Simple Variants

From World Of Catan

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		+	The following '''simple variants''' to ''[[The Settlers of Catan]]'' allow for more playability or better use of aspects of the game.  Most can be used in all the official expansions and variants.
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	== Desert Resources ==		== Desert Resources ==
		+	A way of making the game easier is to abolish [[desert]]s.  Instead of collecting nothing, make deserts a resource hex that collects either brick or ore (keeping the option open).
		+
		+	You need to take a spare blank number chit or a chit from an expansion and add it to the pool of number tokens and distribute it along with the others. This is easier to do if you are using the random method of number chit allocation.
-	A way of making the game easier is to abolish deserts, instead making them a resource hex -- either clay, or ore, or a special resource called "mineral sand", which can behave either like clay or ore.	+	== Absolute Trade Route and Largest Army ==
		+	The [[Longest Trade Route]] is ONLY retained by the player with the LONGEST trade route.  If two players tie for longest trade route, the card is returned until a player gains the upper hand.
-	You need to take a spare blank number token and write a number on it (possibly something like 4 or 5) and add it to the pool of number tokens and distribute it along with the others. This is easier to do if you are using the "semi-random" method of token allocation (pull the tokens from the pool at random, and if you get either the same numbers next to each other, or a 6 or 8 next to each other, put the token back and pull another one).	+	The [[Largest Army]] card is ONLY retained by the player with the MOST soldier cards. If two players tie for largest army, the card is returned until a player gains the upper hand.
-	To use "mineral sand" you'll need to make yourself a set of "mineral sand" resource cards. A mineral sand card can be used as either a clay or an ore. Which actually makes it the most useful card on the board, so maybe this variation is a bit unbalanced.	+	== Docks ==
		+	[[Image:docks.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Dock Pieces]]
-	== Absolute Longest Road ==	+	This is an adaption to ''[[The Seafarers of Catan]]'' created by Björn Weng.
-	A variation used by my other brother, which makes the "longest road" harder to keep. If a player has the longest road, instead of keeping it until someone else makes a longer road, if another player makes a road of equal length, then the "longest road" card goes back in the box, since nobody has the absolutely longest road.	+	During the [[build phase]], a player may buy a dock for 1 wood and 1 brick.  A dock allows a player to build a ship without having to build a settlement.  A dock does not produce goods or serve any purpose other than to allow a road to connect to a ship.  The author created the cut-outs at right to support this game.
-	Presumably one could do a similar thing with "largest army".	+	[[Category:Fan variants]]

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Current revision as of 01:14, 6 June 2007

The following simple variants to The Settlers of Catan allow for more playability or better use of aspects of the game. Most can be used in all the official expansions and variants.

[edit] Desert Resources

A way of making the game easier is to abolish deserts. Instead of collecting nothing, make deserts a resource hex that collects either brick or ore (keeping the option open).

You need to take a spare blank number chit or a chit from an expansion and add it to the pool of number tokens and distribute it along with the others. This is easier to do if you are using the random method of number chit allocation.

[edit] Absolute Trade Route and Largest Army

The Longest Trade Route is ONLY retained by the player with the LONGEST trade route. If two players tie for longest trade route, the card is returned until a player gains the upper hand.

The Largest Army card is ONLY retained by the player with the MOST soldier cards. If two players tie for largest army, the card is returned until a player gains the upper hand.

[edit] Docks

This is an adaption to The Seafarers of Catan created by Björn Weng.

During the build phase, a player may buy a dock for 1 wood and 1 brick. A dock allows a player to build a ship without having to build a settlement. A dock does not produce goods or serve any purpose other than to allow a road to connect to a ship. The author created the cut-outs at right to support this game.