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the world of Catan

“Seafarers” Expansion

• Ships - May a road and a shipping route coming from different directions meet each other?

  Yes. However, this doesn’t create one continuous trade route in terms of being counted toward the Longest Trade Route: unless they are connected via a settlement, you still have two separate trade routes.

• Ships - May I build ships and roads on the coast that run parallel to each other?

  No.

• Ships - When is a ship “open”?

  A ship is “open” when it is located at the end of a shipping route. As soon as a shipping route connects two settlements (or cities or for Cities & Knights also knights), the shipping route is considered as closed. A ship in a closed shipping route cannot be moved. The same rule applies for roads.

  This rule also applies if an opponent builds a settlement on an intersection of your closed shipping route. In this case, your continuous trade route is considered as interrupted; however, the two settlements of the shipping route are still connected, meaning that the shipping route remains closed.

  Special Case: If a ship's line starts at a settlement or city and returns to this settlement or city without a building between the individual roads, one of the two ends of the ship's line bordering the settlement or city is considered open. Thus, any of the two ships that border the settlement or city may be moved.

  Special Case 2: If a ship's line describes a circle without connecting a settlement or city, then each of the ships in this circle is considered to be a open.

  

  In the upper picture, any ship other than ship A may be removed.

  • If e.g. Ship F is taken away, only ships G and E are considered open.
  • Instead, if between ships C and D a settlement would be built, then none of the ships would be considered open anymore, since now two settlements would be connected.

“Cities & Knights” Expansion

• Barbarians I: Course of the Battle - Do I deactivate all knights or only those that participated in the battle against the barbarians?

  • If you play according to the basic rule for Cities & Knights: All active knights participate in the battle; therefore, they all are deactivated.
  • If you play the variant for “meanies,” each player decides which of his knights participates in the battle, and they are the only ones that are deactivated after the battle.

• Barbarians I: Course of the Battle - How do you calculate the strength of the barbarians?

  The strength of the barbarians is calculated according to the following formula:
  b = s + m
  where: b = strength of barbarians, s = number of cities, m = number of metropolises

• Barbarians I: Course of the Battle - May I intentionally make a knight weaker for the duration of the battle – for example, by declaring that a mighty knight is fighting only with the strength of a basic knight?

  No. Not only does this contradict the rules, it is also beneath a knight’s dignity.

• Barbarians I: Course of the Battle - May I still activate knights the moment the barbarian ship reaches the coast?

  No, battle ensues immediately.

• Barbarians II: Players Win - After I defended Catan, may I take a Progress Card that matches the color of an area of development where I don't have a city improvement?

  Yes.

• Barbarians II: Players Win - Can I still earn points as the “Defender of Catan” after the respective cards have all been distributed?

  Yes. Simply use any other symbol of your choice to denote the victory point.

• Barbarians II: Players Win - Can the players win against the barbarians if there is not one single city on Catan?

  Yes.

• Barbarians II: Players Win - If I don't have a city, do I receive the Defender of Catan card or a Progress Card as a reward for victory?

  Yes.

• Barbarians II: Players Win - If I draw a “Victory Point” Progress Card after a victory over the barbarians, may I keep the card?

  Yes. The specification given in the game rules that “no one receives a card” only refers to the fact that no Defender of Catan card is awarded in case of a tie.

• Barbarians III: Players are Defeated - After losing my last city, do I have to return all city improvements, Progress Cards, and commodities?

  No. You merely can’t purchase any further city improvements before having built a city again.

• Barbarians III: Players are Defeated - Does a city wall protect a city from being lost to the barbarians?

  No.

• Barbarians III: Players are Defeated - If I lose a city during my turn, do I - on the same turn - still receive the resources or commodities corresponding to this city?

  No. You only receive the production for the settlement.