Catan Card Game and Rivals for Catan

Guide to Miscellany
Revision 7

Compiled by Kelvin Chung

All copyrights and trademarks are properties of their respective holders.

Any inaccuracies in this guide or inconsistent use of style should be emailed to kelvSYC@mac.com.
Kelvin’s Foreword
The Catan Card Game, or The Settlers of Catan: The Card Game as originally titled, is a two-player version of Settlers of Catan released
long before “Catan for Two” became an official two-player variant of the famous board game. The two have sizeable differences, and even
the official “The Card Game for Board Game Players” at PlayCatan is a bit long-winded. But there’s a reason for that: while the board
game has had three major expansions and a few smaller ones, with no significant set of rule changes between editions, the card game,
by contrast, has seven expansions and one major series of rule changes. It is these changes and the progressively more complicated
rules that followed that eventually drove the Catan Card Game back to the drawing board, as explained in a series of blog posts at the
official Catanism blog (http://blog.catan.com); since 2003, a team of eight people (including series creator Klaus Teuber, longtime
community moderators Peter Gustav Bartschat and Dr. Reiner Düren, and a number of top players) have been in charge of the game’s
design and balance. These same people helped create the new game that spawned from the ashes in 2010: The Rivals for Catan.

And so, here is a guide to the miscellany that you might not know about either game.
Conventions Used in This Guide
The following conventions are used in the following guide:

The resources are depicted as follows:

Brick
Grain
Lumber
Ore
Wool
Gold
Magic
Cloth
Coin
Paper
Star
Revisions of the Catan Card Game
There has been one major revision of the Catan Card Game since its release, and the last two expansions, Barbarians & Traders and
Artisans & Benefactors (named Artists and Benefactors on PlayCatan), were released after the revision. The former was developed with
the revision, and the separate Barbarians & Traders Upgrade Kit allowed owners of the older edition (those with the game title “The
Settlers of Catan: The Card Game”) to update to the new edition rules. Here’s a complete list of differences in existing cards between the
two editions:

Set 1st Edition 2nd Edition

Artisan Workshop T&C City Expansion Region Improvement
Better World W&D Does not state that Year End cannot be Made explicit.
removed.
Border Dispute K&M Does not state that only regions without Made explicit.
Region Improvements may be exchanged.
Bribery P&I Does not state that the cost is not paid to Made explicit.
the opponent.
Building Crane S&P Affects all City Expansions. Affects all City Expansions costing more than
4 resources.
Caravan Base States “after resource production”. States “Exchange resources with the
K&M caravan”.
Cathedral S&P Affects Knights and Fleets. Affects Knights, Trade Fleets, and Cannons.
Chancellor P&I Does not require Town Hall. Requires Town Hall.
Church Base Affects Knights and Fleets. Affects Knights, Trade Fleets, and Cannons.
Civil War Base Affects Knights and Fleets. Affects Knights, Trade Fleets, and Cannons.
S&P
Conflict Base Does not state that the expansion stack is of Made explicit.
S&P the player’s choosing.
Council Meeting P&I Discards two cards. Discards one card.
Distillery T&C City Expansion Region Improvement
Dye Works T&C City Expansion Region Improvement
Fire Brigade S&P The Arsonist Action card may be played The Arsonist Action card may not be played
against a protected building for no effect. against a protected building.
Guardian of Fate W&D Cost: Cost:
Holy Place P&I May replace any card in hand with a new May only replace a card just drawn with a
card. new card.
Horse Farm T&C Affects only Knights. Affects both Knights and Cannons.
Inspiration W&D Cost: Cost:
Knowledge of the Ancients W&D Cost: Cost:
Land Reform S&P Does not state that only regions without Made explicit.
Region Improvements may be replaced.
Land: Change Thyself! W&D Does not state that only regions without Made explicit.
Region Improvements may be replaced.
Large Tournament Field T&C Cost: Cost: , 1VP
Requires Tournament Point lead.
Magic Kitchen W&D Cost: Cost:
Mayor W&D Does not state that metropolises are Made explicit.
affected.
Palace K&M Card text specifies “Productive Year” event. Card text specifies “Year of Plenty” event to
disambiguate from the event card.
Shipyard T&C City Expansion Regional Expansion
Spy Base Affects all cards. Affects Units and Action Cards.
Stone of Wisdom W&D Affects any Action Cards or Magic Books Affects Attack Action Cards, Magic Action
targeting resources, units, or buildings. Cards, and Magic Books.
Templar Fortress P&I Affects Knights costing at least 3 resources. Affects Knights costing more than 3
resources.
Trading Post T&C Regional Expansion Road Improvement
University S&P Raises hand limit by 1 card. Does not raise hand limit.

Other rule changes include the following:

• All Action and Magic Action cards are classified as “Attack”, “Neutral”, and “Defense”. Attack and Neutral cards may not be
played until the combined VP total of both players is at least 7. Previously, Action Cards could only be played if both players had
at least 3 VP.
• Regional Improvement and Road Improvement cards were introduced. Previously, they were Regional Expansions and City
Expansions, respectively, that could only be placed next to regions or on roads. A side effect is that the Artisan Workshop,
Distillery, and Dye Works can now be placed adjacent to regions bordering only settlements.

The rule change was a response to criticisms of the first edition (and the computer version of it in particular) that left the game with two
main strategies: the Education Strategy, using University cards to raise the hand limit, and the Magic Strategy, using Wizards to control
the Event Card deck. Both relied on heavy use of Action Cards to quickly go through the decks. The strategies were so prevalent that the
phrase “no-no duel” was used to denote games where University and Wizards were both banned.

Another factor was the infamous “Kanzlerdeck” (Chancellor deck), whose strategy relied on staying at 2 VP for as long as possible, in the
hopes that you could get the remaining points to win on a single turn; two Kanzlerdecks often drew against each other, and Kanzlerdecks
have known to come back from a deficit as large as 8-2. Various temporary measures had been introduced to reduce its influence over
the years: in a 2002 tournament, Action Cards could be played as long as both players had a combined 22 resources regardless of
score. Other traditional (in terms of collectible card gaming) measures such as a four-card side deck proved unpopular.
Differences in International Versions of the Catan Card Game
Since the 4th edition of Settlers of Catan, the same rules are used everywhere in the world: the last major difference (the effect of the
Saboteur card from Catan: Cities & Knights) having been eliminated with the release. However, the differences in the Catan Card Game
was only unified in 2009, with the translation of the German FAQ to English; this was important as there were major differences between
the printed cards and how the game was played on PlayCatan; since then the PlayCatan version (consistent with the original German
rules) have been adopted throughout. Prior to its adoption, here is a list of differences:

Name Set Type German English

Assembly Hall S&P City Expansion Any number of cards may be Only one card may be searched for
Building searched for free. free.
Change Places W&D Magic Book May be used at any time. May only be used at the start of the
Neutral turn.
Christopher the Great B&T Action May be used on both adjacent May only be used on one adjacent
Explorer Neutral regions with Great Trade Fleet. region with Great Trade Fleet.
Cloth Merchant’s B&T Region Improvement May trade two of one resource for May trade any two resources for
Residence Building any two resources. any two resources.
Common Land A&B Regional Expansion Cost: Cost:
Building
Countermagic W&D Magic Book Player playing cancelled spell Player playing Countermagic
Attack chooses where to place card. chooses where to place card.
Eryn the Druid B&T Action Cannot be played even with Abbey Can be played if Abbey is covered by
Neutral covered by Witch or Pawnbroker. Witch or Pawnbroker.
Flavo the Fool B&T Regional Expansion Opponent must accept Flavo after Opponent may discard Flavo instead
Unit tournament. of accepting.
Fortunate Trading B&T Event With Great Trade Fleet, may rotate With Great Trade Fleet, must rotate
Voyage any region of type adjacent to fleet adjacent region to 3 of resource.
to 3 of resource.
Great Wall S&P Regional Expansion Spy always fails against Great Wall Must roll for the two buildings
Building and Watch Tower. separately.
Magical Eye W&D Magic Book May discard to any expansion deck. May only discard to the deck drawn.
Neutral
Old Wisdom B&T Action May retrieve Wizards. May not retrieve Wizards.
Neutral
Raid K&M Event May choose foreign cards. May not choose foreign cards.
Richard the Vengeful T&C Regional Expansion May not be used as Black Knight if May be used as Black Knight even if
Knight Black Knight cannot normally be Black Knight cannot normally be
played. Discarded after use. played. Returned to an expansion
deck after use.
Sigmund the Sea Hero B&T Action Protects all fleets. Protects only Trade Fleets.
Defense
St. Agatha’ Chapel A&B Regional Expansion Cost: Cost:
Building May be played if tied or trailing. May only be played if trailing.
Sven the Merchant- B&T Regional Expansion May not be used as Merchant if May be used as Merchant even if
Knight Knight Merchant cannot normally be Merchant cannot normally be
played. Discarded after use. played. Returned to an expansion
deck after use.
Trade Monopoly T&C Action Received resources may be stored Received resources may only be
Attack anywhere. stored on Region Cards.
Village School A&B Regional Expansion Cost: Cost:
Building
Watch Tower K&M Regional Expansion Spy always fails against Great Wall Must roll for the two buildings
Building and Watch Tower. separately.
Winery B&T Regional Expansion 1 Commerce Point 0 Commerce Points.
Building
Wizard’s Duel B&T Magic Action Loser chooses where to place Winner chooses where to place
Attack defeated Wizard. defeated Wizard.

Note in particular that Artisans & Benefactors differences where largely due to a misprint in the English edition that switched the costs
around. Similarly, though Large Tournament Field (Knights & Merchants) is the same in both languages, the German card uses “+2”
while the English card uses “+1” due to a misprint.
Differences Between the Catan Card Game and The Rivals for
Catan
Being that The Rivals for Catan is a revision of the Catan Card Game, with its changes summarized on the official Catanism blog, here is a
list of differences between the old and the new:

Catan Card Game The Rivals for Catan

Base Game 12 VP 7 VP
Victory Checking Anytime Only at the end of turn.
Extra Region Cards 11 12
Card Reshuffling Event Deck Year End Yule
Event Deck Reshuffle No restrictions. Yule must be fourth card from bottom.
Expansion (Draw) Stacks 5 (Basic) 3 (Introductory)
4 +2 per Expansion Deck (Extended Basic) 3 +2 per Theme Deck (Theme Game)
4 (Tournament) 3 +1 per Theme Deck (Duel of the Princes)
Basic (Green) Expansion Card Regional Expansion Settlement Expansion
Basic Unit Knight Hero
Action Cards Attack/Neutral requires combined total of Attack requires conditions stated on the
7 VP. card.
Strength Advantage No SP requirement. Requires at least 3 SP.
Secondary Unit Attribute Tournament Skill
Secondary Attribute Event Tournament Celebration
Ties in Secondary Attribute Event Neither player gains resources. Both players gain resources.
Commerce Point Advantage Requires one city. Requires 3 CP.
Free Resource Event Year of Plenty Plentiful Harvest
Custom Event Deck 13 cards, 5 fixed (Tournament) 12 cards, 6 fixed (Duel of the Princes)
Starting Resources 1 of each resource 1 of each resource, except 0 Gold
Starting Hand Chosen from stack (Basic) Random from stack (Introductory)
Any 3 cards in deck (Tournament) Chosen from Base stack (Theme/Duel)
Starting Regions Arranged before obtaining starting hand. Fixed (Introductory)
Arranged after obtaining starting hand
(Theme/Duel)
Dice Resolution Order Event die first. Production die first, except if Brigand
Attack is on Event die.
Resource Lost on Brigand Attack Ore and Wool Gold and Wool
Road Cost
Player-to-Player Trade Allowed Banned
Replenishing Hand May pay 2 resources to search per card Must randomly draw/discard to hand limit.
drawn. May only exchange if no cards were May always exchange after draw.
drawn.

As for the cards themselves, only a small number of cards are common to both games:

Rivals Name Rivals Type Rivals CCG Name CCG Type CCG Changes
Theme Set
Abbey Sett. Improve. Base Abbey Region Improve. Base 1×
Building Building Cost:
Archer Action Turmoil Black Knight Action Base Requires: Hedge Tavern
Attack Attack No roll is needed. Can only
remove units with at least 1
SP. Removed card is placed
under a deck.
Arsonist Action Turmoil Arsonist Action Base Requires: Hedge Tavern
Attack Attack No roll is needed. Removed
card is placed under a deck.
Austin Sett. Improve. Base Hagen the Region Improve. Base
Hero Sinister Knight
Bath House City Improvement Progress Bath House City Improvement Base
Building Building
Building Crane City Improvement Progress Building Crane City Improvement Base
Building Building
Benjamin the Action Progress Benjamin the Action SP04
Traveling Scholar Neutral Loyal Vassal Neutral
Brick Factory Sett. Improve. Base Brick Factory Region Improve. Base
Building Building
Brick Ship Sett. Improve. Base Brick Fleet Region Improve. Base
Trade Ship Trade Fleet
Brigands Action Gold Brigands Action Base Requires: Strength Advantage
Attack Turmoil Attack No roll required. Takes
enough resources to fill one
Region.
Brigitta the Wise Action Base Alchemist Action Base
Woman Neutral Progress Neutral
Rivals Name Rivals Type Rivals CCG Name CCG Type CCG Changes
Theme Set
Chapel City Improvement Turmoil Church City Improvement Base Cost:
Building Building One copy protects on 1-3, the
other on 4-6
Chief Cannoneer Sett. Improve. Progress Cannon Region Improve. S&P 4 SP
Unit Unit
Doctor Action Progress Doctor Action P&I Requires: Bath House
Neutral Defense Receive one resource for
each region adjacent to one
Bath House.
Drill Ground Sett. Improve. Turmoil Castle Region Improve. K&M 1 SP
Building Building
Fairgrounds City Improvement Turmoil Large City Improvement T&C Cost:
Building Tournament Field Building One-time resource gain at
construction time.
Feud Event Base Raid Event S&P Affects buildings.
Turmoil
Fire Brigade City Improvement Turmoil Fire Brigade City Improvement S&P
Building Building
Fraternal Feuds Event Base Conflict Event Base Must discard into matching
Turmoil S&P decks.
Gold Ship Sett. Improve. Base Gold Fleet Region Improve. Base
Trade Ship Trade Fleet
Grain Mill Sett. Improve. Base Grain Mill Region Improve. Base Cost:
Building Building
Grain Ship Sett. Improve. Base Grain Fleet Region Improve. Base
Trade Ship Trade Fleet
Guido the Action Progress Guido the Great Action A&B Requires: Town Hall or trailing
Ambassador Attack Diplomat Attack SP03 in VP.
Any card may be taken.
Harald Sett. Improve. Base Conrad the Swift Region Improve. Base
Hero Knight
Harbor City Improvement Gold Harbor City Improvement Base 1 VP if at least 3 Trade Ships.
Building Building
Heinrich the Sett. Improve. Turmoil Great Wall Region Improve. S&P 2 SP
Sentinel Hero Building Roll is now 1-5. Combines
with Lookout Tower.
Inga Sett. Improve. Base Pepin the Short Region Improve. Base
Hero Knight
Irmgard, Keeper Sett. Improve. Turmoil Irmgard, Keeper Region Improve. SP05 2 SkP
of the Light Hero of the Light Unit Receive one resource for
each card lost.
Invention Event Base Progress Event Base Receives from any building
Progress S&P granting PP, up to 2
resources.
Iron Factory Sett. Improve. Base Foundry Region Improve. Base
Building Building
Large Festival City Improvement Turmoil The Colossus of City Improvement Base Cost:
Hall Building Catan Building
Large Trade Ship Sett. Improve. Base Great Trade Fleet Region Improve. K&M Cost:
Trade Ship Gold Trade Fleet
Library City Improvement Progress Library City Improvement Base Cost:
Building Building Draw a card when built.
Lookout Tower Sett. Improve. Turmoil Watch Tower Region Improve. K&M
Building Building
Lumber Camp Sett. Improve. Base Sawmill Region Improve. Base Cost:
Building Building
Lumber Ship Sett. Improve. Base Lumber Fleet Region Improve. Base
Trade Ship Trade Fleet
Merchant Action Gold Merchant Action Base Requires: 3 CP or city.
Attack Attack
Merchant Action Base Caravan Action Base
Caravan Neutral Neutral
Mineral Mining Action Progress Inventor Action S&P Receives only , but may
Neutral Neutral be stored in different regions.
Mint City Improvement Gold Mint City Improvement Base Cost:
Building Building May only make trade once
per turn per building.
Moneylender City Improvement Gold Bank Vault City Improvement K&M
Building Building
Ore Ship Sett. Improve. Base Ore Fleet Region Improve. Base
Trade Ship Trade Fleet
Osmund Sett. Improve. Base Bodo the Region Improve. K&M
Hero Peaceful Knight
Pirate Ship Sett. Improve. Gold Pirate Fleet Region Improve. K&M Opponent chooses ship to
Unit Fleet S&P lose.
Rivals Name Rivals Type Rivals CCG Name CCG Type CCG Changes
Theme Set
Plague Event Progress Plague Event Base
Relocation Action Base Land Reform Action S&P May also be used to swap two
Neutral Progress Neutral expansions.
Riots Event Turmoil Civil War Event Base May avoid effect by paying
S&P if player has 1-2 units with
SP/CP, or if player has
more than 2.
Salt Silo City Improvement Gold Harbor City Improvement Base
Building Building
Scout Action Base Scout Action Base
Neutral Defense
Storehouse Sett. Improve. Base Garrison Sett. Improve. Base 0 CP
Building Gold Building Cost:
Three-Field Action Progress Three-Field Action S&P Receives only , but may
System Neutral System Neutral be stored in different regions.
Toll Bridge Sett. Improve. Base Toll Station Action K&M
Building Gold Neutral
Town Hall City Improvement Progress Town Hall Region Improve. Base Requires: Parish Hall.
Building Building Upgrade of Parish Hall.
Searching is now free.
Trading Base City Improvement Gold Large Harbor City Improvement K&M
Building Building
Traitor Action Turmoil Spy Action Base Requires: Hedge Tavern
Attack Attack Taking and playing card is
now optional. May take any
card outside Tournament
rules.
University City Improvement Progress University City Improvement S&P 1 PP
Building Building (Same as pre-revision CCG)
Weaver’s Shop Sett. Improve. Base Woolen Mill Region Improve. Base Cost:
Building Building
Wool Ship Sett. Improve. Base Wool Fleet Region Improve. Base
Trade Ship Trade Fleet
Year of Plenty Event Base Productive Year Event Base Also affected by Abbey.
K&M
Yule Event Base Year End Event Base
The Tournament Cards 2002
(Die Turnierkarten 2002)

Die Turnierkarten 2002 (T2002) was a promotional set distributed during a 2002 Catan Card Game tournament. It consists of cards
found in the 2001 Catan Card Game computer game, but had not been released as physical cards. It was also published in the
Netherlands as Goud und Piraten (“Gold and Pirates”). Due to the subsequent revisions, none of the cards in this set is considered to be
tournament-legal; however, most saw a second release as part of Barbarians & Traders.

Card Manifest
Name Qty Type Cost Effect
Anton the Banker 2 Action You may trade in for any two resources of your choice.
Neutral Requires: Counting House
Christopher the Great 1 Action Turn one of your gold fields to .
Explorer Neutral Requires: Discovery Fleet
Colony Outpost 1 Region Improvement Play this card above or below a gold field. When the number on
Building that region is rolled, this card also receives .
Requires: Discovery Fleet
Discovery Fleet 1 City Improvement Pay and roll the die. If you roll a 4, 5, or 6, you gain . If
Fleet you roll a 1, this card is returned to your hand. This card is
immune to the Pirate Fleet.
Pirate Campaign 1 Event The player with the most Tournament Points gains two
resources of their choice.
Pirates! 2 Action Turn all opponent’s gold fields and Colony Outposts to 0.
Attack
Superstition 1 Event Both players must lose one resource of their choice for each
Abbey, Library, and University.
Treasure Fleet 1 Regional Expansion When the Year of Plenty is rolled on the Event Die, you get 2
Fleet resources of your choice instead of 1.
Requires: Discovery Fleet

Other notes from this set:

• The art for Anton the Banker would be reused for Anton the Treasurer (Barbarians & Traders), and the art for Pirates! was
reused for Sigmund the Sea Hero (Barbarians & Traders).
• Note the slightly different effects of Colony Outpost, Superstition, and Treasure Fleet compared to their counterparts in
Barbarians & Traders, as well as the significant different effect of Christopher the Great Explorer; the latter is as the name had
been changed in the original German from “Christoph, der große Entdecker” to “Handelsherr Christoph”.
• Interestingly, there was a bug in the 2001 Catan Card Game computer game, where Treasure Fleet awarded 3 resources
instead of 2. This “bug” would stand for its re-release in Barbarians & Traders.
Annual Promo Cards for the Catan Card Game
Up until the release of The Rivals for Catan in 2010, each year in Essen a new promotional card is released for the Catan Card Game;
since then promotional cards are released for The Rivals of Catan, due to its status as the spiritual successor. The first two promo
cards were later re-released as part of Barbarians & Traders and Artisans & Benefactors respectively, but later cards have not been re-
released in English. Despite this, note that the portions of the Catan Card Game FAQ still has sections on these cards.

Name Year Type Cost Effect

Johanna the Warrior- 2002 Regional Expansion 3 Strength / 0 Tournament
Maiden Knight All opposing Cannons and Dragons have their SP reduced to 2.
Immune to Lady Imelda and Bribery.
Guido the Great 2003 Action At the start of your turn, if your opponent has more VP, retrieve
Diplomat Attack the topmost Attack Action card in the discard pile (opponent’s
pile in the Tournament Game). May not be targeted by the Spy.
Benjamin the Loyal 2004 Action Receive one resource in every region matching the number
Vassal Neutral shown on the Production Die.
Irmgard the Keeper of 2005 Regional Expansion Receive one resource after every successful Brigands or
the Light Unit Merchant.
Emi’Ly the Preserver of 2006 Regional Expansion Reroll the Production Die. If an odd number is rolled, you must
Harmony Unit either pay or return this card to your hand.
Arnd the Resourceful 2007 Regional Expansion If a Knight is placed on this card, the Knight is protected against
Squire Unit Lady Imelda, Civil War, and Bribery. If the Knight is removed, so
is this card.
Gustav and Reiner, the 2008 Action If trailing by at least three VP, take another turn.
Helpers of the Perplexed Neutral
Franz Vohm Winkel 2009 City Improvement 2 VP
Building Place on a Church. If the Church is removed, so is this card.

Note that every single card refers to a person involved in the development of the Catan Card Game, from the very obvious (Guido and
Benjamin are the two sons of Klaus Teuber) to the less obvious (Peter Gustav Bartschat and Dr. Reiner Düren, authors of the
Encyclopedia Catanica, who are both members of the Catan Card Game development team since its revision).
Note that there is also a different version of Johanna the Warrior-Maiden, suitable for the base game, available through the Prof. Easy
Catan Card Game tutorial; this version reduces the strength of all opposing Knights by one SP. Between different versions of Johanna
the Warrior Maiden and Guido the Great Diplomat, the art was changed for its later release. Because of the discrepancies, only the
versions of these two cards in Barbarians & Traders and Artisans & Benefactors are considered to be tournament-legal. As St.
Agatha’s Chapel (Artisans & Benefactors) duplicates the functionality of Irmgard the Keeper of the Light (but as a different type of card),
it is not considered tournament-legal unless specifically agreed-upon in advance.
Annual Promo Cards for The Rivals for Catan
With the release of The Rivals for Catan, the annual promo card tradition in Essen moved onto the spiritual successor.

Name Year Type Cost Effect

Axel the Renewer 2010 Action Remove a building and replace it with another building
Neutral (note any existing requirements), paying any difference
in resource costs with Gold.
The Small Tournament Rules
(Das kleine Kartenspiel-Turnier)

by Oliver Abendroth

Die Siedler von Catan: Das Buch zum Spielen is best known for having scenarios created by fans of the game. However, it also spends a
significant amount of time on the Catan Card Game as well. One of the major criticisms of the Catan Card Game is the two rulesets: the
Basic and Extended Basic Game (which was evolved into the Basic and Theme Deck games of The Rivals for Catan), which only requires
one copy of the game but is only usable with one expansion at a time, and the Tournament Game (omitted from The Rivals for Catan but
slated to be reintroduced with an expansion therein), in which players need their own copies of the game but works with every expansion
simultaneously. This set of rules tries to make a common ground, by having a game that works with two expansions while needing one
copy of the game.

This ruleset is not as necessary for The Rivals of Catan due to The Duel of the Princes rules in the game.

Preparation Notes
• Separate the cards in the base game and the two chosen expansions into three piles: two player piles and one neutral pile. If a
card has more than one copy, place them evenly between the two player piles, with any odd copy put in the neutral pile.
• Then divide the neutral pile into 4 expansion decks.

Setup Notes
• Each player selects 16 cards from their player pile, and arranges them into two expansion decks. These expansion stacks are
exclusive to their respective owners.
• The initial hand must be taken from the neutral expansion decks.

Additional Rules
• If a player exchanges a card with one from their personal expansion decks at the end of their turn, they must discard the card
into a neutral expansion deck instead of their personal decks.
Advanced Tournament Rules
(Turnierspiel für Fortgeschrittene)

Prior to the release of any of the expansions, Das Turnier-Set was a German-exclusive expansion that introduced the Tournament Rules.
Das Turnier-Set was specifically made for one player (the Tournament Rules have always required that players have their own copy of the
base game and the Das Turnier-Set cards), but it also introduced the “Tournament Rules for Beginners”, which later evolved into the
Extended Basic Game.

Every card in Das Turnier-Set would later be re-included in subsequent expansions (either Knights & Merchants or Science & Progress),
but not every rule made it. The Advanced Tournament Rules were introduced in Das Turnier-Set and subsequently forgotten — even the
2001 Catan Card Game computer game didn’t include this set of rules.

The unique feature of the Advanced Tournament Rules required that players choose one of six “characters”. Each character specifies
10 cards which must be included in their 33-card deck, and 2 cards that begin played on the board; this leaves the player free to choose
21 cards. Characters do not impose any requirements on the Event Card deck. All other rules are identical to the standard Tournament
Rules.

In the following tables for each character, cards listed in bold are required to be placed in the principality at the start of the game.

The Warrior
This character also requires that the deck contain four Knights. One Castle must be played in the principality, while the second must be
in the deck.
Name Qty Set Type
Black Knight 1 Base Action Attack
Border Conflict 1 K&M Action Attack
Castle 2 K&M Regional Expansion Building
Church 1 Base City Improvement Building
Garrison 1 Base Regional Expansion Building
Lady Imelda 1 K&M Action Attack
Smithy 1 Base Regional Expansion Building

The Barbarian
This character also requires that the deck contain two Knights.
Name Qty Set Type
Arsonist 2 Base Action Attack
Brigands 2 Base / K&M Action Attack
Garrison 1 Base Regional Expansion Building
Pirate Fleet 1 K&M / S&P Regional Expansion Fleet
Spy 3 Base Action Attack
Watch Tower 1 K&M Regional Expansion Building

The Trader
This character also requires that the deck contain two Trade Fleets.
Name Qty Set Type
Bank Vault 1 K&M City Improvement Building
Bishop 1 Base / S&P Action Defense
Garrison 2 Base Regional Expansion Building
Great Trade Fleet 1 K&M Regional Expansion Trade Fleet
Harbor 1 Base / B&T City Improvement Building
Large Harbor 1 K&M City Improvement Building
Spice Caravan 1 K&M Action Attack
Wool Fleet 1 Base Regional Expansion Trade Fleet
Woolen Mill 1 Base Regional Expansion Building

The Philosopher
Name Qty Set Type
Abbey 1 Base Regional Expansion Building
Aqueduct 1 Base City Improvement Building
Cannon 1 S&P Regional Expansion Unit
Caravan 1 Base / K&M Action Neutral
Foundry 1 Base Regional Expansion Building
Invention 1 S&P Action Neutral
Land Reform 2 S&P Action Neutral
Library 1 Base City Improvement Building
Printing Press 1 S&P Action Neutral
Sawmill 1 Base Regional Expansion Building
University 1 S&P City Improvement Building

The Rich
This character requires that one Toll Station be played in the principality, while a second Toll Station be placed in the deck.
Name Qty Set Type
Bath House 1 Base City Improvement Building
Bishop 1 Base / S&P Action Defense
Caravan 1 Base / K&M Action Neutral
Gold Fleet 1 Base Regional Expansion Trade Fleet
Land Reform 1 S&P Action Neutral
Mint 1 Base City Improvement Building
Palace 1 K&M City Improvement Building
Pirate Fleet 2 K&M / S&P Regional Expansion Fleet
Toll Station 2 K&M Regional Expansion Building
Town Hall 1 Base City Improvement Building

The Wise
Name Qty Set Type
Abbey 1 Base Regional Expansion Building
Aqueduct 1 Base City Improvement Building
Assembly Hall 1 S&P City Improvement Building
Bath House 1 Base City Improvement Building
Bishop 1 Base / S&P Action Defense
Colossus of Catan 1 Base City Improvement Building
Embassy 1 S&P City Improvement Building
Great Wall 1 S&P Regional Expansion Building
Spy 1 Base Action Attack
Tournament Field 1 K&M Regional Expansion Building
Town Hall 1 Base City Improvement Building
Walter the Minstrel 1 Base Regional Expansion Knight
Tournament with Deck Swap
(Turnier mit Deckwechsel)

by Thio Knoblich

In any Catan Card Game tournament, Tournament Rules are used throughout. The following tournament format was devised for the
annual Catan-Wochenende (“Catan Weekend”) event, sponsored by Catan GmbH and Kosmos, in 2004, by Catan Card Game
development team member Thio Knoblich (the other members of this team are Klaus Teuber himself, Dr. Kataharina Fenner, Mario
Ludwig, Jochen Schellenberger, Peter Steinert, 2002 Catan Card Game tournament winner Andreas Beuchel, Peter Gustav Bartschat,
and Dr. Reiner Düren, the last two of which continue their roles in developing The Rivals for Catan). (More information about this event is
available in the Catanism blog.)

As with most board game tournaments, a Catan Card Game tournament runs under the Swiss system. In the Swiss system, the first set
of matchups are determined randomly, but every matchup thereafter only pits players with similar records, also ensuring that no player
plays another more than once. An inherent advantage in the Swiss system is that all players play to the end, but a disadvantage is that
someone could clinch the tournament before all matchups are held. In most Swiss system tournaments, then, this style of play is thus
used as a qualifier for a playoff knockout tournament.

In the event of a tie in a Swiss system tournament, various tiebreaking methods are used; the Bucholz system is exclusively used for
Catan Card Game tournaments. This system breaks ties based generally on the strength of opposition: the player facing the opponents
with the most wins claims the tiebreaker. In the event of a tie in strength of opposition, victory point difference and victory points for are
used as tiebreakers.

In the Tournament with Deck Swap, each match between two players consists of two games. Prior to the match, each player would have
entered their 33-card deck. (There is no sidedecking permitted in a Catan Card Game tournaments, so players must commit to their
deck for the length of the tournament.) In the first game of this match, players must play with their opponents’ decks, and commit to
their starting hand cards and their half of the Event Card deck based on what they see in their opponent’s decks and what they know
about their own. The second game of this match has players using their own decks, but with the starting player switched around. The
player with the greater aggregate victory point total wins the matchup.
Tournament with Deck Exchange
(Turnier mit Dechtausch)

by Thio Knoblich

In 2005, a different tournament format was used for Catan-Wochenede, which put more emphasis on who had the best deck, though
determining who was the best player was still primary. The Swiss system continues to be used, with statistics kept for both decks and
players.

Instead of a two-legged affair in the Tournament with Deck Swap, the Tournament with Deck Exchange is a one-off affair, with players
swapping decks at the end of each matchup. Matchups are also made so that a player does not play against their own deck at any point
in the tournament (though players may end up playing with the same deck in multiple matchups). Players remain free to select their
starting hands and their half of the Event Card deck.
The Bear Variant
(Die Bärenvariante)

by Peter Gustav Bartschat

Prior to becoming a member of the Catan Card Game development team, this was an unofficial variant of the Extended Basic Game that
allows for using multiple expansions, either in part or in full. (As the author of the Encyclopedia Catanica, he has also suggested the
simple extension of the Extended Basic Game: adding 2 expansion decks and 2 VPs to win per expansion, but he also conceded that a
27-point game with every card just isn’t fun.)

Preparation Notes
• Decide upon the cards to be used. Shuffle all cards together and form 9 expansion decks.
• Use all event cards in the event deck.
• If Public Feeling (Artisans & Benefactors) is used, then each player begins with one in their principality.
Additional Rules
• If any of the strategic buildings (Aqueduct, Church, Counting House, Harbor, House of the Benefactor, Town Hall, Triumphal
Arch, and University) are used, players are limited to building only one of the each strategic building. Players are still free to
keep the second card in their hand to prevent their opponent from having it.
Event Scenarios for the Tournament Set
(Ereignis-Szenarios für das Turnier-Set)

by Horst-Rainer Rösner

As part of Das Turnier-Set, players were encouraged to submit their own card ideas for the Catan Card Game. One lucky fan-submitted
card would be included as part of two expansions, Knights & Merchants (Trade Academy) and Science & Progress (Peasants). Because
of the aforementioned re-release of the Das Turner-Set cards, Das Turnier-Set was never released in English, as all cards in it were
included in the first English expansion (which had the first five expansions; the second edition included them along with Barbarians &
Traders). There was also one revision of a card from Das Turnier-Set to Knights & Merchants: Great Wall now added one Strength Point
(it had none in Das Turnier-Set).

Also released in the 1/98 of Catan-News (then known as Siedler-Zeitung) was this set of Event Scenarios for Das Turnier-Set, meant to
be played with Tournament Rules. Each scenario consists of a custom Event Card deck, along with possibly an alternate victory condition.

Scenario 1: The Longest Year

(Das längste Jahr)

Event Deck: Shuffle 6 random Event Cards with the Year End card to form the bottom of the Event Deck. Then shuffle and place 26
event cards on top to form a 32-card Event Deck.
Game End: Game is to 12 points. Game may also end if the Year End card is drawn from the Event Deck, in which case the player with
the most points wins. If players are tied when this happens, the player with the Knight Token wins.

Scenario 2: War on Catan

(Krieg auf Catan)

Event Deck
Name Set Qty
Civil War Base / S&P 4
Conflict Base / S&P 3
Plague Base / S&P 2
Raid K&M 3
Year End Base 1

Game End: Game is to 12 points.

Scenario 3: Triumph of Science

(Triumph der Wissenschaft)

Event Deck
Name Set Qty
Civil War Base / S&P 1
Conflict Base / S&P 1
Master Builder Base 2
Plague Base / S&P 1
Progress Base / S&P 6
Raid K&M 1
Year End Base 1

Game End: Game is to 12 points.

Scenario 4: The Golden Age

(Goldene Zeiten)

Event Deck
Name Set Qty
Civil War Base / S&P 1
Conflict Base / S&P 1
Plague Base / S&P 1
Productive Year Base / K&M 4
Progress Base / S&P 4
Raid K&M 1
Year End Base 1

Game End: Game is to 12 points.

Scenario 5: Dark Times
(Finstere Zeiten)

Event Deck
Name Set Qty
Civil War Base / S&P 2
Conflict Base / S&P 1
Plague Base / S&P 4
Productive Year Base / K&M 1
Progress Base / S&P 1
Raid K&M 3
Year End Base 1

Game End: Game is to 12 points.

Scenario 6: Uncertain Future

(Ungewisse Zukunft)

Event Deck: The deck consists of 12 random Event Cards and Year End.
Game End: Game is to 12 points.

Scenario 7: The Four Seasons

(Die vier Jahreszeiten)

Event Deck: The 32 event cards below are split into for subdecks. Arrange the subdecks in order of seasons, with the Spring Deck on
top.
Name Set Deck Qty
Civil War Base / S&P Winter 2
Conflict Base / S&P Spring 2
Fall 2
Winter 2
Master Builder Base Spring 2
Plague Base / S&P Summer 3
Fall 2
Winter 1
Productive Year Base / K&M Spring 1
Summer 2
Fall 1
Progress Base / S&P Spring 2
Summer 2
Fall 3
Winter 1
Raid K&M Spring 1
Summer 1
Winter 2

Game End: The game ends when all 32 events have been played. The player with the most points wins.

Variation on Scenarios 2-6

The scenarios can also be played without the Year End card in the Event Deck. Instead, the deck is played through three times, shuffling
the deck each time. Add in the Year End card the fourth time the deck is run through. Game is to 12 points as normal, but can also end
if the Year End card is drawn, in which case the player with the most points wins.

The Maxi-Tournament Game

For the truly hardcore scenario, play a seven-game set with all seven scenarios, and determine the winner based on the highest
aggregate total of points.
Puzzles of the Catan Card Game
(Denkaufgaben für das Kartenspiel)

by Brigitte and Wolfgang Ditt

Here are a couple of Catan Card Game puzzles from Das Buch zum Spielen. Answers are provided following each puzzle. (No peeking!)

Note that as Das Buch zum Spielen was released before the rule revisions, this should not be taken as strategy of any kind, though all
puzzles do not depend on whether the game is played before or after the revisions.
Navel Maneuvers
(Flottenmanöver)

You are playing the base game against Katharina. Last turn, you had taken Otto the Berserker with a Spy card, which also revealed her
hand to you. On her last turn, she had paid two resources to search an expansion stack for which you know contains the Colossus of
Catan. If she plays Alchemist on her next turn, she will choose 4 for her Production Die roll, which will get her enough resources to pay
for the Colossus of Catan, so you must win immediately this turn. The Production Die roll was a 5, and Year of Plenty was rolled on the
Event Die, both of which are reflected in the principality.

In your principality lies a Fleet card, marked with “?”. Of the six fleets in the base game, five will allow you to win the game, the sixth will
not. Which fleet loses?

Bonus: Consider what happens if the Fleet is a Great Trade Fleet (Knights & Merchants) or the Pirate Fleet (Knights & Merchants /
Science & Progress), if you adjust the principality properly.
Katharina’s Hand
Name Qty Set Type
Alchemist 2 Base / S&P Action Neutral
Herb Woman 1 Base Action Defense
The Colossus of Catan 1 Base City Improvement Building

Katharina’s Principality (10 VP, 2 CP, 0 SP, 0 TP)

Brick 6 Library Lumber 5 Church Grain 2 Grain Mill Grain 4

City Road City Road City

Wool 4 Town Hall Gold 1 Marketplace Ore 3 Foundry Ore 4

Aqueduct

Your Hand
Name Qty Set Type
Bath House 1 Base City Improvement Building
Church 1 Base City Improvement Building
Library 1 Base City Improvement Building

Your Principality (10 VP, 2 CP, 3 SP, 2 TP)

Aqueduct
Brick 1 Brick 5 Town Hall Gold 6 Garrison Ore 2

Road City Road City Road City

Grain 5 ? Grain 1 Bath House Wool 3 Otto the Lumber 4
Berserker
3 SP / 2 TP
Note that you are short of winning by either of your two buildings or building one building and one settlement, so you must use the fleet to
win. So…

Grain Fleet
1. Build the Bath House
2. Trade in for
3. Build the Library

Lumber Fleet
1. Build the Bath House
2. Trade in for
3. Build the Church

Ore Fleet
1. Build the Bath House
2. Trade in for
3. Build a settlement

Wool Fleet
1. Build the Church
2. Trade in for
3. Build the Library

Gold Fleet
1. Trade in for either or
2. Build the Church and Library if was obtained, or the Bath House and one other building if was obtained.

Thus, the Brick Fleet loses. You can see this as any action will consume at least , which would render the fleet useless.

For the bonus:

Great Trade Fleet

If you have the Great Trade Fleet, then you would also have 3 CP, which means you will have the Windmill Token and 11 VP. Thus, you
can build anything to win.

Pirate Fleet
If you have the Pirate Fleet, then you would have in the Gold region due to Year of Plenty. This would give you enough Gold to do as
per the Gold Fleet solution (except needing to trade in instead of ).
Hurra Hor
You are playing a Wizards & Dragons Extended Basic Game against Alexander (recall that game is to 13 points with the Extended Basic
Game). On Alexander’s last turn, he has blocked the use of your Magic Kitchen with a Witch, and played Ismai the Green Dragon.
Because of you having previously searched the Development Card deck, you know the identity of two of his hand cards (the other two
cards you get by playing the Spy). If he builds the Marketplace on his next turn, he will win the Windmill Token, and gain the last victory
point needed to win, so you must win this turn.

The production roll was a 1, and a Brigand Attack was rolled on the Event die, both of which are reflected in your principality. How do you
get those last three points to win?

Alexander’s Hand
Name Qty Set Type
By Magic’s Hand 1 W&D Magic Action Attack
Lumber Fleet 1 Base Regional Expansion Trade Fleet
Marketplace 1 Base City Improvement Building
Merchant 1 Base Action Attack

Alexander’s Principality (12 VP, 1 CP, 4 SP, 0 TP)

Church Hafli Ismai the Green Aqueduct
Dragon
4 SP / 0 TP
Brick 6 Library Lumber 5 Earth Magic Grain 2 Wool Fleet Gold 3

City Road Citadel Road City

Wizard Present
Wool 4 Town Hall Gold 1 Magic Potion Ore 3 Foundry Ore 5

Bath House Ari Wheel of Time Town Hall

Your Hand
Name Qty Set Type
Bath House 1 Base City Improvement Building
Change Places! 1 W&D Magic Book Neutral
Hor 1 W&D Citadel Improvement Wizard
Land, Change Thyself! 1 W&D Magic Action Neutral
Spy 1 Base Action Attack

Your Principality (10 VP, 2 CP, 4 SP, 7 TP)

The Colossus of Ira Gold Fleet Tali
Catan
Lumber 6 Lumber 4 Library Ore 2 Magic Kitchen Grain 1
(Witch)
Settlement Road City Road Citadel
Wizard Present
Wool 5 Abbey Brick 5 Otto the Gold 6 Garrison Wool 3
Berserker
3 SP / 2 TP
Church Falk the Fair
1 SP / 5 TP
There are a lot of traps and dead ends, so here is the exact line for winning:

1. Play Land, Change Thyself! and exchange Lumber 4 for Ore 4.

2. Upgrade the settlement to a citadel.
3. Play Hor in the new citadel. (+1 VP for Wizard Present)
4. Play Change Places in the new citadel.
5. Activate Change Places to switch Otto the Berserker and Falk the Fair.
6. Play Spy and take By Magic’s Hand.
7. Use By Magic’s Hand to steal Magic Potion, and place it in the new citadel.
8. Activate Magic Potion, and use it on Otto the Berserker (6 SP / 2 TP). (+1 VP due to Knight Token)
9. Remove Falk the Fair.
10. Build the Bath House.

Note that you cannot remove Falk the Fair any earlier than Step 9, as it would give away the Knight Token to Alexander. You also cannot
play the Spy earlier than Step 6, as you would not have room in the existing citadel for the Magic Potion (you cannot remove Falk the Fair
as per above, you cannot remove Magic Kitchen due to the Witch, and removing either the Gold Fleet or Garrison would cause you to
lose the Windmill Token). Finally, you cannot upgrade the settlement to a city in Step 2 instead: while you gain 2 VP from the city and
building the Bath House, you would still need the Knight Token to win, but that would mean placing the Magic Potion in the citadel, which
you could not do as per above.