how do ships work in catan

by Alison Walsh Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago

Each ship costs one lumber and one wool to create (lumber for the hull and wool for the sails). A settlement must first be built before a player can switch from building roads to building ships, or vice versa. Thus, a chain of ships is always anchored at a settlement on the coast.

Full Answer

What is the Catan-Legend of the sea robbers expansion?

Build ships, set sail, and conquer the magnificent island world of Catan. Nine voyages of discovery are awaiting the settlers. The expansion can also be combined with CATAN - Traders & Barbarians and CATAN - Cities & Knights. The scenario box CATAN - Legend of the Sea Robbers is offering 4 new, comprehensive scenarios for this expansion.

What is Catan Seafarers?

Catan: Seafarers. Catan: Seafarers, or Seafarers of Catan in older editions, (German: Die Seefahrer von Catan) is an expansion of the board game The Settlers of Catan for three to four players (five-to-six-player play is also possible with both of the respective five-to-six-player extensions).

What is the point of the Catan expansion?

The story here is that barbarians have been attracted to the wealth of Catan and players want to build up their cities and armies to stop the invaders. This expansion introduces a lot of new stuff. There are knight tokens (used to fight the barbarians), and a new type of card, commodities (coins, paper and cloth).

What do I need to play Catan Seafarers?

Please note: You will need the CATAN base game, the Seafarers expansion, and both the CATAN base game 5-6 player extension and this Seafarers 5-6 player extension - a total of four game boxes. You can combine Seafarers with these expansions and scenarios.

How can you move ships in Catan?

Specifically, you can move a ship connected to settlement A and move it connecting to settlement B. The only rules are ships need to stay in place once they're part of a closed route (where the end points of a line of ships have a building, all of the same color).

How does the pirate ship work in Catan?

Pirate ships are a way for you to force your opponents to pay gold to move their ships. They also allow you to steal resource cards (much like the robber rules in base Catan). You may place a pirate ship on any sea hex—with 2 exceptions: You may never place a pirate ship on any sea hex adjacent to the starting island.

Do boats count as roads in Catan?

Ships - May a road and a shipping route coming from different directions meet each other? Yes. However, this doesn't create one continuous trade route in terms of being counted toward the Longest Trade Route: unless they are connected via a settlement, you still have two separate trade routes.

How do you play Catan sea?

0:427:47Catan: Seafarers - Learn to Play! - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThere are three major changes introduced in seafarers it introduces ships the pirate and gold shipsMoreThere are three major changes introduced in seafarers it introduces ships the pirate and gold ships cost one wood and one sheep they act like roads as they're placed along HEK sides.

Do ships count for longest road?

Because shipping routes are just as important as roads in Seafarers, players no longer compete for the “Longest Road.” Instead, they compete for the “Longest Trade Route.” The longest trade route is in all ways identical to the longest road (i.e., it is worth 2 victory points, etc.), but players may count both ...

How is Catan Seafarers different?

Can you build a settlement between two ships?

You can only change from road to ship (or ship to road) through a settlement (or city). In order to build a settlement on an Island where you have no settlement yet, you need to build a row of ships starting from a settlement at the first island until you get to the second island.

How do you win seafarer Catan?

11:2112:29Seafarers of Catan | The #1 Strategy For All Maps (Colonist.io) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipRoad by building a settlement on two different islands. Giving you two points for the settlements.MoreRoad by building a settlement on two different islands. Giving you two points for the settlements. And four points for the islands. Instead which equals a total of 14. Victory.

Do Settlements break longest road?

In this case, the new longest road owner takes the longest road card. The longest road is broken by the placement of a settlement along its length (remember to obey the 2-step rule).

Is Catan Seafarers stand alone?

This expansion is not a standalone game. Requires the CATAN base game to play.

How does longest road work in Catan?

The Longest Road is a special card included in Catan and is worth 2 victory points. The first player to have 5 or more continuous road segments, from one point to another without doubling back, may claim this card. If a different player gains a longer continuous road, they may claim the card from the current holder.

Can a knight move the pirate?

When playing with the cities and knights expansion with Seafarers can the knights stop on the sea hexes to move the pirate. The only other way to move it would be to roll a 7 or to pick up a bishop card, both of which can be rare.

How do you get victory points in Catan explorers and pirates?

Victory points (VPs) are awarded for the construction of regular settlements and harbor settlements. Additional VPs are earned when you complete missions. The first player to reach the required victory points wins. The first scenario “LAND HO!” takes about 30 minutes to play.

When should I use Knight card?

You can play a knight card before rolling the dice. It's the only exception to the "roll before all else" rule. Yes. This is an official exception in both the English and German editions.

Do you need the original Catan to play explorers and pirates?

Please note: You will need the CATAN base game, the Explorers & Pirates Expansion, and both the CATAN 5-6 Player Extension and this Explorers & Pirates 5-6 Player Extension - a total of four game boxes.

How many voyages are there in Catan?

Build ships, set sail, and conquer the magnificent island world of Catan. Nine voyages of discovery are awaiting the settlers.

What brings prosperity to Catan?

Flourishing trade brings prosperity to Catan. However, all this wealth also attracts barbarians. The knights of Catan are needed!

How do ships work in Seafarers?

In the Seafarers expansion, you build ships adjacent to each other, thus forming shipping routes along the sea hexes and connecting the islands. If your shipping route has reached a new island, you may build a settlement there. With two exceptions, in Seafarers the rules for ship building are the same as for road building. The first exception is that roads may not be built on sea routes and ships may not be built on paths. The second exception is that open ships may be moved.

What is the Seafarers expansion?

The Seafarers expansion contains new frame pieces, which - together with the frame pieces of the CATAN base game - can be used to assemble frames of variable size . Inside these frames, you lay out always varying combinations of islands, using the hexes of the CATAN base game and additional hexes of the expansion set - either as shown in the scenario diagrams or according to your own imagination.

What happens if you interrupt a foreign shipping route?

If you interrupt a foreign shipping route by means of a knight (or a settlement), that shipping route is considered interrupted in terms of the "Longest Trade Route." However, the owner of the shipping route may not break it up by moving their ships bordering the foreign knight.

What happens if a knight stands on an intersection bordered by the last ship of a shipping route?

If a knight stands on an intersection bordered by the last ship of a shipping route, that shipping route is closed. In other words, a knight’s connection to a settlement of his color must never be interrupted.

Can you play Seafarers with Cities and Knights?

You can use the possibilities of the Seafarers expansion together with Cities & Knights. In our experience, scenarios such as Heading for New Shores and Through the Desert are suitable. The exploratory scenarios and all other scenarios featuring many smaller islands are unsuitable. When playing with the "Seafarers" expansion, you must ensure that certain actions applying to roads are also possible for ships.

What is the Wonders of Catan?

The Wonders of Catan was a downloadable scenario for older editions of Seafarers in both German and English, and was incorporated into Seafarers in newer editions. In this scenario, there are a number of "wonders", each with a large cost of building as well as a prerequisite. If a player meets the prerequisite ...

How many players are there in Catan?

Catan: Seafarers, or Seafarers of Catan in older editions, ( German: Die Seefahrer von Catan) is an expansion of the board game Catan for three to four players (five-to-six-player play is also possible with both of the respective five-to-six-player extensions). The main feature of this expansion is the addition of ships, gold rivers, and the pirate to the game, allowing play between multiple islands. The expansion also provides numerous scenarios, some of which have custom rules. The Seafarers rules and scenarios are also, for the most part, compatible with Catan: Cities & Knights and Catan: Traders & Barbarians .

What is the first scenario introduced where new mechanics introduced to Seafarers is brought into the forefront?

The Four Islands. The Four Islands is the first scenario introduced where new mechanics introduced to Seafarers is brought into the forefront. In this scenario, the map is split up into four islands of roughly equal size and resource distribution.

What is the pirate in Seafarers?

Along with the concept of ships, Seafarers also introduces the notion of the pirate, which acts as a waterborne robber which steals from nearby ships (similar to how the robber steals from nearby settlements). The pirate can also prevent ships from being built or moved nearby, but it does not interfere with harbors.

How many players can play Seafarers?

Seafarers provides scenarios for three or four players (the older fourth edition used the same maps for three- and four-player versions of the scenarios), while the extension provides scenarios for six players (the older third edition also included separate maps for five- and six-player scenarios). The scenarios between the older editions of Seafarers and the newest are generally incompatible, knowing the different frames included with the game. (In particular, older editions of Settlers did not come with a frame for their board; a separate add-on was made available for players of the older-edition Settlers games, containing the newer edition frames, so as to make them compatible with the newer edition of Seafarers; the older edition of Seafarers included a square frame, and while both older and newer editions of the frames have the same width across, the newer editions are not square-shaped, and are longer down the middle of the board compared to the sides.)

How much lumber do ships cost in Seafarers?

Ships. Seafarers introduces the concept of ships, which serve as roads over water or along the coast. Each ship costs one lumber and one wool to create (lumber for the hull and wool for the sails). A settlement must first be built before a player can switch from building roads to building ships, or vice versa.

Who designed the seafarers?

The concepts introduced in Seafarers were part of designer Klaus Teuber 's original design for Settlers .

How does the robber work in Settlers of Catan?

In The Settlers of Catan, the Robber begins the game in the desert hex. However, as the game continues, the Robber moves to other hexes. Whenever a "7" is rolled on the dice (and it is rolled quite often due to it being the most frequent combination), the Robber strikes. The player who rolled the number takes the Robber and moves it to a hex of his or her choice. That player then steals a resource or commodity from the hand of one of the opponents bordering that hex. Until another "7" is rolled or another situation occurs where the Robber may be moved, the hex on which the Robber stands does not produce any resources or commodities. If the number is rolled, that terrain hex produces nothing. Once released from the desert, the Robber may be moved back to it if a benevolent player feels it is an appropriate action. Both the Knight card and Tiered Knights can force the Robber to move, as well as numerous other mechanics available in various scenarios.

Did the robbers of Catan return?

However, when the first barbarians invaded the land, robbery returned and, it is said, the Robber of old returned once more to ravage the lands of Catan. None truly know who the Robber is, but it is certain that the base ...

What are the helpers of Catan?

These favor tokens can be traded in for various benefits, like a free road or a development card. “Helpers of Catan” adds a new mechanic to the game (borrowed from Star Trek Catan). Each player starts with one helper. A helper offers you an advantage, like protection from the robber or the ability to move a road.

What is the blue box in Seafarers of Catan?

Seafarers of Catan (blue box) The Basic Idea: Makes your board bigger. The story is that the settlers have gone beyond the original island of Catan and discovered even more islands. Seafarers includes 19 sea hex tiles, which makes the board bigger and gives players multiple islands to explore. It also has ships (which function like roads, ...

What are knight tokens used for?

There are knight tokens (used to fight the barbarians), and a new type of card, commodities (coins, paper and cloth). These function similar to resources, but are used to purchase upgrades for your cities. A City can also be upgraded to a Metropolis (which is immune to damage from the barbarians).

How many people can play expansions?

We also want to mention the difference between Expansions and Extensions. Up to four people can play out of the base game or an Expansion. Extensions contain two more colors of pieces and extra tiles so up to six players can enjoy the game. You need to own the corresponding Expansion before you buy an Extension.

Does Settlers of Catan carry expansions?

The Expansions, Extensions, and Scenarios are not the only Settlers of Catan products we carry at the Board Game Barrister, but they are the most popular ones. If you have questions about these expansions or any other Settlers of Catan products, just ask your friendly, neighborhood Barrister.

Overview

Ships

Seafarers introduces the concept of ships, which serve as roads over water or along the coast. Each ship costs one lumber and one wool to create (lumber for the hull and wool for the sails). A settlement must first be built before a player can switch from building roads to building ships, or vice versa. Thus, a chain of ships is always anchored at a settlement on the coast. A shipping line that is not anchored at both ends by different settlements can also move the last ship at the ope…

Gold Rivers

Seafarers also introduces the "Gold River" or "Gold Field" terrain, which grants nearby players one resource of their choice for every settlement adjacent to a gold tile and 2 resources for every city. Since being able to choose any resource type allows more building power, gold rivers are often either marked with number token of only 2 or 3 dots and/or are far away from starting positions to offset this.

Exploration

Some scenarios have extra rules encompassing the concept of exploration, which is done by having the hex tiles placed face down. Should a player build next to unexplored terrain, the terrain tile is turned face up, and the player is rewarded with a resource should the tile revealed be resource-producing. In other scenarios, the board is divided into islands, and if the player builds a settlement on an island other than the ones they begin on, the settlement is worth extra victory p…

Scenarios

Unlike The Settlers of Catan and Catan: Cities & Knights, in which the only random element of setup is the placement of land tiles, number tokens, and harbors in an identically-shaped playing area, Catan: Seafarers has a number of different scenarios or maps from which to choose. Each map uses a different selection of tiles laid out in a specific pattern, which may not use all of the tiles. Other attributes also set each map apart, for example, restrictions on the placement of initi…

Reception

The Seafarers of Catan was reviewed in the online second volume of Pyramid.