PLAYING GUIDE

These rules contain all the important information that you need to play this
simple version!

Play material
• 4 boards (A, B, C, D), there are enough pieces for 4 players.
• 100 resource chits with the symbols ore, grain, wood, wool, soil.
• 1 robber figure (2 parts on cardboard).
• Also you need 2 dice and four colored pencils(best are red, blue, green,
black).

Preparation
• Each player selects one of the 4 colored pencils and should mark the area
around the points of victory in his corner by painting the framework in his
color. Also color in the two check marks. Each check mark means 1 point of
victory. You start with 2 settlements, and thus you begin with 2 points of
victory.
• If only 3 if players are playing, one color is not used. The non-used color
settlements and roads stay however. These spaces can not be built upon by
other players.
• The resource chits are sorted into 5 piles. The 5 piles are then put down
beside the board.
• The robber (2 parts) is put together crosswise. At the start of the game the
robber figure is placed on the desert.
• Each player receives his starting resources. Everyone gets 1 soil, 1 ore and
1 wool piece.
• Each player keeps his resource chits concealed.

The overview of play

Play starts with the oldest player. A turn consists of the following actions
in this order:
1. He must roll the dice and determine the resource produced (the result
applies to all players).
2. He can act: Raw materials exchange.
3. He can build: Roads, settlements and cities. Play then goes the the person
on his left and play continues with action 1.

The examination of play in detail

Raw materials
• The player begins his turn by throwing both dice: The dice total is added
and the number determines the terrain hexes that produce the resources!
• Each player that has a settlement which borders on one of the selected
terrain hexes, receives a resource chit for this.
• If the player has 2 or 3 settlements around the selected terrain hex, he
receives 1 resource chit for each settlement.
Trade
Afterwards the current player may trade for the resource chits that he needs!
There are 2 kinds of trade:
• Domestic trade
The current player can trade with all players for resource chits. He can ask
for the resources he needs, and the other players can listen to his offers and
make counter offers. Important: Other players may exchange only with the
current player. The other players may not trade among themselves.
• Maritime trade
 - The current player can also trade without the other players!
- He can trade in the ratio 4:1, by putting four identical resource chits
back on the pile and taking a resource chit of his choice.
- If he has a settlement at a port location he can trade more favorably:
Either in the ratio 3:1 or 2:1 in special ports (with a resource symbol).
Important: The exchange 4:1 is always possible, without a settlement at a port
location.

Build
• Finally the current player can build to increase the number of his points
of victory!
• In order to build, he must deliver certain combinations of resource chits
(see construction costs, on the play board); afterwards the player draws his
roads, settlements and cities on the playing board using his colored pencil.

Road: required: soil + wood

- a new road must always connect to his own road or settlement or city.
- each path can only have 1 road built on it.
- a road is drawn on the board as a straight line.

Settlement: required: soil + wood + wool + grain

- a settlement is drawn in on the board as a round circle.
- each player may only build 5 settlements! Since each player starts with 2
settlements, you may build only 3 more settlements. For more points of
victory, settlements must be upgraded to cities (see below).
- important spacer rule: A settlement may be created on a crossing only if
the three adjacent crossings do not have any other settlements on them.
- a settlement must attach at at least its own road.
- Allows 1 resource card to be collected from each of the three adjacent
hexes with the appropriate die roll. Each settlement counts for one point of
victory, and is marked with a check using his own color.

City: requires 3 x ore + 2 x grain

- a city is represented on the board by a cross, which is drawn into the
circle of a settlement. Because a city can only be developed from an existing
settlement!
- for a city the owner receives twice as many resources from adjacent terrain
hexes: 2 resource chits. Each city counts towards 2 points of victory.
Therefore the development of a settlement to a city, 1 more check mark is
painted into the field of points of victory.

Special cases
Seven is rolled – the robber becomes active
If a 7 is rolled nobody receives any resources. All players who have more
than 7 resource chits, must select half of their resource chits and put them
back on the supply piles. With odd numbers you can round down. Next the
player must move the robber. Continue play in the following under points l.+
2.

1. The player must move the robber immediately to any numbered circle of his
choice, other than the current terrain hex.
2. The player robs a resource chit from the fellow player, who has a
settlement or a city at this terrain hex. The player, who is robbed, keeps his
resource chits covered in his hand. If several players have settlements or
cities there, the player may pick which player to rob.
Importantly: If the terrain hex is rolled that the robber is on, the owners
of the adjacent settlements and cities do not receive resources. The robber is
then set immediately on the desert.

Game End
The play ends when a player reaches at least 7 points of victory.