Catan Card Game

Game of the Year 1997: shortlist German Games Award 1997: 2nd place à la carte Card Game Award 1997: 2nd place

The Settlers of Catan - The card game for two players is published at Kosmos 1996 Game of the author Klaus Teuber with graphics by Franz Vohwinkel, the Settlers of Catan modeled on the successful board game. By 2007, the card game has sold more than 1.5 million times. In the late summer of 2010, a major overhaul was published under the title The Rivals for Catan with three new game types: introductory game, game themes and Duel of the Princes. The introductory game serves the basic rules and mechanisms to know which topics games are similar to the previous extended basic games, but played with fewer cards. When Duel of the Princes is played with 3 threads at a time, but only with about half of the cards of the theme sets. In autumn 2011, the first expansion Sinister times with three other issues that also contains the rules for the tournament version appeared. All maps have been re- illustrated by Michael Menzel. While the original card game from the style of the buildings and people is located in the Central European Middle Ages, the princes are based on the novel of Catan The Settlers of Catan by Rebecca Gablé describing the colonization of an Atlantic island by Scandinavian emigrants. Some of the main characters of the book are printed on the cards of the base set. For building your own " catanischer " style was developed.

Game idea

Each player rules over a small principality with the aim to achieve through expansion and construction projects as first a predetermined number of victory points. This is done through the laying / " construction" of cards from his hand cards for the man - must pay raw materials - as in the board game.

Unlike the board game, the principalities with their settlements, roads, landscapes ( for the resource ) and individual buildings (similar to the Cities & Knights expansion of the board game ) are completely represented by corresponding maps, which are laid out in front of the two players each in series.

In contrast to normal card games dice are also used here, however, on the one hand take each train and be used for other dice for samples in specific game situations.

Extensions

Tournament Set

In 1997 appeared The tournament set for card game by amending the game mechanics towards collectible card game, but without the usual there "forced " to booster purchase: Each player turns from his card game and tournament set its own selection of cards together, a so-called "deck".

At the same time a call for ideas for new cards was announced, emerged from the 1999 three new extensions ( " Theme Sets "). Altogether, the following topics sets have been published:

Theme Sets

• Knights & merchants ( "R & H ", 1999 )

• Science & Progress ( "W & F", 1999)

• Trade & Change ( "H & W", 1999)

• Politics & intrigue ("P & I ", 1999 )

• Wizards & Dragons ( " Z & D", 1999)

• Discoverer & Pirates ( inoff. title " T2002 ", 2001 )

• Barbarians & merchants ("B & H ", 2003)

• Artists and benefactors ( "K & W", was released in spring 2006, initially in combination with an anniversary edition of the base game, in the spring of 2007 as a single set )

With the Theme Sets two varieties were introduced: the " extended basic game" with only a themed set and the out of the tournament set " Tournament " well-known that for every player in the card game and at least one expansion presupposes, but usually with card is played from several theme sets.

The themed sets are only summarized available since 2003:

• The themed kits for fighters & merchants contain the extensions Knights & merchants, Politics & intrigue as well as barbarians & merchants.
• The themed sets for magicians and researchers include the extensions Science & Progress, Trade & change and Wizards & Dragons.

Only the book published in the spring of 2007 set artist and benefactor, there are still buying individual; previously also still available by separate set barbarians & merchants is largely out of print.

With the appearance of barbarians & merchants also some cards and rules of the original extensions were " reform 2003 " amended in the framework of to weaken, according to the publisher concerning powerful deck strategies and overall strategy to increase the diversity. The most important change concerns the playing of action cards: Had previously both players have at least 3 victory points, which often caused a delay to the game, both players must now together own at least 7 victory points. Thus both the leading player in the state of 4:2 can now actively initiate the action cards phase by an additional victory point for 5-2 as well as the past players of his hand. Victory by a further point to 4:3

Special cards

Since 2002 also appeared limited annual special cards but never officially announced the commercial, but some of which were taken gradually to the new theme sets. In addition, the base game and the expansions experienced various conditions.

Unofficial extensions

Because of the great enthusiasm for the card game, there are numerous unofficial extensions that particular originating from German and Dutch players and their distribution is tolerated on the internet by the author and the publishers as long as it is not operated commercially. In addition to extensions, the new aspects, such as but also bring into play the culture wars and auctions, there are also kits specifically designed for three and four players thus making it possible to play the card game just like the board game in a larger group.

Related games

In spring 2007, published Klaus Teuber, the based on a similar mechanism Game Anno 1701 - The Card Game.

Championships

Translations

The game has been translated into other languages ​​: English, Finnish, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Spanish, Russian, Slovenian, Czech, Hungarian.

The design of the cards is almost identical to that of the German card, using the English and Dutch edition but others backs so that tournament games with players of these countries are not possible. In the English cards other commodities, mills and victory point symbols also be used. In the Russian edition of the card with a shorter edge length are sold as sheets and must be separated before the first game.

Availability

With the release of the Princes of Catan the production of the old card game has been set. In trading but are still copies available.