How to play Catan

1. 

   1 · Resources

   Five resources build everything

   Every land tile on the island produces one kind of resource card.

   • Hills give brick, forests lumber and pastures wool.
   • Fields give grain and mountains ore. The desert gives nothing.
   • Every build needs a mix, so spread out to collect different kinds.
2. 

   2 · Dice

   Roll, and the island pays out

   Each turn starts with a roll of two dice. Every tile with that number produces, for everyone touching it.

   • A settlement on the tile’s corner collects 1 card, a city 2.
   • 6 and 8 come up most often. The more dots under a number, the likelier it rolls.
   • Some maps have gold fields, which pay any resource you like.
3. 

   3 · Building

   Spend cards to grow

   On your turn, spend cards on roads, settlements, cities and development cards.

   • You start with 2 settlements and 2 roads. The second settlement pays out its tiles right away.
   • Settlements go on corners, two roads apart from any other, joined to your roads.
   • Development cards are knights, progress cards or a hidden point. Play one per turn, not the turn you buy it.
4. 

   4 · Robber

   Sevens wake the robber

   A roll of 7 produces nothing. Instead:

   • Anyone holding more than 7 cards discards half (rounded down).
   • The roller moves the robber to a new tile and steals 1 random card from a player there. That tile produces nothing until the robber leaves.
   • A Knight moves the robber too. With FreeCatan’s Friendly Robber on, it can’t be placed next to players with 2 points or fewer.
5. 

   5 · Trading

   Trade for what you need

   On your turn you can trade with anyone at the table, or with the bank.

   • Offer cards to the other players. They can accept, decline or counter.
   • The bank swaps 4 of one resource for 1 of any other.
   • Settle on a harbor for better deals: 3:1 for anything, or 2:1 for the resource it shows.
6. 

   6 · Winning

   First to 10 points wins

   Reach the target on your own turn and the island is yours.

   • A settlement is worth 1 point, a city 2, and each Victory Point card 1.
   • Longest Road (5+ roads in a row) and Largest Army (3+ knights played) are worth 2 each, until someone beats you.
   • In the lobby, hosts pick the map, the points to win, a turn timer and optional house rules.

Build costs

RoadReach new corners	1 brick + 1 lumber1 Brick 1 Lumber
Settlement1 point	1 brick + 1 lumber + 1 wool + 1 grain1 Brick 1 Lumber 1 Wool 1 Grain
CityUpgrade, 2 points	2 grain + 3 ore2 Grain 3 Ore
Development cardDraw a random card	1 wool + 1 grain + 1 ore1 Wool 1 Grain 1 Ore

Start a game on FreeCatan