Settlers of Catan
Players collect resources and build roads, settlements, and cities in an attempt to gain the most victory points, winning the game.
Designer	Klaus Teuber
Publisher	Kosmos Mayfair Games Capcom 999 Games
Players	3 or 4 (standard) 5 or 6 (with expansions)
Age range	10 years and up
Setup time	approx. 10 minutes
Playing time	45 to 60 minutes
Random chance	Medium
Skills required	Dice rolling, Trading
BoardGameGeek entry (more...)

Settlers of Catan is a multiplayer board game designed by Klaus Teuber. It was first published in 1995 in Germany by Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. (Kosmos) under the name Die Siedler von Catan. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1494x1199, 335 KB) en: The Settlers of Catan - standard map for 3-4 players de: Die Siedler von Catan - Standard-Karte für 3 bis 4 Spieler File links The following pages link to this file: Settlers of Catan ... Klaus Teuber Klaus Teuber (born 1952) is a well-known German designer of board games. ... Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Mayfair Games is a publisher of board and roleplaying games in the United States and United Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... For the original NASA meaning, see capsule communicator. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... 999 Games is a Dutch board game publishing company. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Netherlands. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Belgium_(civil). ... Dice (the plural of die, from Old French de, from Latin datum something given or played [1]) are small polyhedral objects, usually cubical, used for generating random numbers or other symbols. ... It has been suggested that Commerce be merged into this article or section. ... A board game is a game played with counters or pieces that are placed on, removed from, or moved across a board (a premarked surface, usually specific to that game). ... Klaus Teuber Klaus Teuber (born 1952) is a well-known German designer of board games. ... Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. ...

Settlers was the first German-style board game to achieve popularity outside Europe, and has been called the "killer app" of designer board games.^[1] Over 11 million games in the Catan series have been sold,^[2] and the game has been translated into twenty-five languages from the original German^{[citation needed]}. The game has rapidly become popular in part because its mechanics are relatively simple, while its dynamics are quite complex.^[3] The game is well suited for family play, since no one gets eliminated, and players who are behind can strive towards goals that are within their reach. Puerto Rico, a popular German-style board game German-style board games are a broad class of games that feature simple rules, modest length, and attractive components. ... A killer application (commonly shortened to killer app) is a computer program that is so useful that people will buy a particular computer hardware, gaming console, and/or an operating system simply to run that program. ...

The standard game and its many expansions are available from Mayfair Games in the United States, from Capcom in Japan, Kosmos and 999 Games in the European Union, Devir in Spain, Portugal and Latin America, and Strategy Games in Canada. Mayfair Games is a publisher of board and roleplaying games in the United States and United Kingdom. ... For the original NASA meaning, see capsule communicator. ... 999 Games is a Dutch board game publishing company. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

Gameplay

Settlers of Catan in action

The players in the game represent the eponymous settlers, establishing a colony on the previously uninhabited island of Catan. The island itself is laid out randomly at the beginning of each game from hexagonal tiles ("hexes") of different land types each producing one type of resource: ore, grain, wool, lumber, or clay (brick). One hex is desert which does not produce anything.^[4] ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1437x1210, 724 KB) Summary Better image of Settlers of Catan (no color distortion, better view of playing area, etc. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1437x1210, 724 KB) Summary Better image of Settlers of Catan (no color distortion, better view of playing area, etc. ... A Hex map, or hexagonal map is often used in tactical board games. ...

Starting with two settlements and adjoining road sections, players build roads, settlements and eventually cities as they settle the island. Roads are built along the edges of the hexes, and settlements at the corners; no two settlements may be built on adjacent corners. Positioning of roads and settlements allows a player to deny other players access to essential resources, and good building is one route to victory.^[3]

Each turn, a roll of the two dice determines which hexes produce resources. This is the main random element in the game. Normally, players with settlements adjacent to those hexes receive resource cards of the appropriate type, with cities yielding more resources. However, if the dice roll is 7, the "robber" token must be moved to a different hex. This allows the player to prevent that hex from producing resources and to steal a resource card from another player. A game mechanic is a rule or set of rules intended to produce a set of outcomes in a game. ... Dice (the plural of die, from Old French de, from Latin datum something given or played [1]) are small polyhedral objects, usually cubical, used for generating random numbers or other symbols. ... A game mechanic is a rule or set of rules intended to produce a set of outcomes in a game. ...

The resource cards can be spent to build more roads or settlements, upgrade settlements to cities, and to obtain development cards for later use; or they can be stored for trade or later use. When a seven is rolled, players with too many stored resources lose half their stored resources, making the choice of whether to build or store resources a difficult one.

Players are allowed to trade among each other the resources they have produced, and to trade "off the island" for a hefty price. By building settlements in certain positions, players may obtain better off-island trading prices. Bad luck in the game can be mitigated by trading, and trading is the main method of player interaction in the game; astute trading is another route to victory.^[3] If a player is winning, other players may refuse to trade; this allows them to catch up with the leader. A game mechanic is a rule or set of rules intended to produce a set of outcomes in a game. ...

A game of GIANT Settlers of Catan being played Gen Con Indy 2003. This is one of many Settlers of Catan custom extra-large boards seen during demonstrations and tournaments at Gen Con.

A player receives a victory point for each settlement built, and another for each settlement upgraded to a city. Various other achievements, such as establishing the longest road, grant a player additional victory points. The victor is the first player to accumulate ten victory points on his turn. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 620 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photograph of players playing Settlers of Catan at Gen Con Indy on 2003-07-24. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 620 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photograph of players playing Settlers of Catan at Gen Con Indy on 2003-07-24. ... Gen Con is the one of the largest and most prominent gaming conventions in North America. ... A game mechanic is a rule or set of rules intended to produce a set of outcomes in a game. ...

There is no combat. Apart from moving the robber, refusing to trade, and cutting off building routes, there is no way to harm other players. The layout of the board and restrictions on building allow for a player to be boxed in through poor play or bad luck. Also, given the random component of board layout, it's possible for players to gain a monopoly on certain resource, and demand steep trade rates from other players. Home games generally take between one and two hours to complete.

Teuber's original design was for a large game of exploration and development in a new land.^[5] Between 1993 and 1995 Teuber and Kosmos refined and simplified the game into its current form. Unused mechanics from that design went on to be used in Teuber's following games, Entdecker and Löwenherz. The game's first expansion, Seafarers of Catan, adds the concept of exploration, and the combined game (sometimes known as "New Shores") is probably the closest game to Teuber's original intentions.^[1] Entdecker is a German-style board game designed by Klaus Teuber and published in 1996 by Goldsieber in German. ... Löwenherz (Lionheart) is a German-style board game designed by Klaus Teuber and published in 1997 by Goldsieber in German and by Rio Grande Games in English. ... The Seafarers of Catan is an expansion of the game Settlers of Catan. ...

The Settlers of Catan series

The enduring popularity of Settlers of Catan has led to the creation of a great many spinoff games and products, starting with the Catan card game and including a novel, Die Siedler von Catan, by Rebecca Gablé (ISBN 3-431-03019-X) set on the island of Catan.

Catan card game

Teuber first returned to the Catan theme in 1996 with the Settlers of Catan card game, a card game for two players. The game is longer, with games lasting roughly 90 minutes, and is more complex, containing amongst other things a sixth resource type, gold. Each player places cards representing the game elements of Settlers - roads, settlements and regions - in their own separate areas, and seek to expand their principality while scoring victory points for certain features. As of 2007, seven expansions have been published for the card game, with the most recent being Artists & Benefactors, released at the 2007 Nuremberg International Toy Fair.^[6] The Catan Card Game, originally named The Settlers of Catan: The Card Game, is a card game adaptation of The Settlers of Catan. ... // For the game on The Price Is Right, see Card Game (pricing game). ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... 2007 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Nuremberg International Toy Fair (Nürnberger Spielwarenmesse) is a international toy and game trade show which takes place annually in Nuremberg, Germany. ...

The card game tends to be more competitive than the original board game, although the Barbarians & Traders Upgrade Kit (or the latest version of the complete game) adds several rules to reduce this. ^[7]

Settlers expansions and editions

The larger Settlers of Catan board for 5 or 6 players

After releasing the card game, Teuber began to publish expansions for the base game. The first, Seafarers of Catan, was released in 1997. Seafarers adds ships which allow players to cross sea hexes, and includes scenarios in which players explore an archipelago of islands. It also adds gold-producing hexes which allow players to take the resource of their choice. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 384 pixelsFull resolution (1309 × 628 pixel, file size: 213 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 384 pixelsFull resolution (1309 × 628 pixel, file size: 213 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Seafarers of Catan is an expansion of the game Settlers of Catan. ...

In 1999, expansions to allow fifth and sixth players were released for both Settlers and Seafarers. As well as extra components to accommodate more players, the expansions add an extra trade phase to the turn, so that players can participate in the game during each others' turns.

The second large expansion to the game, Cities and Knights of Catan, was released in 2000. It adds concepts from the card game and its first expansion to Settlers, including Knights who must be used to defend Catan from invading barbarians, and improvements which can be bought for cities which give benefits to players. A 5-6 player expansion for Cities and Knights was released at the same time. Also released in 2000 was a book of variations for Settlers The Cities and Knights of Catan (German: Städte und Ritter) is an expansion to the board game Settlers of Catan for three to four players (five to six player play is also possible with the Settlers and Cities and Knights five to six player expansions). ...

The third large expansion, Traders & Barbarians was announced for release in 2007. Traders & Barbarians collects together a number of smaller scenarios, some of which have previously been published elsewhere. The set includes an official two-player variant.

Historical scenarios

In 1998, the first historical scenario pack was released, which allows players to reenact the building of the pyramids of Egypt or the expansion of Alexander the Great's empire using Settlers game mechanics. The pyramids of Egypt, some of which are amongst the largest man-made constructions ever conceived, constitute one of the most potent and enduring symbols of Ancient Egyptian civilization. ... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ...

A second scenario pack for Settlers concerning the building of the Great Wall of China and the Trojan war was released in 2001, and in 2002 a travel edition of Settlers was published, featuring playing pieces which slot into a fixed-layout board. Atlantis: Scenarios and Variants was published in 2005. Atlantis is a boxed set which collected a number of scenarios and variants published in gaming magazines and at conventions, such as The Volcano and The Great River. The set also includes a deck of event cards which replace the dice in the main game, giving it a less random spread of resource production. “Great Wall” redirects here. ... For the 1997 film, see Trojan War (film). ...

Special editions

Collector's edition tiles

Two special editions of the game were released in 2005: A collector's edition of the base game and Cities and Knights, with hand-painted 3D tiles and playing pieces; and a 10th anniversary edition with detailed plastic pieces. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...

Standalone games

Die Siedler von Nürnberg, a standalone game set at the foundation of the city of Nuremberg, and Starfarers of Catan, a standalone game set in the far future, were released in 1999. Starfarers was followed in 2001 by a 5-6 player expansion and by Starship Catan, a two-player card game. Two "mission packs" for Starship Catan were published in 2003 and a third was published in 2004. Nuremberg (German: ) is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. ... Starfarers of Catan is a multiplayer board game loosely based on the Settlers of Catan series of games. ... Starship Catan is a two-player card game, loosely based on the Starfarers of Catan board game. ...

There are two catan games aimed at children. The Kids of Catan, a children's game played on a revolving board, was published in 2003. Settlers of Catan Junior was announced at the 2007 Nuremberg toy fair. The Kids of Catan is a German board game designed for children using the theme from The Settlers of Catan. ...

Two more historical reenactment games were released using Settlers game mechanics: Settlers of the Stone Age, released in 2002 and set in the Stone Age; and Struggle for Rome, released in 2006 and set at the fall of the Roman Empire. When Struggle was published, it and Stone Age were put under the common brand "Catan Histories" The Settlers of the Stone Age is a German board game, heavily based on The Settlers of Catan, with a stone age theme. ... Stone Age fishing hook. ... Catan Histories: Struggle of Rome is a 2006 German-style board game based on the game mechanics of Settlers of Catan, depicting the fall of the Roman Empire. ... The Roman Empire is not the Holy Roman Empire (843-1806). ...

The Catan brand name was also used for two games set on the island of Catan, but otherwise unrelated to the parent game. The first, Candamir: The First Settlers, was released in 2004 and is an adventure board game set around the first settlement of Catan. Players control individual settlers hunting and gathering, with characteristics affecting success. The second, Elasund: The First City, was released in 2006 and is a two- to four-player game in which players build within a single city, with game mechanics based on real estate pricing and eminent domain. Talisman is an adventure board game with a fantasy theme. ... Homes in Monterey County, California, are some of the most expensive in the Unites States. ... Eminent domain (United States), compulsory purchase (United Kingdom, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Australia) or expropriation (Canada, South Africa) in common law legal systems is the inherent power of the state to seize a citizens private property, expropriate property, or rights in property, without the owner...

A dice game based on Settlers of Catan was announced in 2007.^[6] Dice games are quite universal. ...

Licensed adaptations

Many companies and conventions have produced adaptations of Settlers for promotional purposes, and a few companies have obtained licenses to sell derived games. The Water of Life was produced in 1997 for Scottish distillery Glen Grant, and The Communication in Catan was made in 2000 for the French telecommunication company Alcatel. Capcom published a line of Rockman.EXE Catan (ロックマン エグゼ カタン, Rockman.EXE Catan^?) games, based on their Rockman.EXE franchise and including standard and portable versions. Glen Grant, looking through the window of his store, the Haunt, in a 2001 photo. ... Alcatel SA is a global company, headquartered in France that provides hardware, software and services to telecommunications service providers and enterprises. ... For the original NASA meaning, see capsule communicator. ... MegaMan NT Warrior (Full Name: MegaMan Net Transmission Warrior), known as RockMan EXE (ロックマンエグゼ Rokkuman EGUZE) in Japan, is an anime and manga series based on the MegaMan Battle Network series of video games. ...

The Settlers of Canaan, a licensed version of Settlers of Catan with additions to fit themes from the Old Testament, was released in 2002 by Cactus Game Design, and The Settlers of Zarahemla was released in 2003 with additions to fit themes from the Book of Mormon by Inspiration Games. SimplyFun, a company which produces simplified versions of board games, released Simply Catan in 2006. Settlers of Canaan is a licensed adaptation of Settlers of Catan that incorporates Old Testament themes into its multiplayer board game play. ... Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh to refer to its canon, which corresponds to the Protestant Old Testament. ... Settlers of Canaan is a licensed adaptation of Settlers of Catan that incorporates Old Testament themes into its multiplayer board game play. ... The Settlers of Zarahemla is a licensed adaptation of the German board game The Settlers of Catan by Klaus Teuber, based on the Book of Mormon. ... The Book of Mormon[1] is one of the sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... Ãœberplay Entertainment is a board game publishing company. ...

Video games

Catan for the Xbox 360.

Since the game's release, a number of computer games have been published based on Catan and its spinoffs. The first officially-sanctioned English-language release was Catan: The Computer Game by Big Fish Games. A PC CD version of the Catan card game was released in 2000. Microsoft acquired the game for MSN Games and released Catan Online in August 2005. Teuber and Big Huge Games recently worked together to produce Catan, a version of Settlers for the Xbox Live Arcade. It was released on May 2, 2007. There is also a computerized version for the Nokia N-Gage. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Settlers of Catan is a multiplayer board game invented by Klaus Teuber, first published in Germany by Franckh_Kosmos Verlags_GmbH & Co. ... It has been suggested that Xbox 360 Elite be merged into this article or section. ... Big Fish Games is a provider of Internet media delivery software and services based in Seattle, Washington. ... MSN Games (also known as Zone. ... Big Huge Games is a computer game developer founded in 2000 by veteran game industry figures Tim Train, David Inscore, Jason Coleman and Brian Reynolds. ... Settlers of Catan is a multiplayer board game invented by Klaus Teuber, first published in Germany by Franckh_Kosmos Verlags_GmbH & Co. ... Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is an online service operated by Microsoft that is used to distribute video games to Xbox and Xbox 360 owners and from late 2007 to Games for Windows - Live users [1]. The service was first launched in late 2004 and offers games from about US$5... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Nokia N-Gage phone (original version) The Nokia N-Gage is a mobile telephone and handheld game system designed using the Nokia 3650 as a base. ...

There have also been several unauthorized video game implementations of Settlers. One of these unauthorized versions, called "Java Settlers", was developed by Robert S. Thomas as part of his Ph.D. research at Northwestern University. A paper describing the AI research involved was published in the Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces.^[8] For other uses, see Northwestern. ...

Awards

2005

• Games Magazine Hall of Fame

1996 GAMES Magazine is a United States-based magazine devoted to games and puzzles, and is published by GAMES Publications, a division of Kappa Publishing Group. ...

• Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Board Game^[9]

1995 The Origins Awards, presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design, are presented at the Origins International Game Expo for outstanding work in the game industry. ...

• Spiel des Jahres Game of the Year
• Deutscher Spiele Preis 1st place
• Essen Feather aka 'Essener Feder'

The Spiel des Jahres (German for Game of the Year) is arguably the most prestigious board game award for German-style board games. ... The Deutscher Spiele Preis (German for German Game Prize) is an award for German-style games. ... The Essen Feather (German: Essener Feder) is an award for German-style board games, given at the Deutscher Spiele Preis ceremony at the October game fair in Essen, Germany. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Larry Levy (August 2001). Special K. Retrieved on 2007-05-01.
2. ^ Catan Games. Mayfair Games. Retrieved on 2007-05-01.
3. ^ ^{a b c} Shannon Appelcline (2003-02-13). Anatomy of a Game: The Settlers of Catan. Trials, Triumphs and Trivialities. Retrieved on 2007-05-01.
4. ^ Professor Easy's Settlers of Catan tutorial. Retrieved on 2007-04-26.
5. ^ Catan-Domaine-Entdecker. Mayfair Games. Retrieved on 2007-05-01.
6. ^ ^{a b} W. Eric Martin. Convention preview: Nuremberg 2007. Boardgame News. Retrieved on 2007-05-01.
7. ^ Teuber, Klaus (2006), Barbarians & Traders Upgrade Kit: Rules and Card Almanac, Kosmos Verlag and Mayfair Games, Inc.
8. ^ Robert Thomas and Kristian Hammond (2002). "Java settlers: a research environment for studying multi-agent negotiation". Proceedings of the 7th international conference on Intelligent user interfaces: 240. Retrieved on 2007-09-15. 
9. ^ Origin Awards

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Klaus Teuber Klaus Teuber (born 1952) is a well-known German designer of board games. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Settlers of Catan

• Catan GmbH's Settlers of Catan website
• Settlers of Catan and the Catan series at BoardGameGeek

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Screenshot of the BoardGameGeek entry for Settlers of Catan. ...