Catan Rules

Use this guide as a quick reference for setup, turn order, trading, development cards, the robber, and victory points.

Part 1: The Basics

What Is Catan?

Catan is a strategy board game where 3-4 players compete to build settlements, cities, and roads on an island. You collect resources, trade with other players, and race to be the first to earn 10 victory points.

Game Components

• 19 terrain hexes that form the island
• 6 sea frame pieces for the border
• 9 harbor pieces
• 18 number tokens from 2 to 12
• 95 resource cards across 5 resource types
• 25 development cards
• 4 building cost cards
• 2 special cards for Longest Road and Largest Army
• 1 robber
• 2 dice
• Player pieces for roads, settlements, and cities

The Five Resources

Resource	Produced By	Color
Brick	Hills	Red/Brown
Lumber	Forest	Green
Wool	Pasture	Light Green
Grain	Fields	Yellow
Ore	Mountains	Gray

Note: The desert hex produces nothing.

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Part 2: Game Setup

Step 1: Build the Island

Arrange the 19 terrain hexes inside the sea frame. You can either:

• Follow the beginner layout in the rulebook
• Randomly place hexes for more variety

Step 2: Place Number Tokens

Place the circular number tokens on each hex except the desert. These numbers determine when each hex produces resources.

Important: Numbers in red, 6 and 8, are rolled most frequently. Numbers 2 and 12 are rolled least frequently.

Step 3: Initial Placement

Each player places 2 settlements and 2 roads before the game begins:

1. First round: Starting with the oldest player, each player places 1 settlement and 1 road in clockwise order.
2. Second round: In reverse order, each player places the second settlement and road.
3. Starting resources: Each player receives 1 resource card for each hex touching the second settlement.

Placement Rules

• Settlements must be placed at intersections where 3 hexes meet
• Settlements must be at least 2 intersections apart from any other settlement
• Roads connect two adjacent intersections
• Roads must connect to your own settlement or road

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Part 3: How to Play a Turn

Each turn has three phases in order.

Phase 1: Roll for Production

Roll both dice and add them together.

• Every hex with that number produces resources
• Every player with a settlement touching that hex receives 1 resource card of that type
• Every player with a city touching that hex receives 2 resource cards

Example: If you roll a 9, all hexes with the number 9 produce resources for players with buildings there.

Special Case: Rolling a 7

When someone rolls a 7:

1. Discard rule: Any player with more than 7 resource cards must discard half, rounded down
2. Move the robber: The player who rolled moves the robber to any hex
3. Steal: That player steals 1 random card from any player with a building on that hex

Phase 2: Trade

You may trade resources in three ways.

Domestic Trade

• Negotiate freely with any player
• Trade any number of cards
• Both parties must agree
• Only the active player can initiate trades

Maritime Trade

• Default rate: 4:1 for four identical resources
• Generic harbor: 3:1 if you have a settlement on a 3:1 harbor
• Special harbor: 2:1 for the specific resource shown

Phase 3: Build

Spend resources to build according to the building cost card:

Building	Cost	Victory Points
Road	1 Brick + 1 Lumber	0
Settlement	1 Brick + 1 Lumber + 1 Wool + 1 Grain	1
City	2 Grain + 3 Ore	2 (replaces settlement)
Development Card	1 Wool + 1 Grain + 1 Ore	Varies

Building Rules

• Roads must connect to your existing roads, settlements, or cities
• New settlements must be built on a road you own
• New settlements must follow the distance rule
• Cities upgrade existing settlements
• You are limited to 5 settlements, 4 cities, and 15 roads

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Part 4: Development Cards

How They Work

• Buy them during your Build phase
• Draw randomly from the deck
• Keep them secret until played
• You may only play 1 development card per turn
• You cannot play a card on the turn you bought it

Types of Development Cards

Knight Cards

• Move the robber, just like rolling a 7
• Steal 1 card from a player on that hex
• Count toward Largest Army

Progress Cards

Card	Effect
Road Building	Build 2 roads for free
Year of Plenty	Take any 2 resources from the bank
Monopoly	Name 1 resource and take all cards of that type from other players

Victory Point Cards

• Worth 1 victory point each
• Stay hidden until needed
• Examples include Library, Market, Chapel, University, and Great Hall

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Part 5: Special Achievements

Longest Road

• Awarded to the first player with a continuous road of 5 or more segments
• If another player builds a longer continuous road, they take the card
• Roads can be broken by an opponent's settlement or city built in the middle

Largest Army

• Awarded to the first player who plays 3 or more Knight cards
• If another player plays more Knights, they take the card

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Part 6: The Robber

The robber starts on the desert hex and is activated when:

1. Someone rolls a 7
2. Someone plays a Knight card

Robber Effects

• Blocks production: The hex with the robber produces nothing
• Stealing: When you place the robber, steal 1 random card from any player adjacent to that hex

Strategy Tip

Target players who are ahead or block a hex you do not need.

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Part 7: Winning the Game

Victory Points Summary

Source	Points
Each Settlement	1 VP
Each City	2 VP
Longest Road	2 VP
Largest Army	2 VP
Victory Point Cards	1 VP each

First player to reach 10 victory points on their turn wins.

You can only win during your turn. If you reach 10 points on someone else's turn, you must wait until your turn to claim victory.

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Part 8: Quick Reference

Turn Order Checklist

1. Roll dice
2. Collect resources
3. Handle the robber if a 7 is rolled
4. Trade if you want
5. Build if you want
6. Play 1 development card if you want

Common Beginner Mistakes

1. Forgetting the distance rule
2. Playing a development card on the turn it was bought
3. Building settlements without connecting roads
4. Forgetting to collect resources after every roll

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Part 9: Strategy Tips for New Players

Early Game

• Prioritize resource diversity
• Favor strong numbers like 6 and 8 when possible
• Build roads that leave multiple settlement options open

Mid Game

• Trade carefully and avoid helping the leader too much
• Watch your hand size when a 7 is possible
• Use harbors to improve weak resource positions

Late Game

• Count visible and hidden victory points often
• Development cards can create surprise swings
• Use the robber and building spots to slow the leader

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Appendix: Probability Reference

Dice Roll	Combinations	Probability
2	1	2.78%
3	2	5.56%
4	3	8.33%
5	4	11.11%
6	5	13.89%
7	6	16.67%
8	5	13.89%
9	4	11.11%
10	3	8.33%
11	2	5.56%
12	1	2.78%

Pro tip: More dots on a number token means that number is more likely to be rolled.