Objective of the Game

The goal of De Kolonisten van de Lage Landen is to collect the most victory points by building settlements, constructing roads, and assembling the largest armies. Players gather resources, trade among themselves, and strategically build to achieve their goals.

Game Materials

• A game board with hexagonal tiles depicting different landscapes
• Resource cards (wood, brick, wool, grain, ore)
• Development cards
• Roads, settlements, and cities in various player colors
• Two dice
• Robber figure

Game Setup

1. Place the game board in the center of the table.
2. Each player chooses a color and takes all associated roads, settlements, and cities.
3. Shuffle the development cards and place them facedown.
4. Randomly determine a starting player.
5. Each player takes turns placing one settlement and one road on the board. This is done in reverse order again.

Game Flow

The game proceeds in rounds, with each player going through the following phases during their turn:

1. Resource Production:
2. The current player rolls both dice.
3. The sum determines which tiles "harvest." Players with settlements adjacent to these tiles receive corresponding resource cards.

4. If "7" is rolled, the robber is moved.

5. Moving the Robber:

6. If a 7 is rolled, the active player must move the robber to any tile.
7. Players with more than 7 resource cards must discard half (rounded down).

8. The active player draws a resource card from an affected player if there is a settlement there.

9. Trade and Build:

10. The player can trade with others and/or build roads, settlements, cities, or development cards.

11. Building:

    • Road: 1 wood, 1 brick
    • Settlement: 1 wood, 1 brick, 1 wool, 1 grain
    • City: 2 grain, 3 ore
    • Development Card: 1 wool, 1 grain, 1 ore

12. Playing Development Cards:

13. A player may play a development card at any time during their turn, but not in the same round it was purchased.

Winning Conditions

The game ends once a player has 10 victory points. Points are gained through settlements (1 point each), cities (2 points each), having the longest road (2 points), or the largest army (2 points).

Strategic Tips

• Aim for a good balance in starting positions for settlements that provide both direct resources and strategic advantages.
• Flexibility in trading and skillful use of the robber can lead to victory.
• Plan long-term strategies for the largest road or army to gain additional victory points.