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Catan
#617BGG7.1RATING
Consulted 2 times·Updated Jun 9
3–4
PLAYERS
60–120
MINUTES
?
BEST WITH
2.3
MEDIUM
DESIGNER CLARIFICATIONS1
Playing a Knight after a declined trade offerdesigner
- CONTEXT
- A player proposed a trade; the opponent declined, revealing they held a specific resource. The active player then used a Knight card to steal that resource.
- RULING
- "We consider this to be totally legal, and it is your job to defend against it."
Q&A11
Winning when your settlement breaks an opponent's Longest Road at 10 VPrulebook quotation with page referencedesigner
- QUESTION
- Player B builds a settlement that breaks Player A's Longest Road, causing Player B to reach exactly 10 VP on her turn. Does Player B win?
- ANSWER
- Yes. The game ends as soon as any player reaches 10 VP on their turn. Per the rulebook (4th ed., p.5): "If you have 10 or more victory points during your turn the game ends and you are the winner!" Gaining the Longest Road card mid-turn counts immediately toward the VP total.
Which starting settlement produces initial resourcespublisherlinked official source
- QUESTION
- Which of a player's two starting settlements produces starting resources?
- ANSWER
- Only the second settlement placed. Per the rulebook (p.3): "You receive resources for each terrain hex around your starting settlement marked with a white star." In variable setup, each player receives resources from the hexes adjacent to whichever settlement they placed second.
Settlement placed on opponent's road severs their Longest Roaddesigner
- QUESTION
- Can a player build a settlement in the middle of an opponent's road network, and does it break that road's continuity for Longest Road purposes?
- ANSWER
- Yes to both. Building a settlement at any legal intersection along an opponent's road is allowed. It immediately splits that road into two disconnected segments, which can cost the opponent the Longest Road card if their longest continuous remaining segment falls below the current threshold.
AUTHOR: DKahnt (David Kahnt, designer); Grildensnork (Kevin Duffy, designer)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(14 replies)DATE: 2009-06-23Forgetting to claim the Largest Army or Longest Road carddesigner
- QUESTION
- If a player earns the Largest Army or Longest Road card but forgets to pick it up, can another player claim it by matching the threshold on their own turn?
- ANSWER
- No. "Just because that player forgot, doesn't mean it isn't his. SoC isn't a memory game, so it does not punish forgetfulness." The card remains the property of the player who first reached the threshold, regardless of whether they physically claimed it.
Building a road through an opponent's settlement or citydesigner
- QUESTION
- Can you extend a road through an intersection occupied by an opponent's settlement or city?
- ANSWER
- No. A road segment may only connect to your own roads, settlements, or cities. It cannot be built through an opponent's settlement or city. The opponent's piece breaks the continuity of your road network at that intersection.
AUTHOR: clearclaw (J C Lawrence, designer); metzgerism (Steven Metzger, designer)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(18 replies)DATE: 2009-08-092:1 ports are one-directionallinked official sourcerulebook quotation with page reference
- QUESTION
- Do 2:1 specialty ports work in both directions — can you give 1 of the featured resource and receive 2 of anything, or is it always the other way?
- ANSWER
- One direction only. Per the current rulebook: "They [specific ports] allow a player to trade two of that specific resource for one of any resource." You always give 2 of the resource shown at the port and receive 1 resource of any type in return.
Playing a Knight on the same turn as rolling a 7publisher
- QUESTION
- Can you play a Knight card on a turn in which you also rolled a 7, and if so, do you steal twice?
- ANSWER
- "Yes, you may play a Knight on a turn where you have rolled a 7, gaining 2 resource cards. You can even use a Knight before you roll the dice, steal, then roll a 7 (or whatever)." Playing a Knight before the roll and then rolling a 7 results in two separate steal actions.
Player reaches 10 VP but doesn't notice — do they win?linked official source
- QUESTION
- If a player accumulates 10 victory points on their turn but is unaware of it and does not declare victory, have they won?
- ANSWER
- Yes. Per the official Catan FAQ (catan.com): "The game ends as soon as a player has reached the required number of victory points on his turn. If he's unaware of it, you should tell him, because you can't take an already gained victory away from him."
Resource cards must be kept hiddenlinked official sourcerulebook quotation with page reference
- QUESTION
- Are resource cards in a player's hand open information that other players can examine?
- ANSWER
- No. Per the official rulebook (p.4, linked from catan.com): "each player keeps his resource cards hidden in his hand." Resource cards are private; other players may only see how many cards a player holds, not which specific resources they are.
Asking about resources before playing the Monopoly carddesigner
- QUESTION
- Is it legal to ask other players whether they hold a specific resource before playing the Monopoly development card?
- ANSWER
- Yes. "Completely allowed by the rules." Nothing in the rules prohibits asking questions about what others hold. Note that since resource cards are kept hidden (see Q9), other players are not obligated to answer truthfully.
AUTHOR: DKahnt (David Kahnt, designer); overtheboard (Paul Nowak, designer/publisher)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(24 replies)DATE: 2010-01-24Bank runs out of a resource type mid-gamecommunity high-engagement
- QUESTION
- What happens when the bank runs out of a specific resource — can players still collect it?
- ANSWER
- No. The bank supply is finite. If the bank has none of a resource type, it cannot be distributed, even if players would normally be entitled to it. Critically: if the bank has some but not enough to pay all entitled players their full amount for a roll, none of those players receive any of that resource — the bank does not make partial payments.
EDGE CASES1
Lopsided trades that effectively give resources for freedesigner
- SITUATION
- Player A offers a lopsided domestic trade — e.g., ore + sheep for a sheep — that results in a net transfer of resources (Player B gains an ore for "free"). Is this a valid trade?
- RULING
- Legal — such trades are within the letter of the rules. Each individual trade is a valid two-party exchange. The net effect of multiple sequential trades benefiting one player disproportionately does not make any individual trade illegal.
AUTHOR: clearclaw (J C Lawrence, designer); Ponton (Grzegorz Kobiela, designer/publisher)SOURCE: boardgamegeek.com(24 replies)DATE: 2008-05-11
Last researched: 2026-05-06
CATEGORIES
Economic·Negotiation
MECHANICS
ChainingDice RollingHand ManagementHexagon GridHidden Victory PointsIncomeMarketModular BoardNetwork and Route Building
HOW MIRA KNOWS
Not an AI guessing rules. A curated archive.
Every answer Mira gives is grounded in an official rulebook — not in what a language model thinks the rules probably say. Our team reads, structures, and curates each game's rulebook before Mira can answer a single question about it.
An opponent's settlement blocks your road network — your road cannot be built through or past an occupied intersection.
◆ Catan — Roads & Building, p. 7
At the end of each round, the player with the most of the goal trait scores points equal to their amount; the player with the second most scores fewer.
◆ Wingspan — End of Round, p. 11
Null cards deal 0 damage regardless of base value or any bonuses applied.
◆ Gloomhaven — Attack Modifier Deck, p. 23
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