The Settlers of Catan - Beginner's Version

Objective

The goal of "The Settlers of Catan" (especially the beginner's version, often known as "Catan Junior") is to be the first player to achieve a certain number of victory points. You earn these points by building settlements and cities, constructing roads, and by acquiring certain development cards.

Game Materials

• Game board: Composed of hexagonal terrain tiles.
• Resource cards: There are five types: wood, brick, wheat, sheep, and ore.
• Building cards: For constructing roads, settlements, and cities.
• Development cards: Provide advantages or bonuses.
• Roads, settlements, and cities: Represent players' resources on the board.
• Robber token: Affects resource production.
• Dice: Determine resource yields each round.

Gameplay

1. Starting Setup: Each player places 2 settlements, each with an adjacent road. Starting areas determine initial resources.

2. Turn Sequence:

3. Resource Production: At the start of each round, a player rolls the dice. The resulting number indicates which terrain tiles produce resources. Each player with a settlement or city adjacent to these tiles receives the corresponding resource cards.
4. Trade and Build: Players can trade with each other or use collected resources to build new roads, settlements, or cities. Roads cost 1 wood and 1 brick, settlements cost 1 wood, 1 brick, 1 sheep, and 1 wheat, and cities cost 3 ore and 2 wheat.

5. Move the Robber: When a 7 is rolled, the robber is activated. The active player can move the robber to interrupt production on a specific tile.

6. Endgame: The game ends when a player reaches the required number of victory points (usually 10).

Strategic Tips

• Resource Selection: Choose starting locations that provide a broad access to various resources.
• Trade: Use trading strategically to obtain missing resources.
• Robber Placement: Use the robber wisely to hinder opponents.
• Road Network: Extend your road network as much as possible to build new settlements in lucrative areas.

This beginner's version is perfect for learning the basic mechanics of "The Settlers of Catan" and offers a great opportunity to become familiar with the strategic aspects of this classic game.