Colonizers (board game). Board game The Settlers of Catan

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This is a cult strategy board game. Its author, Klaus Teuber, is a famous German developer. "Colonizers" is his most popular creation. The game has been translated into more than 30 languages ​​and has sold about 15 million copies.

Participants' goal

Explore the island of Catan by building settlements, cities and roads. The first one to score 10 points wins.

Game description

The field consists of 6 sea frames, in the center of which 19 hexagonal fields - hexes forming land - are randomly placed. The earth is represented by 6 types of landscape: desert, hills, mountains, forests, pastures and arable lands.

Players build roads and settlements, each of which brings raw materials to the owner from surrounding hexes. Resources (wood, wool, clay, grain and ore) are needed not only for construction, but also for exchange and trade. As you may have noticed, they can be obtained from 5 types of sushi. The desert is barren and yields nothing, but it is a refuge for the robber. He is activated when the number 7 is rolled on the game dice. It is the robber who gives the players the most trouble, but at the same time brings with him enrichment.

You will also have to use development cards (knights, breakthroughs, victory points), cards with construction prices and special cards - rolling rewards for the longest path and the largest army.

Preparing to start the game

After assembling the site, make sure that the desert is in the center. Next, take the number tokens and, turning them upside down, distribute them on the hexes in a spiral from any corner of the island to the center in alphabetical order. Open the chips with the numbers facing up.

Choose a color and receive game pieces: cities – 4 pcs., settlements – 5 pcs., roads – 15 pcs., as well as a construction price map. Important: if there are three players, red chips are not involved.

Next to the game board, place dice, special cards, 5 decks of raw materials cards face down and a shuffled deck of development cards face down. Now is the time to place the bandit in the desert.

The player with the most points when rolling the dice goes first. At any of the crossroads, he establishes his first settlement and builds a branch from it - a road - also in any direction. The remaining participants, clockwise, do the same actions. The last one to connect has an advantage: after the first settlement, he immediately establishes a second one, builds a road and transfers the right of movement counterclockwise. Thus, the one who started construction at this stage of the game will complete it.

So, each player has 2 settlements and 2 roads adjacent to them, as well as 2 points: one for the constructed point. As income for their construction, you receive one raw material card from each adjacent hex.

Based on this, it is obvious how important it is to take advantageous position from the very beginning of the game.

How the island is being developed

The first player rolls the dice and the collection of raw materials begins. The sum of the rolled points indicates those hexes that will bring raw materials, provided that settlements or cities founded by the participant are located on their borders.

Cities can only appear from already existing settlements. It is much more profitable for colonialists to own only large administrative units. Why? They give 2 cards of raw materials, while settlements only give 1. The pursuit of the number of cards of raw materials is due to the fact that this is the main resource for any transformations and buildings. Also, cities give 2 points towards victory, and settlements only give 1 point.

Road construction rules

A road can only be built from your own settlement/city or from a free intersection to which a player-created road opens. There can be exactly one tract token located on each section of the path. It is important that there are no enemy buildings or road sections on your construction path.

When your road reaches 5 tokens, you will receive a special “Longest Road” card. It will bring you 2 points closer to victory. But keep in mind that this card can go to another player if his path becomes longer than yours.

Rules for distance and construction of settlements

If you have resources, you can build new settlements at any intersection that the road you created leads to. It is important to remember that all intersections in the neighborhood must be clear of rival development.

Let's return to the issue of raw materials. Now you see how raw materials are needed to increase your holdings on the island. It’s good if the starting strategy is correct and you have plenty of any resource. And if not? We train the art of a negotiator, builder and merchant in one person and turn to commodity-market relations with rivals. The more eloquence and persistence, the more profitable the deal can be. Important: during your turn, competitors cannot make transactions without your participation. Precisely transactions, because gifts from the colonialists are prohibited. These are the rules of internal trade.

If your ambitions and needs prompt you to strive beyond the borders of the island of Catan, then welcome to the international market. Does your city face the sea? Then you can exchange your raw materials at a rate of 2:1 or 3:1. If your buildings have not yet reached the shore, but you really need raw materials, be prepared for a 4:1 rate. Harsh, yes. But you agree to these conditions yourself. But the consequences of the appearance of a robber are unpredictable, dangerous and harmful.

The robber enters the game at the stage of collecting raw materials, when the sum of the points on the dice is equal to 7. When he enters any other hex from the desert, he deprives the owners of nearby settlements/cities of raw materials.

This will continue until a seven is rolled again and the villain moves to another point on the island. You also lose half of the resource cards if they are total more than 7. Rounding occurs downwards, that is, out of 7 cards you lose 3. But as you remember, we also talked about enrichment. The player moving the robber can, without looking, take any material from the owner of the settlement adjacent to the hex.

Somewhere in the middle of the sea lies the beautiful island of Catan. In forests local extracts wood, shears wool from sheep in the fields, extracts clay in the hills... And then there are also competing colonizers trying to occupy best lands! However, on this small island far from the metropolis, the one who knows how to find wins mutual language with neighbors. This is perhaps the main charm of the game: the player will have to find a balance between competition and diplomacy in order to win. Colonizers is a classic board game, played all over the world, but to understand why it's so good, you need to open the box and play a game.

Game process

At the beginning of the game, the playing field is formed from a set of hexagonal tiles. Chips with numbers are placed on them. On their turn, each player mines raw materials, builds new cities and roads, and trades to obtain missing resources. Success in extracting raw materials is determined by rolling the dice - the two numbers that appear determine which deposit will generate income. If the player has a settlement near them, they are lucky.

Trade can take place between players (and then your diplomacy skills come into play) or between a player and the mother country (this is less profitable, but does not depend on how harmful your opponents are). Another way to get raw materials is to roll the dice successfully and play as a robber and rob another player. Raw materials are needed in order to build new settlements, cities, roads, fight back, develop - and ultimately collect ten victory points and win the game.

• The game comes with two types of instructions - short game rules and a more detailed colonizer's almanac. It will save you from situations where different players understood what was written differently.
• The island map is made up of hexagonal cardboard pieces with different resources depicted on different sides. Thus, the playing field can be folded differently each time to make the game easier, more difficult or more unpredictable.

Who is the game for?

• For a company of 3-4 people from 10 years,
• For those who like not only to test their luck by throwing dice, but also to engage in diplomacy,
• But first of all, for those who like to think about their development strategy.

Set contents

• Game pieces of four colors (cities, settlements and roads),
• 2 six-sided dice,
• 22 hexes of land and sea,
• 95 raw cards,
• 25 development cards,
• 4 construction cards,
• 2 special cards,
• 18 numbered tokens,
• Robber's chip
• Rules of the game and the Colonizer's Almanac.

ia: arrangement and resources

If you've already read the rules, you should know how the formation works. You place all the land cards face down, then place all the sea cards face down, as well as all the port cards, and shuffle each pile separately. Then you assemble land cards and surround it with sea and port cards. And the final touch is that you turn over all these cards and place number tokens on the land hexes. Let's take a closer look at the hexes and think about what strategy can be applied here.

1. Types of land. You have 4 hexes of each type producing sheep's wool and grain, as well as 3 hexes of ore and brick. In addition, there is, but it does not interest us yet.

2. Port hexes. You have one for each resource. Ports allow you to exchange your resources of the corresponding type for any other at a rate of 2 to 1. You also have several universal ports that allow you to exchange any resource for another, but at a ratio of 3 to 1.

3. Numbers. Each time you roll game dice, the numbers on them add up and cause all hexes with that number to produce resources. It turns out that you can only get the numbers 2 and 12 one way, and the other numbers will appear twice as often. The exception is the number 7, because, as you know, when you roll a seven, something very bad happens. Since seven is a special number, this means that the best rolls on the gaming table will be the numbers 6 and 8.

At the beginning, you can only place two settlements on the playing field, so you will need to choose a better place for them. Here are a few strategies that can help you (but they still don't guarantee 100% results).

1. Look at the field and notice how many players are keeping you company at the table. If you go first and play with two more players, try to immediately take the “good” place, which will certainly be occupied by the other players going after you. I will tell you below what the criteria are for “good” places.

2. If you go third and play with three players, this means that you can place two settlements in a row. Use this to your advantage. Place the second settlement in a place where you have the most resources you need. If you haven’t already found two good places, or if you don’t like one of them, then look at what resources other players lack, and set up your second settlement so as to appropriate exactly these types of resources.

3. Try not to place a settlement on port or sea hexes. This will mean that your settlement will only have two winning numbers, maybe even one. Follow this advice, but don't forget about ports. If you find yourself in the vicinity of a 2 to 1 port and know for sure that you will need it, then do not miss building a settlement near the port to take advantage of it.

Let's summarize:

A “good” place includes the following features. It has the numbers 6 or 8, 9 or 5, and 4 or 10, except rare case, when 6 and 8 are combined with 5 AND 9. It will be nice, but not necessary, if there are three different resources at this point. 3 and 11 are worse than 4 and 10, but this disadvantage is offset by the presence of three different resources. If you go first, choose a place to settle to your taste, but first look at where the ports with 2 to 1 prices are located and which of them may be useful to you in the future.

The "next to good" place has the numbers 9 and 5 and perhaps 4 or 10.

As a general rule, you usually want to get as many resource types of all five types as possible, so if you can get all types of resources with your two settlements, then you're fine. If you build two settlements in a row, then everything is fine and you can move on.

1. The reaction of your opponents is very important. Find some way to influence them. If one of the players buys two cards, you need to hurry up and buy three. Always imagine that their cards are knights. If you have three knights in your hand, start playing them. And there is no need to be embarrassed by anyone. At this time, it would be useful to use the services of the port with prices of 2 to 1. Shovel your resources! Get them wherever you can. Throw all your eggs into one basket if you start losing. This way, if your numbers come up on the dice, you have a real chance of being ahead of everyone else. But if you and your opponents are neck and neck, then every move can be a defeat for you.

2. Be resourceful. Let's consider this situation. You want to buy a city. You have one grain and two ores. You have a lot of cards and four wool that you can trade. You have a city on a grain hex with the number 6 and an ore hex with the number 8. Which resource will you buy? Of course, grain! Now, if we roll an 8 on the dice, we can build a city. If you buy ore and roll a 6, you will still not have enough ore, but you will have bins full of unnecessary grain.

3. Make purchases when available. This is especially useful for card sets. Always buy something if you can, except... roads. Don't build highways unless you need it for some reason (especially if you have a port with brick or wood).

End of the game. Winning strategy

So, the game is already in full swing and is approaching completion with increasing speed. Each settlement or city you build becomes easier and easier as you have more resources and/or more options for winning rolls. The point is, don't let your opponents know you're close to winning. Otherwise, they will make every effort to stop you. Here are some tips to help you:

1. If I'm one or two roads away from the longest road and have 7 or fewer victory points (meaning I still won't win even if I complete the road now), then I won't build it. If I do this, I will have 9 victory points and increased attention from my opponents. I'd rather build a settlement at the end of this road. For settling, I will definitely receive a victory point, which no one will take away from me. And here's the most long way can be surpassed by my opponents. It is best to build it with 9 or 10 points in hand.

2. Development cards are always good. If you followed my mid-game strategy, you probably have some cards in your hand. As with roads, try to stay one knight away from the largest army, but of course you must have the winning knight on hand. Stick to your normal plans until you reach 8 victory points.

3. Winning with the help of development cards would be quite good, because the enemy does not know about them. Your opponents cannot see how many victory points you actually have. It's always good to have one or two of these types of cards in your hand. Of course, you shouldn't play them until victory is close.

The Colonizers series is one of the most famous, interesting and original family board games in the world. She gained worldwide fame back in 1995, when she received prestigious award"Spiel des Jahres". Since then, the game has taken its place on home shelves and in the hearts of millions of board game lovers. The game served as the prototype for the famous computer game"Settlers" spawned a lot of sequels in tabletop format.

"Colonizers" has become a living classic due to its original, thoughtful and friendly gameplay, in which players act as peaceful settlers exploring the island of Catan. The gameplay is unique, but at the same time quite simple and exciting, which makes “Colonizers” a wonderful family game! In the role of peaceful settlers inhabiting the island of Catan, you will experience real life colonizer: extract resources, build villages, cities and roads, defend against robbers, bargain with neighbors.

Since its release, the game has become a true cult and classic. tabletop world- received many awards, was localized in more than ten languages. The original "Settlers" is so popular that it also exists digitally on various platforms. Several large additions have been released for it, developing the already considerable possibilities: “Merchants and Barbarians”, “Sailors”, “Cities and Knights”, as well as expansions for 5-6 players and various branches, there is even a version for children!

Colonize the island of Catan and bring it to prosperity!

Game process

The game begins with the island of Catan appearing on the surface of the gaming table. Land hexes are randomly collected into a large hexagon and numbered according to a certain system - this is necessary for later obtaining resources. In such a situation, from 2 to 4 colonizers begin to fight for the development of the island.

Players start with two roads and two settlements, and the choice of their location is up to the player. Thus, you start with 2 victory points (VP), but the goal of the game is simple - to get 10. Remember that Cities (2 VP) appear where there are already Settlements (1 VP), and settlements can only be built on the Road . Any construction requires resources that are always in short supply. Here trade can help you out - the exchange of resources is a vital necessity, because you will only receive raw materials certain types, from those lands where your settlements and cities are located. And the hex where the Rogue stands does not bring resources at all... A little more detail:

1. A player's turn always begins with rolling two dice, adding their values ​​to determine the hex number, which will bring resources:
   • All players whose Settlements are in contact with such a hex will receive 1 card of the corresponding resource from it
   • For Cities, players will receive 2 resource cards
   • If the dice roll is a 7, then the richest players (with more than 7 cards) discard half of the resources, and the active player can become a Rogue
2. Next, the player gets the opportunity to engage in trading at various rates:
   • With the game bank at the rate of 4:1
   • In harbors, if you have a settlement there - at a rate of 3:1 and even 2:1
   • With players on any course that suits both players
3. The time has come to waste resources. And here's what:
   • You can build a Road to reach profitable lands and establish a Settlement there
   • You can build a Settlement on your road
   • You can develop your Settlement into a City
   • You can purchase a Development Card, which can provide additional victory points or other benefits
4. The move passes to the next player

Who has won?

The first player to score ten victory points wins. Since you start with two settlements, in fact at the beginning of the game you have two victory points.

Game Features

"Colonizers" is one of the most famous board games in the world; every self-respecting board gamer is familiar with it. This is a family-friendly and quite peaceful game, which at the same time has great strategic potential. In addition, you can purchase add-ons for the game, then the game will sparkle with completely new colors. This is a very deep, kind and interesting board game, which we personally recommend to everyone.

The Settlers of Catan is one of the best strategy board games in the world. She has such an impressive list of awards that everyone who is interested in the world of games has definitely heard of her. And we managed to play a lot.

Prestigious awards and nominations

• 2012 JoTa- critics award in the category Best game
• 2008 BoardGamer.ru- recommendation
• 2004 Hra Roku/Game of the Year in the Czech Republic - 1st place
• 2005 Gra Roku/Game of the Year in Poland - 1st place
• 1996Origins Awards/ Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Board Game - The best game in the fantasy and science fiction genre
• 1995Spiel des Jahres/Game of the Year in Germany - 1st place
• 1995 Meeples' Choice Award- 1 place
• 1995 Deutscher Spiele Preis/Best game in Germany - 1st place
• 1995 Essener Feder/Golden Feather ( best rules to the game) - 1st place
• Games Magazine/Games Magazine Hall of Fame Inductee/Hall of Fame Inductee

An exciting game of capturing territory that has conquered the World!

There are two types of game rules: a thin brochure of rules for the first games - to quickly master it; a whole almanac book in which all the essence and nuances are presented in the clearest way and in pictures.

The playing field of the game “Colonizers” is created from pieces - hexes and is framed in a frame in the shape of the sea. On this island called Catan, players will have to launch vigorous activities to seize territories.

How to play

Before the game starts, everyone takes a set of plastic figures of the same color. These are settlements, roads and cities that will be placed on the island. And to do this, you need to earn resources for construction. There are five types of them in the game: brick, wool, wood, grain and ore.

Each resource is mined in accordance with the topography of the island: where forests are depicted, wood is mined, where sheep graze, wool can be obtained. Etc.

All areas of the island are numbered, and the distribution of resources will be carried out exclusively randomly using a die roll. To receive honestly earned raw materials, you need to have a settlement or city in close proximity to the hex with the rolled number.

A game that never gets boring!

To ensure that players do not begin their wandering around the island empty-handed, at the beginning of the game two settlements and two roads for each player are immediately placed on it. Now all you have to do is wait until the cube decides to “reward” you with a raw material base and start colonizing the island.

Why do we need resources:

• by giving bricks and wood, you can build a road;
• For a fee in the form of wood, bricks, grain and wool, you will be allowed to place a settlement on the map. You need to spend more on the city: two grains and three stones;
• If you have extra grain, wool and ore in your hands, you can try your luck and draw a development card. Sometimes you come across very profitable options!

The goal of all players is to score 10 victory points. Points are awarded for buildings: settlement - 1 VP, city - 2 VP (everything is written on the hint card). They also appear in development maps.

There are also very interesting characters in the game - robbers

First, the robbers are placed in the center of the island and are therefore completely harmless. But as soon as the number “7” appears on the die, this is where they begin to rampage.

The player who rolls a seven not only steals a resource from one of the players, but also moves the robbers to any area of ​​his choice. And then hold on - they block the resource supply of all nearby cities. Someone will not get wood, grain, stone until these vile little men get away.

In addition, in “Colonizers” there is a place for heated discussions, trade, discussion profitable exchange. So this is not just a strategy, it is a strategy where eloquence plays an important role.

Video review of the board game Colonizers

Who will like it

The board game “Settlers” is perfectly balanced for playing with three or four players. But two people can play it without any problems.

This game is enjoyed by both adults and children at the same time. In addition, she has a large number of extensions that allow you not only to significantly diversify the gameplay, but also to increase the number of players to 6 people. Don't weigh the pros and cons of a purchase. A hit is a hit. You need to play the best!