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I wanted to type an entry about The Settlers of Catan. I came here, opened up the Post page, and completely forgot what I was doing. The cursor was in the subject box, and my hands just absent-mindedly typed Beverly.
So, uh, anyway, I have some advice for new Catan players; this is basically just 'basic strategy' tips based on how I play, and probably I learned from some other players when I was first starting playing this game.
This is all based on the base game, not going to go into expansions.
The first thing I'm going to say is don't do things randomly. Do everything for a reason. Don't just build a road because you have a brick and a wood. Build a road because you need a road.
Okay, here we go:
The opening of the game everyone puts down two settlements and a road. Your main goal here is to get a variety of resources with the best numbers you can. The dots on the numbers show how common that number is to be rolled. The red numbers (6 and 8) are the most commonly rolled numbers (other than 7, of course).
So try to get as many 'dots' as you can, and try to get as many different resources as you can. Note that bricks and ore are both very valuable and there are only two hexes for them on the board (other resources have three hexes) so consider prioritizing those, especially if they're both on poor numbers; you want to get the best number.
Putting a settlement on the desert or edge is like getting an entire space of 0 dots. Even if you're starting on a port, it's generally NOT worth it. Once you're more accustomed to the game, you can try more risky strats like starting on ports, but in general the board will not be good for this and you will screw yourself over.
If you can't get easy access to all five resources right away, try to go for bricks and wood first, as you'll need them right away.
Pay attention to which turn you have. If you go first, realize that probably the rest of the good spots are going to be gone by the time you get to place your second settlement. You can try to be sneaky if you're second to last. In general, though, just try to get as many dots as you can on three different resources on your first settlement, then get what balances you out after that.
Early in the game your main goal is to expand and get even more dots and resources. You're wanting to get to the best remaining spots before other people take it or get too close. You're also wanting to fill in the 'gaps' of what you need. So like if you don't have a good number for grain, try to get a better grain number, stuff like that.
Don't make enemies. This is also a game of diplomacy. If you make other people mad, they might unfairly target you throughout the game, and that will greatly hinder your ability to win. Trade freely and regularly with other players early. If you roll 7 early, consider putting it on a space that no one is on to keep the early game moving along smoothly. Nothing will turn someone against you more than halting their early progress and making the entire game boring or frustrating for them.
Once you've expanded, it's time to start figuring out how you're going to win. Don't settle on a single option now, but just start thinking about it. There's basically four things you can focus on:
Expanding and longest road kind of go together, while largest army and stockpiling bastards go together. You also need to pay attention to what other people have available. If you have an opponent who has assloads of brick and wood coming in constantly, they're probably going to take Longest Road from you no matter what you do, so you shouldn't worry about trying to build the Longest Road unless you can keep up. Stuff like that.
Diplomacy is still important at this stage, but you have to be more careful. If someone is significantly ahead of everyone else (such as 2 points ahead, or 1 point ahead with a lot of potential) don't trade much with them, especially when it's their turn, as you're just going to push them farther ahead, even if the trade benefits you. If it's your turn and the trade is really good for you, you're a lot safer in making the trade, especially if they have more than 7 cards.
Late game is pretty simple. You're relying on what you already have to try to squeeze out the last few points to win. You should have a clear idea of what you're going for and focus completely on doing that and nothing else. For example, you might be building a city and getting one more knight. Something like that. Don't bother doing unrelated things like building roads or whatever when it's not going to help you. Put all your cards toward port trading.
Target the furthest player ahead with the robber. Don't worry about being 'fair' and targeting everyone equally. You'll just end up making the person who is ahead win even more easily, which is not fair to anyone. Try to figure out what their goal is and try to stop them. For example, if they are going for longest road and you can completely cut off their brick supply, do that, even if it's a worse number than, say, their sheep.
Basically you should not be trading with anyone unless they're way behind. Take advantage of people way behind who are desperate for trades. But for the most part, at this point, no one is going to be trading with each other and all trades will be bank trades. Definitely do NOT trade with anyone with the same or more points as you.
And yeah, that's about it.
So, uh, anyway, I have some advice for new Catan players; this is basically just 'basic strategy' tips based on how I play, and probably I learned from some other players when I was first starting playing this game.
This is all based on the base game, not going to go into expansions.
The first thing I'm going to say is don't do things randomly. Do everything for a reason. Don't just build a road because you have a brick and a wood. Build a road because you need a road.
Okay, here we go:
Opening
The opening of the game everyone puts down two settlements and a road. Your main goal here is to get a variety of resources with the best numbers you can. The dots on the numbers show how common that number is to be rolled. The red numbers (6 and 8) are the most commonly rolled numbers (other than 7, of course).
So try to get as many 'dots' as you can, and try to get as many different resources as you can. Note that bricks and ore are both very valuable and there are only two hexes for them on the board (other resources have three hexes) so consider prioritizing those, especially if they're both on poor numbers; you want to get the best number.
Putting a settlement on the desert or edge is like getting an entire space of 0 dots. Even if you're starting on a port, it's generally NOT worth it. Once you're more accustomed to the game, you can try more risky strats like starting on ports, but in general the board will not be good for this and you will screw yourself over.
If you can't get easy access to all five resources right away, try to go for bricks and wood first, as you'll need them right away.
Pay attention to which turn you have. If you go first, realize that probably the rest of the good spots are going to be gone by the time you get to place your second settlement. You can try to be sneaky if you're second to last. In general, though, just try to get as many dots as you can on three different resources on your first settlement, then get what balances you out after that.
Early Game (2-4 VP)
Early in the game your main goal is to expand and get even more dots and resources. You're wanting to get to the best remaining spots before other people take it or get too close. You're also wanting to fill in the 'gaps' of what you need. So like if you don't have a good number for grain, try to get a better grain number, stuff like that.
Don't make enemies. This is also a game of diplomacy. If you make other people mad, they might unfairly target you throughout the game, and that will greatly hinder your ability to win. Trade freely and regularly with other players early. If you roll 7 early, consider putting it on a space that no one is on to keep the early game moving along smoothly. Nothing will turn someone against you more than halting their early progress and making the entire game boring or frustrating for them.
Mid Game (5-6 VP)
Once you've expanded, it's time to start figuring out how you're going to win. Don't settle on a single option now, but just start thinking about it. There's basically four things you can focus on:
- Expanding a LOT
- Longest Road
- Largest Army
- Bastard Cards (Development Cards)
Expanding and longest road kind of go together, while largest army and stockpiling bastards go together. You also need to pay attention to what other people have available. If you have an opponent who has assloads of brick and wood coming in constantly, they're probably going to take Longest Road from you no matter what you do, so you shouldn't worry about trying to build the Longest Road unless you can keep up. Stuff like that.
Diplomacy is still important at this stage, but you have to be more careful. If someone is significantly ahead of everyone else (such as 2 points ahead, or 1 point ahead with a lot of potential) don't trade much with them, especially when it's their turn, as you're just going to push them farther ahead, even if the trade benefits you. If it's your turn and the trade is really good for you, you're a lot safer in making the trade, especially if they have more than 7 cards.
Late Game (7+ VP)
Late game is pretty simple. You're relying on what you already have to try to squeeze out the last few points to win. You should have a clear idea of what you're going for and focus completely on doing that and nothing else. For example, you might be building a city and getting one more knight. Something like that. Don't bother doing unrelated things like building roads or whatever when it's not going to help you. Put all your cards toward port trading.
Target the furthest player ahead with the robber. Don't worry about being 'fair' and targeting everyone equally. You'll just end up making the person who is ahead win even more easily, which is not fair to anyone. Try to figure out what their goal is and try to stop them. For example, if they are going for longest road and you can completely cut off their brick supply, do that, even if it's a worse number than, say, their sheep.
Basically you should not be trading with anyone unless they're way behind. Take advantage of people way behind who are desperate for trades. But for the most part, at this point, no one is going to be trading with each other and all trades will be bank trades. Definitely do NOT trade with anyone with the same or more points as you.
And yeah, that's about it.
