and knights.
2. Movement of armies.
Your armies may move along the borders of two hexes to a point one intersection away from their previous spot. Rules for movement are as follows:
1. You may move as many armies as you want during your turn.
2. You may not move or attack with an army or the same turn it was built.
3. Up to three of a single person’s armies may occupy an intersection.
4. You may not move one of your armies into the same intersection of an opponent’s army. If you try to, then you are attacking instead.
5. Armies may not cross water without a bridge or shipping lane. It doesn’t matter whether it’s yours or not.
3. Attacking with armies.
At the time you build your army, you may decide whether to train your troops at attacking and invading enemy settlements and cities, or you can teach them to defend their own. If you choose attack, then they have an attack strength of two and a defense strength of one. You may attack if you are one intersection away from an enemy settlement, city, or army, and if you haven’t already moved that unit. You attack by moving your army or armies into an enemy intersection. You roll both dice and the outcome determines who wins. The chart on page 2 shows the possible outcomes. You may combine the attack strength of your armies by moving more than one army into that intersection.
If the winner attacked one or more enemy armies, one army is removed and the others must retreat. If the winner is the defender, the attacker loses one of his/her armies that attacked, and the rest (if any) must retreat.
If the winner attacked an enemy settlement, then he/she may either:
1. Pillage: Steal up to two resources from his/her opponent’s hand. The army can stay as long the winner likes, and that choice and the other two choices remain options on all the following turns that the army remains there, unless your opponent can drive your armies out.
2. Destroy: Burn the settlement to the ground (costs two wood).
3. Capture: Incorporate the settlement into their civilization (Costs one grain and one sheep. The attacker’s army stays until it is either moved, or removed. If the winner was the defender, the same results happen as if an army was attacked.
If the winner attacked an enemy city, then he/she may either:
1. Pillage: Steal up to three resources from his/her opponent’s hand. Rules for settlement apply.
2. Burn commercial buildings: Demote the city to a settlement (costs two wood).
3. Destroy: Burn the city to the ground (costs four wood).
4. Incorporate the city into their civilization (costs two grain, one brick, one ore, and one sheep). Rules for settlement apply.
5. Incorporate the city into their civilization as a settlement (costs one grain and one sheep).
If the settlement or city was guarded by one or more armies, then the armies are removed as well.
Table of outcomes
Rolls A=D D+1 A+1 D+2 A+2 D+3 A+3 D+4 A+4
Roll 2 A A A A A A A A A
Roll 3 A A A A A A A D A
Roll 4 A A A A A D A D A
Roll 5 A A A D A D A D A
Roll 6 A D A D A D A D A
Roll 7 D D D D A D A D A
Roll 8 D D D D D D D D A
Roll 9 D D A D D D D D D
Roll 10 D D D D D D D D D
Roll 11 D D D D D D A D A
Roll 12 D D D D A D A D A
Note: Table has not been converted to html yet.
An “A” denotes that the attacker wins. A “D” denotes that the defender wins. A=D denotes that the sides are equal in strength. D+1 indicates that the defender has one more unit of strength, and D+2 means 2 . . . etc. A+1incates that the attacker is stronger by one more unit, and A+2 means two . . . etc. Cities have a natural defense. When attacked, the defender gains one defense.
If you attack an undefended enemy settlement, you don’t need to roll to move your troops in. You automatically win. You may immediately move them in and do whatever you like under the settlement conditions.
4. Defense.
When you build an army, you may also train them to defend. Defending armies have an attack strength of one and a defense strength of two.
5. Roads and shipping lanes.
If you can move your army into an enemy settlement or city, and if you destroy or take it, then if there are any of your opponents road segments that were attached to that settlement that are no longer attached to any of your opponent’s settlements, then you may either destroy those roads or turn them into your roads immediately if you choose.
If at any time you cut off an opponent’s road segment(s), from one of their settlements, cities, or capitals either with an army or one of your settlements, then you may destroy their roads or turn them into your own if you want as long as the opportunity is there. If you opponent builds a settlement somewhere on that section of road before you destroy it, then the opportunity is gone. The same rules apply for shipping lanes. You may destroy any of your own roads or shipping lanes at any time.
6. Other rules.
1. Trade caravans and highways.
Players can also build highways to improve their roads. Highways replace roads and cost two brick and one ores. Players can build caravans. Caravans cost two wood, one sheep and one ore. Your caravans and armies can move along any of your highways to any intersection that your highways extend to in one turn. If you use a port during your turn and you caravan is stationed at a source of the resource that corresponds with that port, then you may trade that resource at a 1:1 ratio by moving your caravan to that port, if you can within that turn. If it is a generic port then you may trade any resource at a 2:1 ratio.
Trade caravans have no military value. If they are even attacked, they are destroyed. This rule is alternate.
2. Capitals.
Players can build capitals. Capitals cost one brick, one wood, one sheep, one grain, and two ores. They replace cities and are worth three victory points. They produce three resources for the bordering hexes. If they are attacked and the defender loses , then the attacker may:
1. Pillage: Steal up to five resources from his opponent’s hand, and if he/she has any, steal a development card, played or not played. Rules for settlement apply.
2. Burn government buildings: Demote the capital to a city and demote any bordering highways to roads (costs one wood and one sheep).
3. Burn government and commercial buildings: Demote the capital to a settlement and demote any bordering highways to roads (costs four wood and two ores).
4. Attack surroundings: Retreat all military forces from the capital and immediately attack any settlement or city connected to the capital by highway. The opponent must pay half his/her resources in tribute if your attack is successful.
Capitals can support three armies.
When using this alternate rule, players win if they achieve fifteen victory points.
7. This variant should be played under the Free Settlement Strategies Variant.
8. This may be used with the Cities and Knights expansion.
The following adjustments are made when playing with the Cities and Knights expansion:
1. The merchant may be moved along a highway.
2. Knights are still built the same way. They can only attack other knights. They cannot attack anything else on their own, but a basic activated knight adds +1 to attack and defense of any army. A regular knight adds +2, and a mighty knight adds +3. These are only added to ONE of the armies and NOT each at that intersection.
3. Knights may be attacked by armies. Their defense is equal to their bonus.
4. In order to destroy roads, you must detach them from any settlement, city, capital, or KNIGHT.
5. If you pillage a capital, you may not take a development card.
6. Capitals produce one more resource. Since a capital is a type of city, when totaling cities, capitals are included. Capitals may be sabotaged, and they produce one less resource and may be restored the same way. If a brigand attack is successful, the capital is only demoted to a city. City walls may be constructed for a capital.
7. If you lose any cities or knights and no longer have enough to support your knights, you may keep your armies, but you still can’t build any more.
Notes:
If your attack is successful and you end up with more than three armies, then you must move out as many units as necessary out of that intersection on the following turn.
When attacking, if either side has a strength of five or more than the other, then don’t bother rolling. The side with 5+ more is automatically victorious.
Capitals have a natural defense of four.
You may not directly incorporate an opponent’s capital into your civilization. You must first demote it.
I have not worked out all the bugs in the game yet. In most games I've tested, players don't bother building armies, and when they do, it's a LONG game.
Links.
