Objective of the Game
The objective of Catan – Best Friends is to be the first player to achieve a specific number of victory points through building settlements, cities, roads, and by acquiring development cards.
Game Materials
- Game board composed of hexagonal tiles
- Resource cards (wood, brick, grain, ore, wool)
- Development cards
- Settlements, cities, and roads in different player colors
- Dice
Game Setup
- The game board is constructed using the hexagonal tiles.
- Each player chooses a color and receives the corresponding settlements, cities, and roads.
- Two settlements and two roads are placed on the board during the initial setup by each player.
- Shuffle the development cards and place them as a face-down deck.
Gameplay
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Resource Production: At the start of their turn, players roll two dice. The sum determines which tiles produce resources. Players with a settlement or city on that tile receive the respective resource cards.
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Trading: Players can trade resource cards with each other or exchange them with the "bank" at a 4:1 ratio. Strategically trading for the resources needed for your next construction is vital.
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Building: Players can construct settlements, roads, or cities or purchase development cards using their resource cards:
- Settlements: require 1 wood, 1 brick, 1 grain, and 1 wool.
- Cities: require 3 ore and 2 grain and replace one of the player's existing settlements.
- Roads: require 1 wood and 1 brick.
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Development cards: require 1 ore, 1 wool, and 1 grain.
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Using Development Cards: These provide benefits, such as deploying a knight, acquiring resources, or receiving extra victory points.
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Moving the Robber: When a 7 is rolled, all players with more than 7 cards must discard half of them. The active player then moves the robber and may steal a card from a player with a settlement or city on that tile.
Winning Conditions
- The first player to reach 10 victory points wins the game.
Strategic Considerations
- Optimal Settlement Placement: Aim to place your initial settlements close to resource tiles that offer strong combinations for building.
- Trading: Keep your strategy flexible by trading the resources you need most.
- Development Cards: These can be game-changers, so it’s prudent to buy them regularly to benefit from surprises during the game.
Enjoy playing Catan – Best Friends!
