Which catan expansion should i buy

In no particular order, this list lays out the reasons each expansion gives you to dust off your copy of Catan and enjoy it anew. This expansion comes jam-packed with variants and scenarios making it the perfect expansion for anyone who wants options. You can mix and match the different modules in a multitude of ways, so the game can feel a bit different every time you play and you can adapt it to your taste on a whim. The rules give specific instructions for how all the modules interact, and many of them can be used with other Catan expansions as well.

Catan Event Cards: These cards replace the dice. They are statistically correct, which makes resource production less random but comes at the cost of random events that both help and hinder. Additionally, the expansion includes five scenarios that provide new rules and things to focus on.

These scenarios can be used in conjunction with the variants or on their own, and they bring larger rule changes. Fisherman of Catan: Fish are collected like other resources in the game but can only be gained by building settlements on the edge of the board or around the new lake tile.

Fish allow you to remove the robber, gain resources, steal resources and even build roads and development cards. The Rivers of Catan: New river tiles are strewn about the island of Catan. Building along these rivers gives you coins. Coins can be cashed in for resources, but there are bonus points for the wealthiest player and negative points for the poorest, so spend wisely.

The Caravans: Attempt to have your roads and settlements become part of the caravans that slowly spread across Catan. Explorers and Pirates is the newest and most elaborate Catan expansion. It consists of four modules, that you can choose from or play as a whole. New elements in this expansion are port settlements and gold coins. The first module is Land Ho!

This module looks quite similar to the Seafarers expansion — which we will discuss later — , but is a lot more dynamic. The board consists of multiple islands, but some of the islands are not yet explored. That is, the hexes are placed face down. To discover the hexes, a player must move a ship towards such a hex, that tile is than revealed and remains that way. The individual ships can move on the water hexes, making it a much more dynamic game than, for example, Seafarers.

The second module is called Pirate Lairs. In this scenario gold fields are hidden in the unexplored islands. However, these gold fields are occupied by pirates. In order to defeat the pirates and scare them away, players send their crew towards an occupied hex. Once there are 3 crews on an occupied hex, the pirates are defeated. Fun twist here is that the crew does not have to be from one player. You can work together, or against each other , by strategically sending crew members to occupied hexes.

The third and fourth module are called respectively Fish for Catan and Spices for Catan. In these modules fish and spices are introduced. By discovering fish hexes a player receives fish that, if returned savely, earn that player victory points.

The spices that are brought home are also rewarded with victory points , and in addition can bring multiple advantages to the player. The ultimate way to play this Explorers and Pirates is to play all modules at once.

This ensures a very elaborate game with a lot of different strategies , new ways to interact with fellow players and much more opportunities to acquire victory points. The Explorers and Pirates expansion is by far the most elaborate expansion. We love the different ways that victory points can be obtained. Because of the movements of the ships, the game is much more dynamic than the base game, or the other expansions.

However, in our experience, the combination of new elements and dynamics, makes it quite hard to master. Especially for more casual players, this might not be the best expansion to start with. That said, more experienced players, looking for a challenge should definitely consider buying this expansion. Only because we like Cities and Knights so much, we place that expansion above this one.

But Explorers and Pirates is close to being the best Settlers of Catan expansion. Do you want to play Catan Explorers and Pirates with more than 4 players? Than you should buy the Explorers and Pirates expansion and the Explorers and Pirates for players expansion. Note that in order to play the Explorers and Pirates expansion for players, you also needs the players Base game expansion.

Seafarers is all about water. The grid is enlarged by a number of water hexes. And at the other side of the water new shores arise. You can travel across the water by ship, new tokens that behave like roads but can be build on water. The new islands make the game bigger than it was with much more to explore.

More experienced players can create their own scenario. But there is one scenario that stands out: the Wonders of Catan. The Wonders of Catan introduces a new way to win. Players win not only by obtaining 10 victory points, but also by completing a Wonder. This extra element is a really nice addition to the game. We do enjoy Seafarers. Traveling across the grid on ships is fun. It only makes it bigger. We still like to play Seafarers, but preferably in combination with another expansion. Do you want to play Catan Seafarers with more than 4 players?

Than you should buy the Seafarers expansion and the Seafarers for players expansion. Note that in order to play the Seafarers expansion for players, you also needs the players Base game expansion. Catan Starfarers is a space themed standalone Catan game. Sometimes, standalone expansions of a game are not much more than the old game with a new look.

But Starfarers is more than that. Seafarers has its own Player Extension that comes in a light blue box as well. Check out more about Catan Seafarers here! Well, maybe some expansions are compatible, but with extensive rules changes.

That information can be found here. Seasoned board game fans would really enjoy this version of Catan. Beyond Seafarers of Catan, Catan has two more expansions to that can be bolted on. Each adds its own unique flavor to the base Catan. They can be paired with the base game in any combination. However the base game is still required to play any expansion. Of course, Player Extensions are available for each of these expansions as well.

The second expansion for Catan adds a bit more complexity and substance than Seafarers. Soldiers and Knights also matter more, guarding roads from robbers and barbarians. Details scarce: sounds as if it may include elements of Cities and Knights. Most play quite differently from the base game, although they share a few familiar concepts. Where to start with the immensely popular board game. By Matt Thrower Updated: 5 Feb pm. More Board Game Goodness! Tabletop Sam Desatoff.

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