Board game guide
CATAN
Trade well. Build first. Reach ten.
CATAN turns one shared island into a lively negotiation. Every dice roll creates new resources, every trade reveals a plan and every road changes where the table can grow next.
- Players
- 3–4
- Time
- 60–90 min
- Experience
- Beginner-friendly
- Track
- Victory points
How to play
Give the table a clear rhythm.
Use this as a quick first-game guide, then keep the official rules close for edge cases and exact details.
Build the island
Arrange the terrain hexes, number tokens, ports and robber according to the chosen setup. Give every player roads, settlements and cities in one colour.
Place the opening settlements
In snake order, each player places two settlements with one connected road. Collect starting resources from the hexes beside the second settlement.
Roll for production
Roll both dice. Every terrain hex with that number produces its resource for each adjacent settlement or city.
Trade and build
Trade resources with other players or the bank, then spend matching sets to build roads, settlements, cities or development cards.
Resolve sevens and reach ten
A seven activates the robber instead of production. Keep building until a player reaches ten victory points on their own turn.
Before the first turn
Set up for a smooth start.
- Use the beginner island layout for a first game and keep the building-cost cards visible.
- Give each player five settlements, four cities, fifteen roads and one building-cost card.
- Separate the five resource decks and development deck within everyone’s reach.
- Place the Longest Road, Largest Army and dice beside the board.
Make it a season
Let every island add to the standings.
Record final victory points and placement after each game. Rotate the starting player and opening position so the season rewards negotiation and adaptation across several islands.
Create your season- Result
- Victory points + placement
- Season points
- 4 / 3 / 2 / 1
- Rotation
- New starting player
- Tiebreak
- Most table wins