Catan

Catan is a board game about building on an island.

You play as a settler. You build roads and towns to grow.

To build, you need things like wood and wool. You get these from the land. You roll dice to see which land gives things.

Players can trade cards with each other. This helps you get what you need. You can also trade with the bank.

The first person to ten points wins the game. You get points for your towns and cities. You can also get points for long roads.

Many people around the world love to play this game together.

Catan is a popular board game.

It was made by Klaus Teuber. He first published it in 1995. Players act as settlers on a fictional island. They build roads, settlements, and cities. To build, players must collect resources. These resources include wool, grain, lumber, brick, and ore.

Each land type makes a specific resource. For example, forests make lumber. Mountains make ore.

Players roll two dice to see which land gives resources. If a player has a settlement near that land, they get a card. You can also trade cards with other players. This helps you get what you need to grow.

There is also a robber piece. If a player rolls a 7, the robber moves. The robber can stop a land from making resources. The goal is to reach ten victory points. You get points for cities and settlements. You can also win points for the longest road.

Many people play this game. Over 32 million sets have been sold.

Catan is a famous multiplayer board game about building a new life.

Players act as settlers on a fictional island. They try to develop holdings by building roads, settlements, and cities. To do this, players must collect different resources. These resources include wool, grain, lumber, brick, and ore. The main goal is to reach ten victory points to win. You can earn points from cities or by having the longest road.

The game works through a system of dice and trading. The board is made of hexagonal tiles called hexes. Each land type produces one specific resource. For example, forests provide lumber and mountains provide ore. On each turn, players roll two six-sided dice. The number rolled tells you which hexes produce resources. If your settlement is next to that hex, you get a card. You can also trade resources with other players to get what you need. Some players even use ports to trade with the bank.

Klaus Teuber designed this game many years ago. He and the publisher, Kosmos, worked to refine it between 1993 and 1995. It was first published in Germany in 1995. Originally, the game was called The Settlers of Catan. In 2015, the name was changed to just Catan for its 20th anniversary. Teuber used ideas from this game to create other games too. His work helped make this one of the first popular Eurogames outside of Europe.

Catan has become a huge success around the world. More than 32 million boxed sets have been sold. The game is available in 40 different languages. Many different companies now publish the game and its many expansions. There are many ways to play, such as the Seafarers expansion. This one adds ships and the ability to explore islands. Another expansion, Cities and Knights, adds knights to defend against barbarians. There are even special scenarios about building the pyramids of Egypt.

This game is more than just fun; it is also used for learning. A study in 2015 found it helps with math in classrooms. In 2020, experts even made a mathematical model to check board balance. They looked at how well the tiles are laid out for fair play. The game also connects to stories and other media. A novel called Die Siedler von Catan was written in 2003. There is even a version called Starfarers of Catan that moves the setting into space. It shows how one simple idea can grow into many different adventures.

Catan is a popular multiplayer board game centered on exploration and development.

In this game, players act as settlers on a fictional island. Their goal is to build holdings and grow their influence. Players compete to reach a specific number of victory points, which is typically ten. They earn these points by constructing settlements and upgrading them into cities. Other achievements, such as building the longest road or maintaining the largest army, also provide points. The game is a landmark in the "Eurogame" genre, which focuses on strategy and player interaction.

The game board is constructed from hexagonal tiles, often called hexes. These hexes represent different land types, such as forests, hills, mountains, fields, and pastures. Each land type produces a specific resource required for building. For example, forests yield lumber, while mountains provide ore. The desert is the only land type that does not produce resources.

Players use these resources to build roads, settlements, and cities, or to purchase development cards.

Gameplay follows a specific sequence driven by dice rolls. On a player's turn, they roll two six-sided dice to determine resource production. Any player with a settlement adjacent to a hex matching that number receives a resource card. If a player has a city, they receive two cards instead of one. However, rolling a seven triggers a different event involving a robber token. The robber is moved to a new hex, which stops that hex from producing resources. The player who rolled the seven may also steal a resource card from an opponent. Additionally, any player holding eight or more cards must discard half of them.

Trading is a vital mechanism for success in Catan. Players can negotiate trades with one another to acquire the specific resources they lack. They may also engage in maritime trade with the bank. The efficiency of this trade depends on where a player has built. Trading with the bank usually requires a four-to-one ratio of resources. However, building settlements near ports allows for better rates, such as three-to-one or two-to-one. This makes the strategic placement of buildings essential for long-term growth.

Klaus Teuber designed Catan, and he worked with the publisher Kosmos to refine it between 1993 and 1995. It was first published in Germany in 1995 under the name The Settlers of Catan. The game became a massive global success, selling over 32 million boxed sets in 40 languages. In 2015, the series was rebranded simply as Catan to mark its 20th anniversary. Teuber's design was so influential that he used unused mechanics from its development to create other games, such as Entdecker and Löwenherz.

Over the years, many expansions have added new layers to the experience.

The Seafarers expansion introduces ships and the ability to explore archipelagos. Cities and Knights adds new commodities like paper, coin, and cloth, while requiring players to defend against barbarians. Other expansions, like Traders & Barbarians and Explorers & Pirates, offer diverse scenarios and new mechanics. There are even specialized packs that allow players to re-enact historical events, such as building the pyramids of Egypt or the Great Wall of China.

Catan has also become a subject of academic and mathematical interest. A 2015 study noted its utility for mathematical exploration in classrooms. In 2020, researchers used a mathematical model to evaluate the balance of different board layouts. They found that the beginner layout recommended in the manual has a balance score of 0.094. This is quite low compared to the majority of randomly generated boards, which cluster around 0.25. This suggests the manual's layout is highly optimized for fair play.

The influence of Catan extends into various other media and sub-genres. The game's popularity led to a card game and even a historical fiction novel by Rebecca Gablé. There are also spin-off games like Starfarers of Catan, which moves the mechanics into a space setting. Even environmental themes have been explored through the Oil Springs expansion. This version introduces oil fields and the risk of environmental disasters, showing how the core mechanics can adapt to many different ideas.