How To Play Catan

Catan is one of the most popular board games going around and is the perfect way for 2-4 players to spend the afternoon!

While it might take you a little while to get your head around the finer aspects of the game, once you’ve got the piece in front of you, it will soon become clear just how fun and engaging a game of Catan can be!

Catan is one of the many board games stocked at Hobbyco — continue reading to learn a little more about the gameplay and strategies you can use to emerge victorious against friends and family!

Setting Up the Game Board

The object of the game is to be the first player to reach 10 victory points, which can be earned by building settlements, earning achievements, and buying certain development cards.

Still confused? Don’t worry, we’ll take you step by step through how to set up your board and start your very first game.

If it’s your first time playing, punch all the individual playing pieces out of their surroundings and set up the board as pictured in the instruction booklet, followed by the circular tiles containing numbers. These can be randomised in later games for more varied play — one of the great things about Catan is that no two games are alike! You can personalise the game board as you wish for an easy or slightly harder game experience.  

You will notice that each playing tile has a particular terrain image on it. These images correspond to a particular type of resource, which you can gather to help build roads and settlements. 

The relationship between terrain and resources is as follows:

• The hills make clay
• The forest makes wood
• The mountains make stone
• The fields make wheat
• The pastures make sheep
• The desert makes nothing

In addition, you’ll pick up on the fact that each number tile has dots underneath. These indicate how statistically likely that number is to be rolled. 8s and 6s are the most likely, whereas 12 and 2 are the least.

Once you’ve organised your board, it’s time to get started!

How to Play Catan

Catan kicks off with each player placing down two settlements and two roads on the board.

Players roll the dice to determine who goes first, beginning the initial settlement placement phase. In a clockwise direction, each player places one settlement on the corner of any terrain tile and one road connected to that settlement on a corner on the edges of that tile. Once everyone has placed a settlement, the order reverses. The last player to place a settlement places their second, followed by the player before them and so on. This ensures fairness for each player, as the first to place a settlement has dibs on the best spots. 

And so play begins! Players take turns in a clockwise direction, starting with the player who rolled the highest at the beginning. Here’s how an individual turn goes:

Playing Your Turn in Catan

1. Roll the dice.
2. If any players have a settlement on any corner of the terrain tile whose number was rolled, they get one resource from that terrain. If they have two settlements around the terrain, they get two of those resources, and three resources if they have three.
3. The player may then choose to trade resources to get what they need to build roads and settlements. Only the player whose turn it is can trade with others, the other players cannot trade amongst themselves. The player whose turn it is can use any of the following trading strategies: 
1. Trading amongst themselves
2. Trading with the bank by paying four of any one type of resource for one of any resource.
3. If they have a settlement on a trading dock, they can pay either two of a specific resource for one, or three of any resource for one, depending on what is written. 
4. Players can also choose to build. Roads allow you to branch out and build more settlements, which are worth one victory point each. Cities are worth two victory points, and produce two resources if they are next to a terrain that was rolled. A few things to note about settlements: they must be placed two roads apart from each other, and must be connected to an existing road belonging to the player. Roads also cannot be continued to be built if they are blocked by another player’s settlement.
5. If a seven is rolled, then the robber is activated! The player who rolled the seven gets to move the robber to any tile and stop the production of resources from that tile. They can then rob any one player that has a settlement around that tile of one random resource. Furthermore, any players that have 8 or more resources in their hand must discard half of them, rounded down.

Catan: Tips and Tricks to Win the Game

A few extra things to note before playing your first game of Catan that will help you earn a hard-fought victory over family and friends!

Development cards are special cards players can buy with resources. There are a few different types, including knights, which allow players to activate the robber before they roll the dice, cards that award victory points, and cards that allow players to place free roads and take free resources.

Finally, there are two special achievements that award two victory points. The longest road is given to the first player to build a road five road tokens long and can be taken by any player who builds a longer road. The largest army is awarded to the first player to play three knight cards and can be taken by any player who plays more. 

As soon as one player reaches 10 victory points, they are declared the winner!

Expanding Your Catan Collection

Once you’ve got your head around the basics of Catan, it’s time to expand your horizons. 

As Catan became more popular, the makers of the game took the opportunity to develop and release a number of expansion packs that took the gameplay to new settings and heights.

Hobbyco stocks countless Catan expansion packs that take everything you love about Catan while allowing you to explore new civilisations. Try Catan Seafarers, Catan Histories, Catan Treasures, Dragons & Adventurers and Catan Traders and Barbarians to see what we mean!  

Shop for Catan and Other Board Games at Hobbyco

Hobbyco’s range of board games is unparalleled. From strategy games to traditional old-school games (mahjong, chess, and even snakes and ladders!), Hobbyco has you covered.

Not only do we have the original Catan game but plenty of expansion sets that will keep you playing for hours on end.

Shop the range of board games online today and feel free to contact our friendly team if you have any questions!