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Rivals for Catan
KOSMOS · 2010
245–60 min10+ yrs2.3/5 complexity6.9 BGG#1.179 BGG21,7 KCouples
⚡ short answer
How do you play Rivals for Catan?
The primary objective in Rivals for Catan is to be the first player to accumulate 10 victory points. These points are earned by building settlements, upgrading them to cities, and acquiring development cards.
To find the best price for Rivals for Catan, howtoplay.ro compares deals from Romanian shops every day.
FromRON 110· 2 shops
✓ Joculescu · How to play
![Cum se joaca Catan? Versiunea de cărți pentru 2 [#56]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lkx0Dn2Oiek/hqdefault.jpg)
Cum se joaca Catan? Versiunea de cărți pentru 2 [#56]
Joculescu· 7 min· published Aug 20, 2022Partner
the rules in 60 seconds▶ auto · 1/6
🧩
01
Setup
Sort resource cards, development cards, and construction cards into separate piles. Each player receives a starting hand of three resource cards, one settlement, and one road. The destiny card is used for 3-4 players.
The rules, step by step
Setup
The game includes 67 resource cards (wood, brick, ore, wool, grain), 42 game cards (roads, settlements, cities, soldiers, development cards, and help cards), and one destiny card. Resource cards are shuffled and placed face down in a central deck, with five cards drawn and placed face up to form the market. Construction cards (roads, settlements, cities, soldiers, and development cards) are sorted into separate piles and placed face up in the middle of the table. Each player receives a starting hand of three resource cards, one settlement, and one road, placed face up in front of them. The destiny card is used only in 3-4 player games and is placed face up with the white arrows pointing upwards next to the central cards.
Objective
The primary objective in Rivals for Catan is to be the first player to accumulate 10 victory points. These points are earned by building settlements, upgrading them to cities, and acquiring development cards.
On your turn
Each turn, a player can choose one of three main actions: trade resources, buy construction cards, or draw resource cards. Trading resources can be done with the bank (3:1 ratio), the market (by discarding cards and drawing new ones from the market), or with other players (by drawing randomly from their hand and returning an equal number of cards). When buying construction cards, players pay the required resources, take the card, and place it face up in front of them. If a settlement is built, the destiny card is flipped. If a city is built, an existing settlement card is flipped to its city side, revealing an event that all players must follow. Roads and soldiers are placed in front of the player, with their 'A' side up, and subsequent roads/soldiers are placed on top, alternating 'A' and 'B' sides. Players cannot build two cards of the same type in a single turn. Drawing resource cards involves taking the top two cards from the central deck, plus an additional card for each visible 'A' side soldier card the player has.
Scoring
Victory points are accumulated through various constructions: settlements are worth 1 VP, cities are worth 2 VPs, and development cards provide either 3 or 4 VPs. Roads and soldiers do not directly contribute to victory points but offer strategic advantages and bonuses that can indirectly lead to more VPs. For example, roads allow more trading options, and soldiers provide extra resource cards.
Game end
The game concludes immediately when any player successfully reaches 10 victory points. The player who achieves this milestone is declared the winner.
Tips
To maximize your chances of winning, focus on efficient resource management and strategic building. Prioritize building roads to enhance your trading capabilities, as the number of roads determines how many cards you can trade. Upgrading settlements to cities is crucial for gaining more victory points and triggering beneficial events. Additionally, investing in development cards can provide powerful advantages and additional victory points. In games with 5-6 players, an additional deck of cards is required, and specific cards marked with 3 or 4 pawns are used from the second deck, but other rules remain unchanged.
🔬 game anatomy
Complexity2.3 / 5
BGG rating6.9 / 10
Vibe
Couples
Language dependence
Moderate text — a crib sheet helps
Play time
45–60 min
Players
2
Recommended age
10+ yrs
BGG rank
#1.179
✨ from Trișache · verified
Frequently asked questions
Q1What is the goal of the game?
The primary objective in Rivals for Catan is to be the first player to accumulate 10 victory points. These points are earned by building settlements, upgrading them to cities, and acquiring development cards.
Q2How do you set up the game?
The game includes 67 resource cards (wood, brick, ore, wool, grain), 42 game cards (roads, settlements, cities, soldiers, development cards, and help cards), and one destiny card. Resource cards are shuffled and placed face down in a central deck, with five cards drawn and placed face up to form the market. Construction cards (roads, settlements, cities, soldiers, and development cards) are sorted into separate piles and placed face up in the middle of the table. Each player receives a starting hand of three resource cards, one settlement, and one road, placed face up in front of them. The destiny card is used only in 3-4 player games and is placed face up with the white arrows pointing upwards next to the central cards.
Q3How does a turn work?
Each turn, a player can choose one of three main actions: trade resources, buy construction cards, or draw resource cards. Trading resources can be done with the bank (3:1 ratio), the market (by discarding cards and drawing new ones from the market), or with other players (by drawing randomly from their hand and returning an equal number of cards). When buying construction cards, players pay the required resources, take the card, and place it face up in front of them. If a settlement is built, the destiny card is flipped. If a city is built, an existing settlement card is flipped to its city side, revealing an event that all players must follow. Roads and soldiers are placed in front of the player, with their 'A' side up, and subsequent roads/soldiers are placed on top, alternating 'A' and 'B' sides. Players cannot build two cards of the same type in a single turn. Drawing resource cards involves taking the top two cards from the central deck, plus an additional card for each visible 'A' side soldier card the player has.
Q4How is scoring calculated?
Victory points are accumulated through various constructions: settlements are worth 1 VP, cities are worth 2 VPs, and development cards provide either 3 or 4 VPs. Roads and soldiers do not directly contribute to victory points but offer strategic advantages and bonuses that can indirectly lead to more VPs. For example, roads allow more trading options, and soldiers provide extra resource cards.
Q5When and how does the game end?
The game concludes immediately when any player successfully reaches 10 victory points. The player who achieves this milestone is declared the winner.
Q6What tips are there for beginners?
To maximize your chances of winning, focus on efficient resource management and strategic building. Prioritize building roads to enhance your trading capabilities, as the number of roads determines how many cards you can trade. Upgrading settlements to cities is crucial for gaining more victory points and triggering beneficial events. Additionally, investing in development cards can provide powerful advantages and additional victory points. In games with 5-6 players, an additional deck of cards is required, and specific cards marked with 3 or 4 pawns are used from the second deck, but other rules remain unchanged.
Q7How much does Rivals for Catan cost?
Rivals for Catan costs between 110 and 128 RON across Romanian stores.
Q8Where can I buy Rivals for Catan cheapest?
The lowest price for Rivals for Catan right now is 110 RON at LexShop. The Prices tab lists every store currently tracking it.
Q9How do you play Rivals for Catan?
Rivals for Catan is a card game game, for 2 players, taking ~45–60 minutes, featuring dice rolling. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about Rivals for Catan — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q10How many players does Rivals for Catan support?
Rivals for Catan is played by 2 players.
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