Objective of the Game
The aim of The Settlers of Canaan is to develop and populate the land of Canaan by building cities, developing worship centers, and trading resources, in order to be the first to achieve a set number of victory points.
Game Components
- Game Board with hexagonal tiles
- Resource Cards: wood, brick, grain, ore, wool
- Roads, Settlements, and Cities made of wood
- Development Cards
- Building Cost Cards
- Dice
- Robber Figure
Game Setup
- Place the game board in the center of the table. It consists of hexagons representing different resources.
- Each player gets a Building Cost Card for construction guidelines.
- Each player chooses a color and takes the corresponding roads, settlements, and cities.
- Shuffle the resource cards and development cards separately.
- Each player places two settlements and two roads on the board, following placement rules.
Game Play
The game is played in rounds, with each player taking the following actions on their turn:
- Roll the Dice:
- The player rolls two dice.
- The sum determines which resource fields produce resources. Players with settlements or cities adjacent to these fields receive corresponding resource cards.
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If a "7" is rolled, the robber comes into play.
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Move the Robber: (only on a 7)
- When a "7" is rolled, the robber figure is moved to a new hex tile.
- Players with more than seven resource cards must discard half.
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The active player may steal a resource card from a player with a settlement or city adjacent to the robber.
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Trading:
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Players can trade cards with other players or the bank at a rate of 4 of the same type for 1 of any type.
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Build:
- Players can build roads, settlements, and cities or purchase development cards by giving up the required resources.
- Each settlement is worth 1 victory point, each city is worth 2, and development cards can provide additional benefits.
Special Rules and Strategies
- Road Building is key for expanding and founding new settlements. Roads must always connect to one another.
- Settlements can be erected only at intersections at least two edges away from other settlements or cities of any player.
- The player with the longest continuous road gets the Longest Road bonus and extra points.
- Resource Scarcity: Areas that frequently produce resources are in high demand - early expansion is crucial.
- Robber Tactics: Use the robber strategically to hinder opponents.
Ending the Game
The game ends when a player reaches the agreed number of points (usually 10) and wins the game.
