Components of Catan:

• 19 hexagonal terrain tiles (representing different land types)
• 6 sea frame pieces
• 9 harbor pieces
• 18 number tokens
• 95 resource cards (19 each of brick, lumber, wool, grain, and ore)
• 25 development cards
• 4 building cost cards
• 2 special bonus cards (Longest Road, Largest Army)
• 16 cities (4 in each color)
• 20 settlements (5 in each color)
• 60 roads (15 in each color)
• 2 dice
• 1 robber pawn
• Rules sheet

Setup:

1. Assemble the sea frame pieces to form the game board.
2. Place the 19 terrain tiles within the frame randomly.
3. Place the number tokens on the terrain tiles according to the setup rules.
4. Each player selects a color and takes the corresponding settlements, cities, and roads.
5. Players place their initial settlements and roads:

Objective:

The goal is to be the first player to reach 10 victory points through building settlements, cities, and roads, and by obtaining special bonus cards.

Catan Gameplay:

1. Starting the Game: The player who placed the first settlement begins, and turns proceed clockwise.
2. Player's Turn:

Roll Dice: Roll both dice to determine which terrain hexes produce resources. Each hex with the rolled number produces resources for players with adjacent settlements or cities.

Resource Collection: Players collect resources (brick, lumber, wool, grain, ore) based on their settlements' and cities' adjacent hexes.

Trading: Players may trade resources with each other or with the bank at 4:1, or at 3:1, 2:1 if they have a settlement on a harbor.

Building and Buying: Players can build roads, settlements, cities, and buy development cards by spending the required resources:

Development Cards: Play development cards (knights, progress cards, victory points) according to their instructions.

Robber: If a player rolls a 7, the robber is activated. The player moves the robber to any hex, steals a resource card from a player with an adjacent settlement/city, and that hex doesn't produce resources until the robber is moved.

Winning the Game:

• The first player to reach 10 victory points on their turn wins Catan.

Special Rules:

• Longest Road: The player with the longest continuous road (at least 5 segments) gets this special card worth 2 victory points.
• Largest Army: The player who has played the most knight cards (at least 3) gets this special card worth 2 victory points.
• Building Limits: Players can have a maximum of 5 settlements and 4 cities on the board at any time.

Optional Rules:

• House Rules: Players can create their own variations to add more complexity or fun.
• Expansion Packs: Various expansions (e.g., Seafarers, Cities & Knights) add new elements and strategies to Catan.

These rules provide a basic framework for playing Catan, making it an engaging and strategic game for players of various ages. The excitement of Catan comes from the dynamic resource management, strategic building, and trading with other players to achieve victory.