Catan is a board game that has been around for decades. You may have played it when you were younger or know someone who is obsessed with the game. It’s not uncommon to find people who are in love with Catan and will play it any chance they get. If you’re one of these people, then this blog post is for you! There are many strategies that can be employed in order to win at Catan – some more effective than others – so read on below to learn about them all!
What Is Catan?
Catan is a board game that was created in 1995 by Klaus Teuber. It has been considered as one of the most popular games ever since its release and continues to be played today all around the world.
Catan
- 3 to 4 Players
- 60 Minute Playing Time
Gameplay
The Catan board is made up of hexagonal tiles that fit together to create the map. Each tile has a different type of terrains, such as mountains or grasslands, and those terrains produce resources like brick and wool every turn (each player gets two turns). Players can also build roads and cities on specific types of terrain – for example, brick + brick = road.
Finally, there is a robber who moves around the board every turn and causes trouble by stealing from other players if they’re not prepared!
There are a few ways to win Catan. You can earn points by trading resources in, building roads and cities and acquiring certain development cards. The first person who reaches ten victory points is the winner – so keep that in mind while you’re playing and strategizing how to get there!
Best Settlers of Catan Strategies
The Sheep Strategy
This is a very simple, but an effective one. By acquiring as much wool as possible early on and building more settlements/cities with it, you will quickly earn victory points! You need two sheep to build a settlement and four to build a city – so focus on getting these early.
The Lumber Strategy
Similar to the Sheep strategy, you want to focus on getting as much lumber early on in order to build settlements/cities. However, unlike with wool, you only need one lumber resource instead of two – making it easier for you! Get this crucial resource early and then see where else it can take your gameplay.
The Wheat Strategy
Like the Sheep and Lumber strategies, you want to focus on acquiring this resource early. By building settlements/cities with wheat resources, you will quickly earn points because it only takes three of them to do so! If possible, try to build multiple cities instead – that way you’re earning two extra victory points every time you play.
The Ore Strategy
Ore is another resource that can earn you a lot of victory points if acquired early on and built into roads/settlements/cities. Like the other three resources mentioned above, it only takes four ore to build a settlement or city – so focus on getting as much as possible! You can trade in ore for other resources to get what you need, so don’t be afraid to use that strategy if necessary!
The Longest Road Strategy
This is one that most people use in order to win at Catan. You can earn one victory point every time you make an uninterrupted road connection between two cities (so not including the initial roads you place down when building your settlement) and two victory points every time you build a city (so not including the initial settlement). This means that by building an uninterrupted road between your starting point and endpoint, then placing down another settlement/city at each of these ends – you can quickly earn four victory points!
The Remove Robber Strategy
If someone is using the robber strategy on you, then this is what you should do in order to counter it. Make sure that when the robber moves onto one of your tiles, you send him back to his original position (not someone else’s) and remove three resources from them! It’ll make everyone angry with them for trying to rob others and they will most likely lose the game because of that.
The Trading Strategy
By using this one, you’ll have a much better chance of winning Catan! In order to do so, make sure you trade resources with other players as often as possible and use your victory points in order to get more resource cards from them. You can also trade development cards with other players in order to get the specific ones you need (so your strategy can be more focused).
The Purchase Victory Point Cards
In Catan, some of the development cards allow you to purchase victory points if they are on your hand. For example, a player may have four wheat and three lumber resources which would normally only get them seven victory points, but if they had the “wheat fields” development card – it would allow them to purchase two more victory points. If you’re stuck on how to win at Catan, this is one of your best bets!
The Settle for Longest Road Strategy
You can’t just focus on earning victory points in Catan – you also have to make sure that your opponents don’t get too far ahead of you! This means building up a good road system and earning the longest one out there. You can still use other strategies while doing this, but it’s important not to neglect them if they’re going to help you win at Catan.
The Building Strategy
This is another good one to use if you want to win at Catan. Make sure that every time the dice are rolled, you’re either building a road or settlement/city! If you do this consistently, then it will be hard for other players to catch up because they’ll have fewer opportunities of earning victory points.
How Many Players Should This Game Be Played With?
This game is best played with three to four players because it’s more balanced that way. If you have two or five, then there are going to be other people who get stuck without any resources while others are overflowing! Six or eight can also work if everyone wants a challenge – but I’d recommend sticking to the smaller number of players for your first game.
Tips for Playing Catan Strategy
Make Sure You Get Ore Early on
If there’s one resource that you should try to collect as much of as possible in Catan, it’s the ore. Look at the numbers above – if they’re rolled together then someone is going to be able to build a settlement or city with just four ores! If they don’t have anymore, then it’s going to be very difficult for them to win at Catan.
Don’t Trade Ore Away Unless You Really Have to
Whenever someone asks for resources with the trading strategy, it’s most likely going to be ore that they want. They’re usually not going to offer anything of value in return so don’t give them what they want! It might seem like a good idea at first, but if everyone does this then it will be hard to win at Catan.
Don’t Expand Too Quickly in Your Early Turns
It can be very tempting to build roads and cities right away – but if you do that then there’s a good chance that other players are going to get angry with you for screwing them over! It usually takes about three or four rounds for everyone to get the hang of the rules, so make sure you aren’t over-expanding in your early turns.
Don’t Forget About Trading Away Resources for New Development Cards
This is one of the most important parts of Catan! If someone has a card that allows them to purchase victory points with less resource consumption then it’s going to be extremely useful. For example, if someone has three ore and two sheep then they are able to purchase a victory point for just one less than what other players would pay!
Don’t Forget About the Trading Strategy
If you want to win at Catan, this is something that can really help you out! For example, if you have a lot of ore and someone wants it then don’t hesitate to give them what they want. In return for this favor, you might be able to get something that will help your victory points production in the future – such as a development card or an extra resource.
Don’t Forget About the Longest Road
This can really help you win at Catan if implemented correctly! Remember – when your roads or settlements and cities are the same length, then whoever has more of one type will get victory points. If someone is behind with either resource (ore), development cards, number tokens on the board, etc… they might be able to catch up if they use this strategy!
The Number of Victory Points You Have at the End Is What Matters
It’s easy to get lost in trying to win Catan by earning lots of resources, but it’s important not to forget that your victory point cards are just as valuable. If someone only has one or two settlements/cities then they’re going to be stuck with a low number of victory points at the end – so focus on buying these if you want to win.
Don’t Forget the Numbers
It’s important not to forget about your dice rolls when playing Catan. If you have a hand full of developments that require only two, three, or four ores – then be sure that they are rolled before you do anything else. You can’t build or buy things with ores if you don’t have them!
Always Trade Resources
You can’t have everything in Catan so you’ll need to rely on other players giving you some of their resources. Make sure that when someone is building, they offer cards and/or resources if it will help them win the game! It’s also a good idea to make friends with other people who like board games (or Catan in particular) and play with them regularly so you will be able to build a good rapport.
It’s Not About the Numbers
The point system in Catan can seem overwhelming at first because it involves addition, multiplication, and division! However – once you get used to how everything works (especially when you’re multiplying by two or dividing by ten), you’ll find that it doesn’t really matter how the numbers come out. As long as your victory points are higher than everyone else’s, then there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to win at Catan!
How Long Does a Game Usually Take?
Catan games usually take an hour or two to play. If you’re playing with a lot of people, then it will be longer because everyone is going to have more opportunities – but the time should average out over all players regardless. The only exception might be if you’re playing with a lot of people who need to do some math, but that’s pretty rare!
Conclusion
So, is Catan the game you’re looking for? If it sounds like something that would be up your alley then go ahead and try it – but don’t forget to invite some friends over so you’ll have more opportunities of winning! You can also learn how to play with this guide if none of your friends are willing to teach you how Catan works. If that’s the case, then just remember everything you’ve learned here and get ready for an exciting game of strategy!