Objective of the Game
"Wien Catan" is a variant of the popular game "The Settlers of Catan" focusing on developing and settling in the city of Vienna. The objective is to be the first player to reach a specified number of victory points by constructing settlements, cities, roads, and using special city cards.
Game Components
- Board: The board displays a map of Vienna divided into hexagonal tiles producing different resources: lumber, brick, grain, wool, and ore.
- Resource Cards: Each resource type has its own cards.
- Buildings: Consisting of settlements, roads, and cities.
- City Cards (similar to development cards in Catan)
- Dice
- Robber Piece
Setup
- Setup: The board is randomly assembled. Resource tiles and number tokens, which determine resource production, are distributed randomly.
- Initial Placement: Each player places two settlements along with their respective roads on the board in turn.
- Resource Distribution: Each settlement at the edge of the board receives resources from the adjacent tiles.
Game Flow
The game proceeds clockwise with each player's turn consisting of the following phases:
- Rolling Dice: At the beginning of a player's turn, they roll two dice.
- The sum of the dice determines which tiles produce resources. Players with settlements or cities adjacent to those tiles receive corresponding resources.
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If a 7 is rolled, the robber is activated:
- The player who rolled the 7 can place the robber on any resource tile. The blocked tile does not produce resources until the robber is moved.
- The robber steals a random resource card from one of the surrounding players.
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Trading: Players can negotiate trades with any other player to exchange resources.
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Building: The player can:
- Build roads (1 lumber, 1 brick)
- Construct settlements (1 lumber, 1 brick, 1 grain, 1 wool)
- Upgrade to cities (2 grain, 3 ore)
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Buy city cards (1 wool, 1 grain, 1 ore)
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Collect Victory Points: Players earn points by:
- Each settlement is worth 1 point.
- Each city is worth 2 points.
- Special achievements like the “Largest Army” or the “Longest Road” under favorable conditions.
Victory Points
- The player who first achieves the required number of points wins the game, typically 10 victory points.
Strategic Tips
- Resource Distribution: Choose starting locations with access to a variety of resources.
- Balance: Ensure you have access to all types of resources.
- Negotiation: Use trading to balance deficiencies in your resources.
- Construction: Plan construction projects ahead and secure necessary resources early.
Wien Catan offers a mix of strategy, negotiation, and luck, as both setup and game progress can vary greatly.
