So, Settlers of Catan. It's the game that everyone seems to have played to some extent. Some people have regular game nights for it. Some play every once in a while. Some only play when their SO makes them.
Regardless, it is one of the staples of "adult" household boardgames. I usually play settlers between 2 - 10 times a month, playing 1 - 4 games each time. Fortunately, for me, it is with the same group of people so, we each know how the others play and we each know all of our house rules.
I've read/heard countless variations on Settlers House Rules and I've finally decided to publish what we've come up with and what we feel works best for us:
Rules:
Setup:
A) Map Creation
Random:
-Take all the land pieces
-Mix in 1 - 3 water pieces
-Shuffle
-Stack them face down
-Place all the pieces face down in a random fashion, trying to keep them fairly bunched. Usually ends up looking something like Africa. Variation is welcome.
-Flip all the pieces over. Do not change them. For water pieces with trade benefits, rotate the pieces clockwise from the orientation you flip them until all the ports are facing a piece of land. If this isn't possible, move it clockwise around the map until the next piece of land that it is possible.
-Do not place the numbers.
Example:
Custom:
Someone can spend time making a map and propose that map to the rest of the group. Modifications can be suggested but, the creator gets final say. Maps can be vetoed for being ridiculous but, it is rare.
Example:
B) Random numbers
-Place all number tokens face down on the table
-Shuffle
-Place them face down on the land squares
C) Placing initial pieces
-Do not flip over the number tokens (don't worry, the numbers will change)
-Everyone rolls a die, lowest number goes first
-First person places a settlement and a road
-Second person places a settlement and a road
-Third person places 2 settlements and 2 roads
-Second person places a settlement and a road
-First person places a settlement and a road
Adjust according to how many people you have
-Flip over the number tokens to see how people are starting out
Gameplay
D) Seasons (my favorite custom rule)
-When the first turn starts, start a timer (~10 minutes).
-When the timer goes off, finish whatever current turn you are on and pick up all the number tokens. Shuffle them and place them face down on the board. When they are all down, flip them.
-Restart the timer.
I find this really adds an interesting element to the game. Other variations can include having certain tokens static for multiple seasons.
E) Trading
-Not really a house rule but, trading between players is allowed for anything within the game. (ie. In 3 turns, you'll give me whatever wheat you have and you aren't allowed to spend any in that time frame or you won't build a road or settlement in this section for the next 4 turns). And, of course, regular resource trades are allowed.
F) Winning points
-Again, not really a house rule but, we usually play to at least 12 points to let the game be a bit more interesting.
G) Attacking/Defending
-We are still working on a good set of rules for combat within settlers. We haven't really got it nailed but, I'll be sure to post when we do. It's always intrigued me as an idea of being able to destroy roads/settlements/cities, especially if a player is strongly out in front, the others can take them down a bit.
Anyway, those are the house rules that we play Settlers with. I hope you enjoy them and possibly incorporate them into your own game play.
Feel free to comment and let me know if you have your own house rules.
Cheers,
-Matt
