Do you play base Catan, but want a few more strategic options? There are a number of Catan scenarios that provide just that! Perhaps the most universally accessible scenario is The Helpers of Catan, which can be used with almost any Catan game.

The Helpers of Catan provides ten different characters that can get you out of a sticky situation or assist with your building plans. You start play with a helper that provides you with a special advantage. You can use that helper once, then discard it and take a new helper from any of the unused tiles. Or, you can use a helper a second time later, but then you must discard it and take another helper. The mechanics of these helpers can also be used in Star Trek Catan and the Rickshaw Race scenario.

Candamir — When you buy a development card, you may substitute one of the three resources with any other resource of your choice. Additionally, when drawing a development card, draw the top three cards and choose one of them to keep.

Hildi — Choose an opponent who has more victory points showing on the board than you do. You may look at that player’s hand of resource cards and take a resource card of your choice.

Jean — You may exchange a resource type with the supply at a 2:1 ratio as often as you like during this turn.

Lin — If the robber is on a terrain hex, you may move him to the desert. After moving, you receive a resource of the type produced by the land that the robber departed from.

Louis — You may remove one of your roads from the board and rebuild it for free.

Marianne — If any production roll is not a “7” and you receive no resources, take any resource card of your choice.

Nassir — First, declare a resource card type (wool, for example). Next, choose one or two opponents, each, of which, must give you a card of the declared type (if they have it). Finally, for each resource card you received in this way, you must give that player a resource card of your choice in return.

Sean — When any production roll results in a “7,” you may immediately use either of these advantages:

• If you have more than seven resource cards in your hand, you don’t have to discard any cards.
• If you have seven or fewer resource cards in your hand, you may take any resource of your choice.

Vincent — You may discard one knight card to reduce your building costs as follows:

• Either build one settlement for one lumber, plus one brick or…
• Upgrade a settlement to a city for two ore plus one grain

William — When building a road you may alter resources required to build that road. Instead of the usual one lumber plus one brick, you may substitute either the lumber or the brick with any other resource of your choice.