This is a board game with an online version that me and a few other Zelaron members have been playing for a while. It's one of those games that's fairly simple to get into, but hard to master.
You can download the game
here
You can find the full rules for Settlers of Catan
here, and it's expansion Seafarers of Catan
here.
Below, you will find an overview of the basics you need to play.
The game is played on a field of randomly selected tiles like below:
The object of the game is to achieve 10 victory points. You can get victory points from 5 different sources:
- Each settlement you hold is worth one victory point
- Each city you hold is worth two victory points
- Building the longest road (at least 4 long) is worth two victory points
- Playing the most soldier cards (at least 3) is worth two victory points
- Playing a victory point card is worth one victory point
During gameplay, you will strive to build roads, settlements, and cities to expand your resource collection capability and gain victory points.
The following tiles make up the playing area:
These will be explained later.
Start of play
The game starts with each player from the first to last placing a settlement at the corner of three tiles, then placing a road along an adjacent edge between two tiles. This process is then repeated last to first.
The turn
The turn starts with the active player rolling two dice. If the roll is seven, then any player with more than seven resource cards must discard half of them and the active player places the robber (explained later). If the roll is not seven, then each resource tile with the number rolled on its roll chip produces; any settlement on a corner of a producing resource tile gathers one of that resource into its owner's resource pool, and any city two. Keep in mind during play that not all numbers have an equal chance of being rolled; this is illustrated in the number of dots on each roll chip.
Roll chips:
After the roll, the active player may trade resources with other players or the bank. The bank offers an exchange rate of 4 of any one resource for one of any other. You can improve this by building a settlement on a corner of a 3:1 port tile with a white arc for a global 3:1 exchange rate, or by building on a 2:1 port tile corner with a white arc for a 2:1 exchange rate from the specified resource to any other.
Buyable items:
During the turn, the active player may buy any of the above if they have the needed resources.
A Development Card is a randomly selected card that can be played on your next turn. Excepting Victory Point cards, you can only play one development card per turn. The following Development cards are available:
- Soldier-Place the robber
- Victory Point-Gain a victory point
- Monopoly-Steal everyone's resource of the chosen type
- Year of Plenty-Get two resources of your choice
- Road building-Build two roads for free
A Settlement is a victory point and a resource collection point. In addition, settlements in the marked corners of port tiles effect your exchange rate at the bank. Settlements can only be placed on corners two distant from any existing settlement or city controlled by any player and must be connected by roads to one of your pre-existing settlements.
A City is an upgraded settlement. When you build a city, you must replace an existing settlement with it. Cities produce double resources and are worth double victory points.
A Road is a path for expansion. Roads cannot be built on an edge that already has a road and cannot be built between two sea or port tiles.
Boats are not used in basic Settlers.
The Robber is a black pawn (shown on the desert tile in the setup image) which prevents the tile it is on from producing resources. It starts on the desert and is moved when a player rolls a seven or plays a soldier card. The robber can only be moved to a resource tile and cannot be placed on the tile it is already on. When the robber is moved, the player that moves it may take a resource card chosen at random from any player with a settlement on the corner of the tile the robber was moved to.
Seafarers of Catan
Seafarers brings more map variety and the following additional general rules:
Boats can be built from settlements or cities bordering water in the same way as roads.
The first settlement built across the sea by a player earns them an extra victory point.
Some maps have jungles which instead of resources produce development points which can be used in place of any resource when buying development cards
Play is to 12 victory points instead of to 10.
The longest road victory points condition also counts boats
Playing Settlers
I reccomend 3 players for optimal enjoyment of this game on the standard map, though 2-6 players can play.
To start playing, choose File|New in the Sea3D application.
Select new network game and hit OK.
Choose whether to join or create, and the player name to use, then hit OK. If this is the first time playing, you will need to hit add to add a name.
Here, enter your name to appear in the game and your color pereference, then hit OK.
Enter the IP of the game to connect to, or hit the >> button to pick from a list of recent IPs. Hit Ready! to allow the host to start the game.
If you are creating the game, you will get this version of the dialog. You will need to select a map before play can begin.
The first two maps are Settlers maps and the rest are Seafarers maps. For a varied gameplay experience, I reccomend New Worlds II once you have learned the basics.
If you are interested in playing, post your intent in this thread, as well as your AIM or ICQ if it is not in your forum profile. You can also find games by hitting the Find Games button; to play in most games found that way, you will need to register your name when you create it.
Linear Mode
