So, you've played the base Catan and are ready for more? Your next step should be to venture out into the wild, unknown waters that make up the setting for Catan: Seafarers. Seafarers is the first Catan expansion, and it's been refined and fine-tuned through almost two decades of play and development. We are revisiting this classic game, because 2017 will feature a Catan expansion that uses both Catan and Catan: Seafarers.

In Seafarers, your ships explore the uncharted seas that surround the isles of Catan. The path to victory lies with the clever use of trading, development, and productive shipping lanes. The best strategy and a dash of luck will decide who will be the undisputed ruler of the isles of Catan.

In Seafarers, you gather resources, expand, and build just as in a classic game of Catan. However, Seafarers prompts adventurers to play on islands separated by sea hexes. This requires a number of new mechanisms.

Ships: For one wool and one lumber, you can build a ship on the edge of a sea hex — just like a road on the edge of a land hex. You may build a settlement on a land intersection using the same rules with ships serving the same role as roads. Roads and ships may only be adjacent and connect at settlements/cities. “Longest Trade Route” (i.e., Longest Road) can include ships and roads. Unlike roads, a ship at the end of a chain of ships can move. 

The Pirate: In addition to the Robber, Seafarers includes a “Pirate.” When you would normally move the Robber to a land hex, you may instead move the Pirate to a sea hex, and steal from a player with a ship adjacent to the Pirate. A ship adjacent to the Pirate may not move. You may not build a ship adjacent to the Pirate.

Gold Fields: Seafarers also introduces a new terrain: gold fields. A gold fields hex produces your choice of resource.

Scenarios: Seafarers provides nine scenarios with different set-ups for three to four players. Each provides a unique board setup, special rules, and different victory conditions. Eight of these scenarios can be linked in a grand campaign. Victory requires 12-13 or more VPs. Some scenarios award special victory points for activities like settling new islands or establishing trade routes. Some scenarios include “unexplored territory” that gets filled in as the game progresses.

Basic Strategies: Most of the basic Catan strategies are also applicable to Seafarers — increase your production as much as fast as possible, watch out for opponents blocking you from prime building sites, etc. However, there are some significant factors you should also keep in mind.

Weigh harbors a bit more when setting up. Start a ship if beginning on the coast. Wool and wood are more important than in the standard Catan. Be flexible, getting to 12 VPs requires more sources and time. There are many other factors to consider — which we will explore in a later article.