Catan 6th Edition

Catan 6th Edition box art

Game Stats

  • Year: 2025
  • Players: 3-4
  • Duration: 60-90 minutes
  • Complexity: Easy to Medium
  • Age Range: 10+
  • Status: Owned

Overview

Catan (previously called The Settlers of Catan) is a landmark strategy board game where players take on the roles of settlers striving to develop and expand their colonies on the island of Catan. Each turn, dice rolls determine which resources (lumber, wool, grain, brick, and ore) the island produces. Players then trade or use these resources to build roads, settlements, and cities in a race to earn victory points. With its blend of resource management, negotiation, and territory expansion, Catan has become one of the most widely recognized gateway games, introducing countless people to modern board gaming.

Components

  • 6 sea frame pieces
  • 19 hexes
    • 3 hills
    • 4 forests
    • 4 pastures
    • 4 fields
    • 3 mountains
    • 1 desert
  • 2 bonus victory point tiles
  • 18 number discs
  • 4 player aids
  • 25 development cards
    • 2 Monopoly
    • 2 Road Building
    • 2 Invention
    • 14 Knight
    • 5 Victory Point
  • 95 resource cards
    • 19 brick
    • 19 wood
    • 19 wool
    • 19 wheat
    • 19 ore
  • 96 player pieces
    • 20 settlements
      • 5 of blue, red, white and orange
    • 16 cities
      • 4 of blue, red, white and orange
    • 60 roads
      • 15 of blue, red, white and orange
  • 2 dice
  • 1 robber
  • 2 card trays

Setup

  • Arrange the hexagonal terrain tiles to form the island. A setup guide is typically included in the rulebook, or you can arrange tiles randomly
  • Place number tokens on each resource hex
  • Put the robber on the desert tile (if included)
  • Each player chooses a color and takes five settlements, four cities, and fifteen roads
  • Each player places two settlements and two roads on the board (in the standard version)
  • Shuffle and place the development cards face down, then distribute resource cards as needed to begin the game

How to Play

  • Resource Production
  • Trade and Build
  • Robber and Seven
  • Victory Points

Why You Might Enjoy It

  • Easy to Learn, Hard to Master: Simple rules yet varied strategies
  • High Player Interaction: Trading resources keeps everyone engaged
  • Modular Board: Randomized setups ensure a fresh experience each time
  • Gateway Game: A perfect introduction to modern strategy board games

Expansions

Major Expansions

  • Catan: Seafarers – Adds sea exploration and island hopping
  • Catan: Cities & Knights – Adds city development and barbarian invasions
  • Catan: Traders & Barbarians – Adds various scenarios and variants
  • Catan: Explorers & Pirates – Adds exploration and naval missions

References