Preparation of the game is easy. Instead of assembling the island of Catan, you simply extend the Thuringia game map. You need the cards and game pieces of the CATAN base game.
This scenario is not a stand alone game. You also need the cards and game pieces from the base game.
The standard CATAN base game rules apply. There are only a few exceptions. Settlements may only be built on the round town fields. Since some town fields are separated by only one road, the distance rule of the Base Game does not apply. If you build a road adjacent to a town field, you may build the next road behind this town field only after having built a settlement on this field. And to enjoy a “harbor advantage,” all you have to do is build a road on a red road field.
The intersections marked with a victory point symbol are new. At the beginning of the game, here you place either a CATAN chit from the Seafarers expansion or any other marker, e. g., a coin. The first player to reach a victory point intersection with a chit or marker on it by road receives that chit/marker and thus obtains a victory point.
These few rule changes add a very particular charm to the scenario.
The game map reflects the geographical features of Thuringia. The positions of the cities roughly correspond to their actual geographical position, and the distribution of the terrain hexes also corresponds to Thuringia's geography. For each city, Anette Nora Kara created an image of its landmark, and a short text informs about the landmarks' significance. During play, in a very casual fashion you'll also learn interesting facts about Thuringia and some of its cities.
The Thuringia edition can be played by 3 or 4 players. If you use the “CATAN for Two” variant, the game can also be played by 2 players.
