Die Siedler von Catan - Seafarers Expansion

Translation by Gerald Siek <jerry@mupad.de>
Corrections by Ian Bissix <Ian.Bissix@tvu.ac.uk>

Game Parts:

Components Needed.

In addition to this expansion you need one Siedler basic game in order to play the scenarios. For the scenario "Great Catan" (Gross Catan) you need two Siedler games.

A detailed list of all pieces needed for each scenario is given under "3. Material" in the scenario descriptions.

Harbour Pieces

Before a game, all harbour pieces needed for the scenario are shuffled face down and then placed randomly at the places shown on the scenario map.

Important: The harbour/sea-pieces from the basic game are not needed anymore. The seafarers expansion contains enough plain sea pieces to replace the old harbours.

Additional Rules.

The seafarers expansion is played using all of the rules from the basic game. The following rules govern the new features of this expansion:

1. Building Ships

· Building a ship costs one unit of wool (for the rigging) and one unit of wood (for the hull). Ships are - like roads - placed at hex sides but in contrast to roads can be displaced under certain conditions

It is, however, not allowed to place a newly built ship next to a road and vice versa (see fig. D). A road can only be continued by a ship line, if first a settlement (or city) is built at the connecting intersection.

2. The Purpose Of Ships

3. Displacing Ships

Unlike roads, ships may be displaced under certain circumstances. Displacement of ships is governed by the following rules:

Note that if an open ship line branches there may be more than one foremost ship. Furthermore it is possible to replace a single ship next to settlement/city, leaving the settlement/city without any ship or road next to it.

· A player may only displace one ship at his/her turn. A ship built on the current turn may not be displaced immediately.

Text next to fig. B:
Closed ship line

Text next to fig. C:
Open ship line: The foremost ship may be displaced if it was not built on the current turn.

4. Special Victory Points

Special victory points are given in form of the victory chips. Every player may score special victory points. Details on when and how to score special points are given in the scenario descriptions.

5. Longest Trade Route

When the longest trade route is determined, ships are counted just like roads. The player with longest, non-stop route of roads and ships gets the card "Longest Trade Route". Remember: ships can only be connected to roads (and vice versa) when a settlement/city is built at the connecting intersection.

Text next to fig. D:

Red has the longest trade route - 4 ships and 2 roads. To extend his trade route to a length of 8, Red must build a settlement at the connection between the ship and the road on the 12 hex.

6. Progress Card "Road Building"

A player who plays "road building" may now either build 2 roads or 2 ships or 1 road / 1 ship.

7. Gold

A new land hex is the river of gold (Goldfluß) where gold is produced. However, there is no real commodity "Gold", the gold is kind of a joker commodity.

If the number of a gold hex is rolled, each player who has a settlement/city at this hex may take one arbitrary commodity card of his/her choice.

8. Founding Phase

A player who builds one of his/her initial two settlements at the coast may place a ship next to this settlement instead of starting with a road. This could be useful is the player wants to go to sea immediately.

Optional Rule / Variant: Pirates (Seeräuber)

Included in the seafarers expansion is a black ship - the pirate ship. The pirate ship starts in the middle of an arbitrary sea hex (not at the intersection, not at the connection) somewhere at sea.

a) If a player rolls a 7, he/she may now choose to move the pirates instead of the robber. After the pirates are moved to the middle of another sea hex, the player may steal one commodity card from each player who has ships around this hex

b) If a player plays a knight card, he/she may move either the robber or the pirates.

c) As long as the pirates are on a sea hex, no ships must be displaced or built on the surrounding hex sides.

Scenarios

In the description of each scenario, point 3 ("Material") lists the hex-pieces (A), the number markers (B) and the harbour pieces needed for the scenario. The english translation of the hex pieces (A) is: Meer = sea, Wüste = desert, Goldfluß = river of gold, Ackerland = farm land, Hügelland = hills, Gebirge = mountains, Weideland = pasture, Wald = Forest, Ges. = total.

ZU NEUEN UFERN (New Discoveries)

1. Setup

The large main island is set up as described in the rules of the basic game. The remaining pieces listed in the tables under 3 is used to set up the small islands. Remember not to use the old harbour pieces but the new ones from the expansion.

Attention: A player who builds a settlement on the coast area in the founding phase could start with a ship instead of a road next to this settlement so that he/she can go to sea immediately.

2. Special Rules

A player gets one additional victory point for each island where he/she builds a settlement/city. The victory chip is placed under the first settlement built on the respective island. Each player may score only one victory point per island. However, a player gets such a victory point regardless of any other player who may have already settled on the island.

End of Game:

The game is over when a player has scored 13 victory points.

3. Material

See tables in the manual

DIE VIER INSELN/3 (The Four Islands - 3 player version)

1. Setup

Assemble the map as shown. The pieces needed are listed in the table under 3.

2. Special Rules

Founding Phase:

Each player may set up his/her initial two settlements on one or two of the islands. After setup, the player has now 1 or 2 "home-islands". All other islands are considered "foreign".

A player who sets up a settlement at the coast must begin with a ship next to this settlement.

Important: this must be done only for settlements who are founded at one of coasts facing one of the neighbouring islands. Settlements at the coast facing towards the frame may be set up as usual with a road.

Special Victory Points

In any case it does not matter whether another player has already built a settlement/city on the relevant island.

EXAMPLE: (see small map)

A player (red) has set up his initial two settlements during the founding phase on the large island in the lower left corner. With his ships, he reaches the upper left islands and builds his first settlement there. He gets one victory chip which is placed under this settlement. From this island he is now going for the upper right island. If he reaches it and builds a settlement, he will get two more victory chips. If he should manage to reach the last island in the lower right, too, he will finally get another 2 chips.

End of Game:

The game is over when a player has scored 12 victory points.

3. Material

See tables in the manual

DIE VIER INSELN/4 (The Four Islands - 4 player version)

1. Setup

Assemble the map as shown. The pieces needed are listed in the table under 3.

2. Special Rules

Same as in the 3-player island scenario on page 6.

End of Game:

The game is over when a player has scored 12 victory points.

3. Material

See tables in the manual

OZEANIEN/3 (Ocean Land - 3 player version)

1. Setup

The large and the small island as well as the sea pieces are set up as shown on the map. The hexes with a '?' are initially kept clear and will be "discovered" during the game.

The pieces needed for the clear hexes (listed in table A) are shuffled face down and placed as a tile next to the board. The number markers for these hexes (listed in the last row of table B) are also shuffled and placed face down next to the board.

2. Special Rules

Founding Phase:

All players must set up their initial two settlements on the large main island.

Attention: A player who founds an initial settlement at the southern coast could start with a ship instead of a road.

Discovery of the New World

As soon as a player sets a ship (or later in the game a road) towards an intersection where a hex tile is missing, he/she draws one of the shuffled hex tiles at random and places it at the appropriate place. If it is a land hex, the player then randomly draws one of the shuffled number markers and places it on that land hex. The player immediately gets one commodity card from this land hex. If the player draws a sea hex - well, bad luck!

There are no additional victory points in this scenario.

End of Game:

The game is over when a player has scored 12 victory points.

3. Material

See tables in the manual. The last row of each table lists the random pieces/markers.

OZEANIEN/4 (Ocean Land - 4 player version)

1. Special Rules

Same as in the first Ozeanien scenario on page 8

2. Material

See tables in the manual. The last row of each table lists the random pieces/markers.

DURCH DIE WÜSTE/3 (Through the desert - 3 player version)

1. Setup

Assemble the board as shown on the map. The pieces needed are listed as usual in the tables under 3.

2. Special Rules

Founding Phase:

The main island is divided by an field of deserts into two areas: a small area in the upper right and a large area below. All players must set up their initial two settlements in the large main area of the main island. The surrounding islands and the small upper right area of the main island are considered as "foreign".

Special Victory Points

A player gets one victory point for his/her first settlement on a foreign island. The victory chip is placed under the respective settlement. A player may get at most one victory point per foreign island. It does not matter whether another player has already built a settlement on an island or not. Note that there are no victory points for settlements in the small upper right area of the main island.

Attention: A player who founds an initial settlement at the coast facing one of the small islands could start with a ship instead of a road.

End of Game:

The game is over when a player has scored 12 victory points.

3. Material

See tables in the manual.

DURCH DIE WÜSTE/4 (Through the Desert - 4 player version)

1. Special Rules

Same as in the first Durch die Wüste scenario on page 10

End of Game:

The game is over when a player has scored 12 victory points.

2. Material

See tables in the manual.

NEUE WELT/3 (A New World - 3 player version)

1 Material

See tables in the manual.

Assemble the frame as shown on the map. Shuffle all hex tiles and place them in random order inside the frame. Do this a well with the number markers. However, red number markers (6 and 8) may not lay next to another and also may not be laid on a gold hex. If this should happen during setup, the players should correct this together.

The harbour pieces are shuffled and placed face down next to the board. Beginning with the oldest player and following clockwise, each player draws a harbour piece and places it on the board at his/her own decision. This is done until all pieces are placed on the board.

2. Special Rules

Founding Phase:

Each player may set up his/her initial two settlements freely. At the beginning, each player then has one or two home islands, all other island are considered as "foreign" for him/her.

Special Victory Points

A player gets one victory point for his/her first settlement on a foreign island. The victory chip is placed under the respective settlement. A player may get at most one victory point per foreign island. It does not matter whether another player has already built a settlement on an island or not. Note that there are no victory points for settlements in the small upper right area of the main island.

End of Game:

The game is over when a player has scored 12 victory points.

NEUE WELT/4 (A new World - 4 player version)

1 Material

See tables in the manual.

2. Setup, Special Rules and Victory Condition

Same as in the 3-player Neue Welt scenario.

DIE GROSSE ÜBERFAHRT/4 (Across The Sea)

1 Trade Lines

Important: In this scenario, special victory points are awarded for trade routes between settlements/cities in "Catania" and "Transcatania". Trade routes can be created in a number of different ways:

  1. A player establishes a direct trade route with his/her ships by connecting an own settlement/city with another player's settlement/city on the neighbouring island.
    (See figure below)
  2. A player who connects his/her ships to another player's road on the neighbouring island, establishes an indirect trade route.
    (See figure below)
  3. A player who reaches the neighbouring island and builds a settlement/city there, establishes a direct trade route (between his/her own settlements/cities).
    (See figure below)
  4. A player who connects his/her ships to another player's ships from the neighbouring island, establishes an indirect trade route.
    (See figure below)

2. Special Rules

Founding Phase:

Each player must set up both his/her initial two settlements on the same island, i.e. either on Catania or Transcatania. This island is then the players home island, the other one is considered as the neighbouring island.

Attention: A player who founds an initial settlement at the coast could start with a ship instead of a road.

Special Victory Points (for the trade routes listed under 1)

In the figure below point 5 above, Red scores 2 victory points - one for each of the two trade routes.

Attention: As long as a trade route is formed by the ship lines of two players, both ship lines are considered as open. Thus, both players may remove their foremost ship as described in the general rules of this expansion, disconnecting the trade route. The player who had scored the victory point for the disconnected route must return the chip! In the example below, the trade route is useless for White so he removes his foremost ship. Red loses his victory chip until he manages to fill the gap with another red ship.

GROSS CATAN (Great Catan)

Attention: For this scenario two basic games are needed!
Estimated duration of this scenario is about 150 minutes.

1. Setup

2. Special Rules

Founding Phase:

Every player starts with two initial settlements on the main island.

Small Islands Rule

When a player reaches a land hex (on the small islands) without a number marker on it, he/she randomly draws one of the markers from the bag and places it on the land hex.

When all 7 markers from the bag have been placed, the player must now remove one number marker from the main island and place it on the small island hex. This is governed by the following rules:

a) The player may only remove a number marker from a hex, where he/she has at least one settlement or city.

b) Every settlement and city on the main island must have at least one hex with a marker on it left. No settlement or city may be left without any income.

c) On the small islands, red markers (6 and 8) may not be placed next to another.

But: If a player cannot remove any marker from the main island because of the three rules above, he/she may break these rules, starting with rule (a) first, then (b), then (c) until it is possible to remove a marker.

End of Game:

The game is over when a player has scored 18 victory points.