Friday May 01, 2015

Picture yourself in the era of discoveries: after a long voyage of great deprivation, your ships have finally reached the coast of an uncharted island. Its name shall be Catan! But you are not the only discoverer. Other fearless seafarers have also landed on the shores of Catan: the race to settle the island has begun!

“Settlers manages to be effortlessly fun, intuitively enjoyable, and still intellectually rewarding, a combination that's changing the American idea of what a board game can be.”
~ Wired Magazine ~

In the 20 years since Klaus Teuber revolutionized game design with the original Settlers of Catan, a worldwide fandom has developed around the game. The original game, plus its expansions, have sold more than 22 million copies and has been translated into 30 languages. As part of the growing expansion of the Catan family of products, the base game will simply be called Catan in all countries and languages, along with a unification of the game’s graphic design in all territories and languages.

Now, Settlers of Catan, along with all of its expansions and 5-6 player extensions, are evolving to 5th Edition. The first thing you need to know is that 5th Edition is completely compatible with your 4th Edition games. The die lines and die cut remain identical, meaning you could mix and match a 4th Edition copy of Settlers with a 5th Edition of Seafarers without difficulty or compatibility issues. While the card backs are similarly identical, allowing you to mix cards from different editions of the game, the art on the front of the cards is uniquely different and aesthetically pleasing.

Similarly, the rules remain consistent, though there was an extensive balance and readability pass, meaning numerous rules are clarified with input from designer Klaus Teuber and rare “corner cases” in the rules are explained. These new clarified rules will become the official tournament canon, and for those looking to brush up on the clarifications, the 5th Edition Rules are available online in PDF form.

CATAN CORE GAME



Trade! Build! Settle! In Catan, players are recent immigrants to the newly populated island of Catan. Expand your colony through the building of settlements, roads, and villages by harvesting commodities from the land around you. Trade sheep, lumber, bricks, and grain for a settlement, bricks and wood for a road, or try to complete other combinations for more advanced buildings, services, and specials.Trade with other players, or at local seaports to get resources you might lack. The first player to achieve 10 points from a combination of roads, settlements, and special cards wins!

SEAFARERS EXPANSION



Explore and colonize the newly populated Archipelago of Catan! Build settlements, roads, and villages by trading commodities from the land and islands around you. Trade sheep and wood for a ship, bricks and wood for a road, build new settlements, and improve settlements into cities. Requires ownership of Catan (MFG 3071) to play.

EXPLORERS & PIRATES EXPANSION


Take your Catan game over the horizon and discover a life of island adventure with Catan: Explorers & Pirates! The five scenarios in this set require you to master not one island but three - and the sea as well! Explore and trade with ships designed to carry settlers, cargo, or adventurers. Settle new lands, battle pirates, acquire spices, and locate the grand banks of Catanian fish!

CITIES & KNIGHTS EXPANSION


Dark clouds are gathering over the peaceful island of Catan. Wild barbarians, attracted by the wealth of Catan, sail to attack the country. Fortunately, warning has given the citizens of Catan time to meet the danger. The size of the barbarian army corresponds to the number of cities in Catan. Thus, for Catan to fend off the barbarian attack, the players must form a knight force as strong as the barbarian force. In addition to fending off the barbarians, players compete to build the three great metropolises of Catan. Each of these magnificent centers are worth two additional victory points. Requires ownership of Catan (MFG 3071) to play.

TRADES & BARBARIANS EXPANSION


In Catan: Traders & Barbarians, you'll discover exciting, new ways to explore Klaus Teuber's award-winning game series. You can now play with just two players! Add a harbormaster, a friendly robber, or special events. Play with a wealth of new wooden pieces and capabilities. You can even link your games to create an intriguing campaign. Use these four variants and five scenarios to reinvent your Catan experience! Requires ownership of Catan (MFG 3071) to play.

5-6 PLAYER EXPANSIONS:
CATAN BASE GAME 5-6 PLAYER EXP
SEFARERS 5-6 PLAYER EXPANSION
EXPLORERS & PIRATES 5-6 PLAYER EXPANSION
CITIES & KNIGHTS 5-6 PLAYER EXPANSION
TRADERS & BARBARIANS 5-6 PLAYER EXPANSION