One of the best things about Catan is that it can be expanded, but which expansion should you buy? There are so many different options available for purchase these days. In this blog post, we will provide a list of our favorite expansions and let you know why they made the cut!
Base Game: What is Catan?
In case you have been living under a rock for the last 20 years, Catan is a board game developed by Klaus Teuber. The goal of the game is to create their empire through collecting resources and building roads, settlements, cities, and knights. Players use resource cards such as bricks or wood to build said things on the ever-changing map. The game is won by the player who earns ten victory points, which are acquired through building structures or acquiring development cards.
Game Features
The game is very open-ended and allows players to play in many different ways. For example, you could focus on trading resources with other players or hoarding your own supply of resources. Alternatively, you can compete with the neighboring islanders by attacking them (although this will likely result in a war that depletes all parties involved).
The potential variety of strategies leaves room for future expansion packs! This way new elements can be added without changing gameplay drastically. We appreciate this aspect because it provides longevity to an already great game system.
One reason Catan is so enjoyable is due to its simplicity. There aren’t any complicated rules or big rulebooks; just easy-to-follow instructions which allow most players to pick up the game within minutes of opening it. This simplicity is part of Catan’s charm and why so many people enjoy playing it.
The “board” gets randomized using several dice rolls at the beginning of each new round, making for interesting twists during gameplay. You never know what kind of terrain or buildings might pop up on your island next! Each player starts with two settlements, but can only build one more per turn until they upgrade their settlement to a city (which allows them to build another). Also, since there are limited numbers of important resources, it is impossible to “stock up” on them. This keeps the game exciting and makes each turn meaningful in terms of resource gathering.
Mechanics
The objective of Catan is to grow your empire by building structures and acquiring development cards. Development cards can be purchased using resources, but they are only available if you have the right amount of resources or trade combinations. For example: If a player has at least one sheep and one wood then the “building cost” for buying a road card would be waived (because it requires both wood and wool).
When someone reaches ten victory point tokens, that person wins immediately. There’s nothing worse than being so close to winning- just to have someone else pull ahead with a last-minute settlement!
The core mechanics of Catan are easy to learn and teach, but there is much depth in terms of strategy and planning which can be difficult for new players (especially those who do not enjoy games that take a long time). However, because you must constantly interact with other players it makes winning feel incredibly rewarding! It also helps build communication skills, especially when used as an icebreaker between strangers or large groups at parties/get-togethers.
Scoring System
The scoring system in Catan is unique because victory points are not tallied at the end of a round/game. Instead, players keep track of progress throughout their turns! At the beginning of each new “cycle” (round) every player gains one point for every settlement they have and two points for every city.
In addition to these basic rules, there are several other ways you can earn additional victory points during gameplay:
- Trading cards with opponents – Some development cards allow your settlements or cities to produce more resources when turned sideways- allowing them to generate even more victory points!
- Building roads across hexes – If you connect different areas of land together then it becomes easier for people to visit that trade route- thus increasing its value!
- Building a monopoly of resources – If you have more than one city/settlement on a resource tile then it becomes much easier to acquire those goods- awarding an additional victory point at the end!
In conclusion, Catan is a fantastic game for new gamers and experienced players alike due to its easy learning curve and interesting social mechanics.
Best Catan Expansions on the Market
The following list of expansions will be discussed in the article. Each expansion has a brief description and then why it made our top five favourite Catan Expansions. This comparison chart will help you make the best decision for which Catan expansion pack to pick.
| Image | Product | |
|---|---|---|
Best Catan Expansion  | Catan Seafarers Board Game Expansion
| Check Price |
Best for Fans of the TV Show  | A Game of Thrones CATAN Board Game
| Check Price |
Best Catan Expansion for 2 Players  | CATAN Starfarers Board Game 2nd Ed
| Check Price |
Best for Fans of Exploration  | Catan Explorers and Pirates Board Game Expansion
| Check Price |
Best for People Who Like Strategy  | CATAN Cities and Knights Board Game
| Check Price |
1. Catan Seafarers Board Game Expansion – Best Catan Expansion
Overview
The Catan Seafarers Board Game Expansion is a great choice for people who enjoy exploring and building – especially on the open seas! The mainboard in this set has several islands which can be discovered via exploration cards. Each island tile requires specific combinations of resources (similar to regular Settlers) but they also include one or more special rules that make gameplay even more interesting!
Players must use their best judgment when deciding whether it’s worth visiting certain areas because these explorations often come with risk vs reward scenarios.
Mechanics
The Catan Seafarers Board Game Expansion has the same core mechanics as regular Settlers and its expansions: players collect resources, build roads/cities, trade with opponents and try to score more points than everyone else. However, since you’re building on the water it will take some time for people to explore all of those tiles – thus creating a longer playing-time than other iterations in the series!
This is also one of our favorite games because there are few “take that” cards (cards that target specific individuals). While we appreciate these types of interactions occasionally they can be frustrating during long gameplay sessions; especially if someone plays them too often or uses them at inappropriate times (such as early game!). Thankfully this expansion does not include any random events which involve taking resources from other players.
Components
The Settlers of Catan Seafarers Board Game Expansion includes a larger board than other iterations in the series and it also has several wooden pieces to represent ships/exploration tokens. It comes with roughly 40 cards, 16 tiles, and 36 exploration markers which should be plenty for most players – however, you can add more if necessary!
Pros And Cons
Final Judgement
The Settlers of Catan Seafarer Board Game Expansion is a great choice for experienced players who like to explore and build. It’s very rewarding if you can plan ahead because there are many different ways to generate victory points – thus making it difficult to predict the winner!
While we adore this expansion our one gripe would be that some people may find it difficult to learn and play because there are so many new rules/mechanics. That being said, we recommend that you read the instructions carefully before playing your first game – especially if you’re a beginner!
2. A Game of Thrones CATAN Board Game – Best for Fans of the TV Show
Overview
A Game of Thrones Catan Board Game is a great choice for fans of the popular TV show as well as those who enjoy more complex board games. It’s very different from regular Settlers because you’re trying to collect resources and build settlements/roads in order to claim victory points which can be found on “power” tiles scattered throughout the map.
This expansion has a lot of strategies involved because you’re forced to decide which areas are most valuable – especially since there’s no trading allowed. Additionally, this game is great if you enjoy games that require more interaction with other players and less luck!
Mechanics
The basic rules of Settlers remain the same; however, you cannot trade resources with opponents. Instead, there are “Power Tiles” which give certain players bonuses or hinder other individuals based on their faction (Stark/Lannister).
Overall, we think that this is a great game if you’re looking for something more complex than normal Settlers because it adds interesting new mechanics/strategies. Additionally, it can also take longer so make sure everyone has enough time to play!
Components
A Game of Thrones Catan Board Game includes a larger board, more pieces for each player, and new cards/tokens. It comes with 42 resource tiles (compared to the usual 20), 15 power tokens, 28 castles/strongholds, 38 roads (instead of 32), and some nice cloth bags which help keep everything organized.
For the most part, we really enjoyed how sturdy/high quality each component was which is something that tends to be an issue with board games. That being said, there are a few complaints about specific pieces – such as some of them feeling flimsy or not fitting into their spaces properly. Unfortunately, this seems to happen more often than you’d hope with expansions.
Pros And Cons
Final Judgement
Overall, we think that this Catan expansion is a great choice for fans of the TV show because it takes place in Westeros. The mechanics are also interesting which makes them easy to learn – however, you must be willing to spend more time playing since there will likely be much more interaction between players. If you enjoy games that are more complex then definitely consider buying this expansion.
3. CATAN Starfarers Board Game 2nd Ed – Best Catan Expansion for 2 Players
Overview
CATAN Starfarers Board Game is a highly rated game that’s different than your usual Catan releases. It can be played with up two to five other players, has more components than regular Settlers, and involves exploring/collecting resources on new planets!
This expansion also includes some nice plastic ships as well as four new types of hexes that feature specific resource distributions. Additionally, it’s recommended for players ages 12 and up which is a bit more complex than the other Catan expansions we’ve reviewed!
Mechanics
Each player chooses a color, takes one of each resource tile (which is larger than usual), and three ships. This version has ten planets instead of six which are placed in random positions on the board.
We really enjoyed how much there is to do in this game because it definitely feels like an ambitious release that offers a lot of content! The rules are also pretty well-written so they’re easy to follow/understand – however, the cards can be slightly difficult for new players since there are quite a few of them to deal with.
Components
CATAN Starfarers Board Game has very nice-looking components that are also easy to distinguish. I really like the new planets/board, ships, and resource tiles – but there aren’t any major complaints about them either! Ultimately, this is a solid expansion for anyone who enjoys Settlers of Catan
Pros And Cons
Final Judgement
Overall, we think that this is a nice addition for anyone who enjoys Catan but wants something more complex (and interesting) than standard Settlers variants! It’s also great if you want to play an epic space game where there’s lots of exploration involved. However, it can be overwhelming/confusing for people who don’t play many board games or aren’t familiar with Catan.
4. Catan Explorers and Pirates Board Game Expansion – Best for Fans of Exploration
Overview
As you may have guessed, Catan Explorers and Pirates is another beloved expansion that brings new gameplay mechanics/content to Settlers of Catan. This version is different than the original and has both a new island/board as well as two different types of cards that add an extra level of complexity!
While we didn’t enjoy this game quite as much as Starfarers because it’s not necessarily our cup of tea – we do think that fans will really like what it brings to the table! It definitely adds another dimension that helps keep gameplay interesting since many Settlers’ expansions tend to feel repetitive after a while.
Mechanics
There are a lot of new mechanics/content in this game which makes it stand out from other Settlers’ expansions. One of the most notable ones is that there’s an actual pirate ship on the board! The idea is to collect treasure maps to find different islands with valuable resources, but you need to be careful because pirates can move around and steal your stuff.
This expansion also adds another type of card called “Exploration Cards” which give you additional action points or allow you to move multiple times – while Action Cards affect everyone at once (i.e., trading salt for all players). We’re not used to playing with these types of cards so we didn’t enjoy them as much, but they definitely add variety if you want something different.
The game pieces are the same as usual but we really liked how big the resource tiles were since they were easy to grab at a glance. This might not seem like a huge deal but if you’re used to grabbing your resources quickly then it makes all the difference in this expansion!
Components
The board is well crafted, tiles are thick/sturdy, resource pieces are nice quality (and big!), and cards have a matte finish.
We did feel that the rulebook was kind of confusing though – they include lots of different scenarios you can play which makes it more complicated but also less intuitive in our opinion since we’re used to just playing by ourselves without thinking too much about what other people want us to do! We were pretty lost after reading through them so consider looking up online guides or watching YouTube videos if you get confused as easily as we do. Also, note that this expansion isn’t compatible with Seafarers which may be an issue for some players.
Pros And Cons
Final Judgement
While we’re not huge fans of Catan, this game definitely makes Settlers more interesting/fun since it adds new mechanics that keep gameplay fresh. This is also great for people who like strategy games or exploring new territories in Catan! The only downside was that the rulebook wasn’t very beginner-friendly so we’d recommend looking up online guides/videos if you get stuck.
5. CATAN Cities and Knights Board Game – Best for People Who Like Strategy
Overview
This expansion adds a whole new level of complexity to Settlers. In addition to collecting resources, you also have the option of buying knights and cities which help you earn points faster!
While many people will enjoy this type of gameplay since it’s different from other expansions – we don’t think that it added enough content for us personally since we’ve been playing Catan long enough to know what each tile/card does after a while, so having lots more may actually make things worse in our opinion (i.e., less intuitive). For example, if there are too many tiles then players might not be able to remember all their functions without constantly referring back or making notes on paper which takes away from the fun aspect at least for us.
Mechanics
There are a few new mechanics included in this board game. The first is that you can get knights which let you earn points faster – they’re pretty much like gold if Catan were an RPG! There’s also the option of buying cities which give you additional resources or victory points when played, but only one per player since there aren’t any more tiles to place them on.
While we liked how these elements added another layer of complexity/fun to Settlers, it isn’t for everyone so take note before purchasing! If you’ve already got Seafarers then Cities and Knights might not be worth your money unless you really love playing strategy games (i.e., exploring new territories).
Components
The board is well crafted, tiles are thick/sturdy, resource pieces are nice quality (and big!), and cards have a matte finish.
We did feel that the rulebook was kind of confusing though – they include lots of different scenarios you can play which makes it more complicated but also less intuitive in our opinion since we’re used to just playing by ourselves without thinking too much about what other people want us to do! We were pretty lost after reading through them so consider looking up online guides or watching YouTube videos if you get confused as easily as we do. Also, note that this expansion isn’t compatible with Seafarers which may be an issue for some players.
Pros And Cons
Final Judgement
We’d recommend this expansion if you’re a fan of Catan or strategy games since it has a lot more content compared to other expansions we tried out! This is especially true if the lack of variety is what’s making Catan less enjoyable for you as well – but keep in mind that some people may find the rules hard to follow which makes it more complicated than necessary. Also, make sure that there aren’t any tiles from another board game included in the mix or it won’t be compatible.
Conclusion
The more you play Catan, the less new content is going to excite you. But it’s still fun and worth having in your collection if only for a few games every now and then! While there are lots of different expansions at this point – we don’t think that they’re all created equally which made buying them kind of difficult since some aren’t as intuitive. We’d recommend trying out Seafarers and Cities & Knights if you’re new to the board game!