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It does this by making the player in front less likely to roll a 7. The second variation is called the Robber Equalizer and its objective is to stop one player from running away with the game. The first rule variation is that the player will roll again if a 7 is rolled during the first 6 rounds preventing the robber from taking any resources. The robber has a few variations during the game. This will leave 12 hexes to use for the islands. Take one hex of each type and put them to one side: Hills, Forest, Fields, Pasture. To start, take three mountain hexes and line them up in a row as the centre of the board. The word Isthmus means a narrow strip of land that joins two larger areas of land across a body of water. The desert hex is not used in this variation. The Isthmus of Catan also allows trading but only with the bank. This version has a unique board layout and a few major changes to the rules including a robber equalizer. Here is a more complex variation of Settlers of Catan for those who are looking for something a little different. They can also choose to take two resources from the bank instead of the other player. If the 7 is rolled a second time then the player does not have to move the robber. After this the same rules to the robber apply unless a 7 is rolled on both rolls for that player. If a 7 is rolled during this time the player must re-roll. The robber cannot come into play for two rounds. The threshold for returning half a player’s resources to the bank is increased to 8 cards. The winning scenario is the first player with 15 victory points, This can be increased to a maximum of 20 to make the game longer if wished. Players can’t take actions in between the first and second roll unless it is a 7. This is specifically to produce more resources. Play as normal except each player performs two rolls. Next the first player places two settlements and roads and the second player finishes off with one settlement and road. The first player puts down a settlement and road then the second player places two settlements and roads. There is no inter-player trading in this variant but you can still perform maritime trades. It adds a little more variation but is not so complex there is a lot to think about. 3 settlements intermediate variationįor those looking for a little more from their Catan two player game this variation will be for you. Increasing the rolls also increases the likelihood of being robbed. This gives each player three settlements to start. The player going first then places one settlement and road followed by the second player who places two settlements and roads.įinally the first player places their last two settlements and then the second player places their last settlement. Set up the game as normal, the first change happens when you are ready to place your settlements.
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It also modifies the winning scenario requirements. This variation works to increase the resources that the players accrue during the game. It is a simple variation and so easy to learn and play. If you are new to Catan and want to play two players then this variation is for you.
#BEGINNER CATAN BOARD HOW TO#
It looked so cool.Īll these are variations of the base game so I won’t discuss how to play the base game here but only the variations. I just had to add the last one to the mix because of the use of the tiles. In this article I have instructions for 3 variations for the beginner, intermediate and one complex version. The good news is there are plenty of great variations that 2 players can play Settlers of Catan. How can you play Settlers of Catan with 2 players? Therefore usually the motivation to trade goes away and so this fun part of the game is non-existent. If you both want to trade it is likely that it will not forward either of your efforts to gain a lead. If one player is ahead the other will not want to trade with them as it will advance their lead further. When there are only two this becomes a bit flat. Trying to get the best deal whilst not giving your opponent too much is one of the best things about Catan.
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This adds to the fun of the game and just isn’t there with two players. You’ll also notice an increase in the speed of play and find it difficult to gather resources. With 3-4 players there is much more chance of your progress being hindered by the expansion of your opponents. The size of the board means that the two players can literally expand without ever coming in contact or being affected by their opponent. There are two main reasons why Settlers of Catan doesn t work with 2 players: the board is too big and trading doesn’t work.
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