Catan Settlers: The 3 Best Tips and Tricks

In this article you will find tips and tricks for the board game "The Settlers of Catan". We explain the most important game elements and how you can improve your game. With simple tricks you get a decisive advantage in "The Settlers of Catan".

"The Settlers of Catan" Tip 1: Resources and Probabilities

To play "The Settlers of Catan" successfully, resources are extremely important:

• Since these determine the game, you have to study the field carefully before choosing the starting positions. Make sure which is the most and least available resource. You can take advantage of this by charging high prices for coveted resources as the game progresses. If there is little clay, for example, you can try to claim the clay fields with good probabilities.
• The probabilities are also decisive: with two dice, only a limited number of combinations can be rolled. This means that the two can only be hit by the combination 1 + 1, for example; just as the twelve is only hit with 6 + 6. The seven, on the other hand, can be rolled by three combinations (1 + 6, 2 + 5, 3 + 4). Therefore, try to orient yourself on the fields with the numbers four, five, six, eight, nine and ten. Of these fields, most of the resources will be in the game.

"The Settlers of Catan" Tip 2: The strategy

Now comes the crucial part, because you have to choose a strategy:

• You can either try to build the longest street and cover many fields, or focus on individual fields and build more cities. The former works better with clay and wood, the latter works better with stone and wheat. The decision is entirely up to you and largely depends on your chosen resources.
• However, always keep in mind which fields you would like to open up. This is especially true for ports. Pay attention to your opponents. If you feel that someone is getting too strong, you can still try to thwart your plans by cleverly placing them.

"The Settlers of Catan" Tip 3: Tricks in the course of the game

The gameplay in "The Settlers of Catan" can be decisively influenced with simple tricks:

• During the game you should have clear goals in mind. For example, it is very helpful to develop a port as early as possible.
• Always keep an eye on your opponents and think about how they can proceed. If you want to build a road, it is sometimes advisable to keep the resources on hand. Otherwise it often happens that someone else cuts your street and you waste resources.
• It is also important to keep the knight away from you. You can do this by making your own game weak and your opponent's appear strong through communication. For example, you can indicate that your teammate will soon have the longest street. It is also a popular option to repeatedly show how many victory points your opponent has already achieved. Also, often emphasize that you are not getting the resources you want. This will make your game less noticeable and no one will permanently expose you to the knight.

With these tips and tricks for "The Settlers of Catan" you should soon be able to beat your game partners. If you want to practice or your next evening with your friends is a while away, see the next article where you can play "The Settlers of Catan" online.