Catan: Treasures, Dragons & Adventurers Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Note to the Rules
• Game Contents
• Scenario 1: The Treasure Islands
  • Preparation
  • Special Rules
  • The Game End
  • Combining with Cities & Knights
• Scenario 2: Departure into the Unknown
  • Preparation
  • Special Rules
  • The Game End
  • Combining with Cities & Knights
• Scenario 3: Greater Catan
  • Preparation
  • Special Rules
  • The Game End
  • Combining with Cities & Knights
• Scenario 4: The Desert Dragons
  • Preparation
  • Special Rules
  • The Game End
• Scenario 5: The Great Canal
  • Preparation
  • Special Rules
  • The Game End
• Scenario 6: Enchanted Land
  • Preparation
  • Special Rules
  • Rule Changes
  • The Game End

Note to the Rules

Basically, the rules of the base game and the Seafarers expansion apply to all scenarios. For scenarios using the Cities & Knights expansion, these rules are also applied. The rules that apply to a combination of Seafarers with Cities & Knights are in the rulebook of the Cities & Knights expansion on page 9 under "The Seafaring Game" (from the 2006 edition). Deviations from these rules and additional rules are given in each scenario. If you have rule questions, please write an email to [email protected].

Game Contents

• Forest (3)
• Pastureland (3)
• Farmland (2)
• Hilly country (2)
• Mountains (2)
• Sea hexes / desert hexes (6)
• Canal tiles (9)
• Dragon tiles (19)
• Treasure tiles (20)
• Number tokens (12)
• Cities (in 4 colours) (16)
• Border frames (2)

Note: When mixed with the material of the different CATAN sets, the hex tiles and number chips of the scenarios can be easily separated as they are marked with a dragon symbol.

Scenario 1: The Treasure Islands

for 3 and 4 players. Seafarers scenario; also playable with added Cities & Knights.

Who will discover the treasure islands first? One doesn't only receive victory points for the settlement of the small islands around Catan - but there are also valuable treasures waiting to be discovered.

Preparation

Home Island: The home island (in light brown) is built according to the rules of the base game. Then the sea hexes are laid out and the harbours are placed.

Treasure Islands: For the treasure islands (grey fields) 3 sea hexes, 2 deserts and the other land hexes indicated in the table are mixed up and placed face down in the gray areas. The numbers tokens of the treasure islands are mixed and placed face down in a stack next to the game board.

The Treasure Tokens: The treasure tokens are mixed with their front side (treasure chest) face up. 15 treasure tiles are placed as shown. The remaining 5 treasure tiles are not revealed and are placed next to the game board.

Special Rules

Foundation Phase: Players place their first two settlements with the roads on the main island, as described in CATAN - The Game Foundation. If a player has a settlement on the coast, he may use a ship instead of a road.

Pirate / Robbers: The game is played with both the robber and the pirate. The robber starts on the desert. The pirate starts on the sea hex marked with the "X".

Discovering: When a player places a ship or a road on an intersection, which borders an undiscovered landscape hex, he reveals this landscape.

• Discovery of Landscapes with Income: The player takes one of the number tokens from the supply and places it on the landscape hex. As a reward for his discovery the player may take a resource from that type of landscape. If a Gold River hex is discovered you may take any resource.
• Discovery of Desert and Sea Fields: If a player discovers a desert hex or a sea hex, they immediately take a treasure token from the stock.

The Treasures: If a player places a ship or a road to an intersection where there is a treasure token, they take the treasure token and reveal it. Depending on the treasure, they receive raw materials, a development card or maybe build roads or ships for free.

Important: If a player has received a treasure token, they must take the advantage immediately. They may not pick up the treasure token and the claim the advantage later, either in this turn or a subsequent turn.

Special Victory Points: For the first settlement that a player places on a treasure island, they receive a special victory point (Catan chip), which is displayed in front of the player. More victory points are awarded by building on multiple islands.

The Game End

The game ends as soon as a player gains 15 victory points on their turn, OR immediately when fourteen victory points (Catan chips) have been awarded in the game. Then the player with the highest points wins.

Combining with Cities & Knights

The scenario "The Treasure Islands" works well when combined also with the expansion Cities & Knights. The game should then be played to 17 victory points (for 3 players) or 16 victory points (for 4 players). The rules that should be followed when combining the 2 expansions are from the Cities & Knights expansion, which are given on page 9 under "The Game of Maritime Navigation" (from the 2006 edition). For this scenario, when playing with the Cities & Knights expansion, use following rule change:

If a player receives a treasure token on which a development card is shown, that player receives the top progress card from any one the 3 stacks.

Scenario 2: Departure into the Unknown

for 3 and 4 players. Seafarers scenario; also playable with added Cities & Knights.

An unexplored sea lies off the coast of Catan. New islands, gold and treasures are waiting to be discovered. Quickly the Catan explorers hoist the sails of their ships and set off into the vastness of the unknown sea.

Preparation

Home Island: The land hexes of the home island are mixed and randomly placed in the light brown area (the desert hex is positioned beforehand as shown). The number tokens are placed as shown in the diagram. The sea hexes (6 of which will be taken from the Treasures, Dragons & Explorers expansion and have the desert on the reverse side) are placed. The 3:1 ports are positioned as shown.

The Unknown Sea: The 2 deserts and 2 gold river hexes are positioned as shown and receive the 6 and 8 number tokens. The remaining 18 hexes (6 x sea and 12 x land) are mixed and placed upside down, with their backs showing. The remaining number tokens of the undiscovered area are mixed and placed face down next to the game board.

The Treasure Tokens: The treasure tokens are mixed and placed on the positions shown with treasure chest symbol visible.

The Special Ports: The special ports are placed next to the game board.

Special Rules

Foundation Phase: Everyone starts with 3 settlements. First, all players set up their first two settlements on the main island, each with an adjacent ship or an adjacent road, as in the standard Catan game set-up. The last player to place their second settlement now places a third settlement with an adjoining road or ship. Other players follow clockwise. Each player receives the raw materials from the placement of their third settlement.

Pirate / robber: The game is played only with the robber and not with the pirate.

Discovering: When a player places a ship or a road at an intersection with an undiscovered hex, they reveal the hex. If it is a land hex, the player takes the top number token from the face down stack and places it face up on the landscape hex. As a reward for this discovery, the player receives a resource card of that landscape type. If there is a treasure on the intersection, first the treasure is picked up and then the hex is discovered. If a sea hex is discovered, then nothing further happens.

The Treasures: If a player places a ship or a road at an intersection where a treasure token lies, they takes the treasure token and look at the reverse. The player now has 2 options:

• Either he reveals the token immediately and then receives, as described in Scenario 1 (see page 3), the reward of additional raw materials, building immediately 2 roads or ships, or a development card. Discard the used treasure token.
• Or they do not use the treasure token, and places it with the treasure symbol face up in front of them.

For unused treasure tokens the player receives the following advantages:

• For 1 treasure token: The player only loses resources when a "7" is thrown if they have more than 9 resources.
• For 2 treasure tokens: The player may choose a special port from the stock beside the board and place it against one of their coastal settlements or cities. From now they are allowed to swap the pictured raw material in a ratio of 2:1.
• For 3 treasure tokens: Three treasure tokens count 1 victory point.
• For 4 treasure tokens: Four treasure tokens count 2 victory points.

If a player chooses not to use a treasure token, but to collect for the benefits described above, this choice cannot be changed (all tokens must be used immediately if desired). This choice is shown by the back of the tiles (the picture of treasure). A player can only have a maximum 4 treasure tokens in front of them (2VP). A player who already has 4 treasure tokens must claim the treasure of subsequent treasure tokens which they receive, as normal.

The Game End

The game ends as soon as a player gains 12 victory points on their turn.

Combining with Cities & Knights

The scenario "Departure into the Unknown" works well when combined also with the expansion Cities & Knights. Instead of the placing the second settlement each player places a city. The game ends when a player has achieved 14 victory points on their turn. The rules that should be followed when combining the 2 expansions are from the Cities & Knights expansion, which are given on page 9 under "The Game of Maritime Navigation" (from the 2006 edition). For this scenario, when playing with the Cities & Knights expansion, use following rule change:

If a player receives a treasure token on which a development card is shown, that player receives the top progress card from any one the 3 stacks.

Scenario 3: Greater Catan

for 3 and 4 players. Seafarers scenario; also playable with added Cities & Knights.

Let's assume that things do not always go smoothly on Catan. What if someday the raw material sources would dry up? That's exactly what happens in this scenario. So it's time to build ships and, with settlements on the surrounding islands, develop new resources. Can you expand in time to the new islands, because if one develops too late in this scenario, there will soon be no opportunity to build.

Preparation

Home Island: In the game for three people, the 14 land hexes of the home island (in the light brown) are randomly laid out with its landscape side face up. The number tokens are placed as illustrated. In the game for four players (shown on the next page), the home island is built according to the rules of the basic game. The sea hexes are placed as shown.

New Islands: This area is marked in grey. The tables for the new islands indicate the number and type of hexes required (20 in the game for three, and 26 in the game for four). The hexes are mixed and placed randomly in the gray area with their landscape side face up. The numbers tokens given in the tables for the new islands (4 in the game with three, and 5 in the game for four) are randomly mixed and placed face down as a supply stack next to the game board.

(Translator's note: It seems in the German rules that the table for 3 players shows the number of tiles required is 17, yet clearly 20 are required from the illustration and as stated above in the translation! Add 3 more sea hexes.)

The Cities: Each player receives an additional 4 cities of their own colour from the Treasures, Dragons & Explorers expansion, and so can build 8 cities during the game.

Special Rules

Foundation Phase: Players place their first two settlements with the roads on the home island, as described in CATAN - The Game. If a player establishes a settlement on the coast, they may use a ship instead of a road.

Pirate / Robber: The game is played with both the robber and the pirate. The robber starts on the desert. The pirate starts on the sea hex that is marked with an "x".

(Translator's note: In a 3 player game the robber starts on the frame of the game board as there is no desert hex on the home island.)

The Impoverishment Rule: Whenever a player places a ship or a road adjacent to a hex that does not have a number token, that player must take a token from the "reserve" and place it on that hex. If all of the tokens have been removed from the reserve already, then the player must remove a number token from the home island and place it on the hex. There are three limitations to selecting which token to remove:

1. The red tokens (numbered 6 & 8) may not be placed next to one another on the small islands.
2. You must only remove a token from a hex that is adjacent to at least one of your own settlements or cities.
3. All settlements and cities on the home island must be adjacent to at least one hex with a number token. You cannot remove a token if it would cause any settlement or city to have no resource production.

Only when it is not be possible to fulfill all three rules, the player may break the rules one after another, in the order 1-3.

The Game End

The game ends as soon as a player gains 18 victory points on their turn.

Combining with Cities & Knights

The scenario "Greater Catan" works well when combined also with the expansion Cities & Knights. The game ends when a player has achieved 20 victory points on their turn. The rules that should be followed when combining the 2 expansions are from the Cities & Knights expansion, which are given on page 9 under "The Game of Maritime Navigation" (from the 2006 edition).

Scenario 4: The Desert Dragons

for 3 and 4 players. Seafarers scenario - not to be combined with the Cities & Knights expansion.

Prosperity and peace reign in Catan. But this blissful state will not last for much longer. Dragons have gathered together in the wastelands as if magically attracted to the riches of the settlements and cities. For each new settlement and city built they become more. With every passing moment the threat is of the wild hordes leaving the wastelands and invading Catan to destroy it. Then the settlers can only escape to the uninhabited neighboring island to the east. There they will have the opportunity to gather forces so they can evict the dragons from their homeland.

Preparation

Home Island: The three desert hexes, the two forest hexes and the both pasture hexes are positioned as shown. The remaining hexes of the home island are mixed randomly and placed face up in the light brown area. The position of the numbers tokens are shown in the picture. Then, the sea hexes and the 3: 1 ports positioned as shown.

Neighboring Island: The land hexes listed in the table are mixed together and placed randomly in the grey area with the landscape side face up. The number tokens and the ports of the neighboring island are placed as shown.

(Translator's note: Set up the number chips according to the picture (for 3 players), not the table. Use 3 x number 4 token, and 2 x number 5 token (not 2 x 4 and 3 x 5).)

The Desert Dragons: 18 desert dragon tokens are placed next to the game board with the dragon side up. The reverse of the dragon tokens are not used in this scenario.

Special Rules

Foundation Phase: Players place their first two settlements with roads on the home island, as described in CATAN - The Game. If a player establishes a settlement on the coast, they are allowed to replace one road with a ship.

Pirate / Robber: Neither the robber nor the pirate are used in the game. If a "7" is rolled, all players with more than 7 raw materials lose half of their cards. The player who rolled the "7" may draw a card from any player's hand.

The Desert Dragons are Gathering: Every time a player builds a settlement or city, three desert dragons (with 3 players) or two desert dragons (with 4 players) are put on one of the three desert hexes. The desert dragons should be distributed as evenly as possible on the 3 deserts hexes.

Once all 18 desert dragons have been placed on the desert hexes, the invasion of the dragons begins:

• Each time the number of a landscape hex is rolled, that is adjacent to a desert dragon, a dragon is taken from one of the three desert hexes and placed onto the hex with the same number as the dice throw. You may only ever place one dragon on each landscape hex.
• If there are 2 hexes with the same number adjacent to a desert dragon, both hexes will be occupied with a dragon from the desert hexes.
• The number of dragons on the desert hexes should be as much as possible reduced evenly.

For example:

1. A player rolls a "3". Since there is no landscape with a dragon adjacent to the "3" hex, nothing happens.
2. The next player rolls an "8". The hill country with the "8" is adjacent to two desert hexes with dragons. Take a dragon token from the desert hex that has the most dragon tokens remaining and place it on the hill country.
3. The next player rolls a "5". Since the pasture with the "5" is next to the forest hex which contains a dragon, another dragon token is taken from the desert field which has the most remaining dragon tokens, and placed on the pasture hex.

The Curse of the Dragons: The dragons tokens have the following effect:

• Resources are blocked: A dragon blocks the production of that resource from a hex. Adjacent settlements or cities receive no raw materials during the production roll.
• Important: Before a dragon is placed on a hex, the owners of neighboring settlements and cities receive their usual resource revenues.
• Road are blocked: A road between two dragon-occupied land hexes is blocked. As a sign of this the road is turned 90 degrees. Blocked roads do not count towards the longest trade route and no new road can be added to a blocked road.
• Settlement / City is blocked: A settlement or city, which is surrounded by land hexes containing dragons is also considered blocked. The settlement or city then does not count anymore towards the victory point total.
• Please note: Dragons cannot be placed on sea hexes. A settlement or city on the coast (as well as possibly an adjacent harbor) is therefore safe from a blockade.

The Flight of the Settlers: During the course of the game, the dragons often occupy all landscape hexes the home island and thus block all raw material income. Therefore, it is important in this scenario, to quickly build ships to the safe neighbouring island and build new settlements and cities there. With new forces, players can then use their knights to defeat the dragons on their home island.

The Revenge of the Knights: If you play one of your knight development cards, you may remove a dragon from a landscape tile of your choice. Removed dragons tokens are removed from the game and the knight card is placed on the discard pile. Since there is no robber in this scenario, the knights can only be used to remove dragons from their home island. When playing a knight you may not steal a resource card from other players. Also, in this scenario, there is no the greatest army bonus victory point card.

If a land hex is freed from a dragon, from the next roll of dice it can again produce resources. If a blocked road, settlement or city borders against a liberated land hex, the blockade is lifted.

The Game End

The game ends when a player gains 13 victory points on their turn.

Scenario 5: The Great Canal

for 3 and 4 players. Scenario for playing with Seafarers and the Cities & Knights expansion together.

After a period of drought, the fertile farmland in western Catan is desolate and a famine is upon us. Therefore, the Catanians decide to dig a canal together. This is to direct water from a high mountain lake (B) in the east of Catan to the desert basin (A) in the west. For the canal construction, the islanders send their knights armed with spades, who immediately start the work. Only when the canal is completed and the desert basin flooded will the fields be fertile again and provide valuable grain.

Preparation

The Landscape: The crop fields and mountain hexes are laid out as shown. The desert "A" is taken from Dragons, Treasures & Explorers expansion (reverse side is sea). The sea hexes are placed, and in the gaps the land hexes of the small islands are positioned. In the light brown area, the remaining landscapes (4 x brick, 5 x wool and 4 x wood) are laid out in a random arrangement.

The number tokens: The number tokens of the two Gold River hexes and the farmland crop hexes are placed as shown. Then the numbers tokens on the farmland hexes are turned face down. As long as the desert (A) is not flooded, the farmland hexes do not produces their corn resources. The remaining number tokens are randomly distributed. The red numbers should not be next to each other. The ports are placed as shown. The Catan victory point chips are laid out as shown.

Special Rules

Foundation Phase: Everyone starts with 2 settlements and a city. First, all players place a settlement, and then a city instead of their second settlement, both with one adjacent road or ship, on the home island (see restriction below). For the order of placement, the rules of the base game apply. The last player to place their city, immediately places their second settlement with a road or ship. Clockwise, all other players place their second settlement. Each player receives the raw materials of the landscapes hexes that surround their last established settlement (including any grain for a barren farmland).

Limitations:

• Each player must build at least one settlement or city on the coast. The lake in the east does not count as a coast.
• If a player builds a settlement or city on the coast, they must place a ship.

Pirate / Robber: This scenario is played only with the robber. The robber starts on any desert.

New Tasks for the Knights: The knights may only be built on the home island. They are used in a variety of ways in this scenario.

1. Use as a Canal Builder: As soon as 2 activated knights stand on the intersections of a landscape with Catan chips, a canal is dug: The two Catan chips are removed and a canal tile with its trench side (not filled with water) is placed on the landscape. In doing so, the canal tile is aligned so that it crosses the hex to an adjacent canal or Catan chip. Depending on how the canal tile has to be aligned, either a straight or a curved canal tile is selected. If both activated knights belong to one player, they receive the two removed Catan chips. If the activated knights belong to different players, each of the two players receives a Catan chip. Every Catan chip counts one victory point.

   Please note: The canal construction will be carried out immediately after the activation of a second knight. It is thus not possible for a third player to activate a knight on the hex before the canal is built. When building a canal, the strength of a knight does not matter. After building a canal, the knights involved are not deactivated.

   For example: In the pictures below there are 2 knights on a field on which a canal is to be built. The red player has already activated his knight. Now the orange player activates his knight. The two Catan chips are removed. Both red and orange players each receive a Catan chip that counts as one victory point. Instead of the two Catan chips, a canal tile is placed.

2. Use as a Gold Prospector: If a player possesses a line of ships that reaches to an intersection of a gold hex on one of the small islands, then they can place a knight on this intersection. As long as the knight remains at this intersection, the player receives any resource when the "8" is rolled. To receive the resource card, the knight does not have to be activated. If a player has 2 knights on a gold hex, they will still receive only 1 of any resource when the "8" is rolled.

3. Use as a Trader: If a player has places a knight at a harbor intersection on one of the small islands, they may take advantage of the associated special port. To use this advantage, the knight does not have to be activated.

   Important: The knights on the small islands are not included in the defense against the barbarians.

Completion of the Canal: There are 9 canal tiles in total. As soon as the penultimate canal tile is built, the canal is finished. If the last canal tile was not built at the same time as the penultimate one (this can happen if a knight is activated on a cross between two landscapes with Catan chips), the last canal tile will now be placed as well. The two Catan chips are taken out of the game. Then all canal tiles are turned over to their water side. The desert (A) and the number tokens on the farmland hexes are also turned over. From now on, grain will be produced in Catan again.

Additional Rules:

• No settlement may be built on the small islands.
• When the desert has been flooded, the knights on the small islands lose their function as gold prospectors.
• Contrary to the Seafarers expansion rule, shipping lines should not be branched in this scenario.
• The "Irrigation" development card will be carried out even if the affected farmland is still barren.

The Game End

The winner is the one who reaches 21 victory points (for 3 players) on their turn, or 18 victory points (for four players).

Scenario 6: Enchanted Land

for 3 and 4 players. Scenario for playing with Seafarers and the Cities & Knights expansion together.

In the enchanted land, dragons protect valuable treasures that will be turned into special victory points as soon as they come into the hands of the players. Unfortunately, the enchanted land is an island and so ships must first be built to send the knights on their journey across the sea. It is better not to send weak knights because there are mighty dragons in the enchanted land, ones which only powerful knights can defeat.

Preparation

Home Island: First, the desert is placed on the left. The remaining land hexes are mixed and randomly placed face up in the light brown area. The number tokens are placed on the landscape hexes in the positions shown. The sea hexes are placed. The ports are positioned as shown.

Enchanted Land: The 5 deserts and 2 gold river hexes are placed as illustrated. The remaining 9 landscape hexes are mixed and randomly placed face up. The number tokens are placed on the landscape hexes in the positions shown.

The Dragon Tokens: The dragon tokens are mixed and placed dragon side up on the 19 positions shown.

Special Rules

Foundation Phase: Everyone starts with 2 settlements and a city. First, all players place a settlement, and then a city instead of their second settlement, both with one adjacent road or ship, on the home island (see restriction below). For the order of placement, the rules of the base game apply. The last player to place their city, immediately places their second settlement with a road or ship. Clockwise, all other players place their second settlement. Each player receives the raw materials of the landscapes hexes that surround their last established settlement.

Limitations:

• Each player must build at least one settlement or city on the coast.
• If a player builds a settlement or city on the coast, they can choose whether to place a ship or a road.

Pirate / Robber: The game is played with the robber but not with the pirate. The robber starts on the desert of the home island.

Building Restrictions on the Enchanted Land:

• Settlements may only be established on the coast.
• Settlements on the coasts may not be developed into cities.
• Roads must not be built on the coast or inland.

Placing the Knights: If a player has reached an intersection of the "Enchanted Land" island with a ship line, they may move an activated knight from the home island to the intersection. However, a knight may only be moved if it is connected by continuous roads or ships to the player's own settlement on the coast of the "Enchanted Land". After the knight's move, the knight is deactivated according to the rules.

Important: Each player may only move one of their knights to the "Enchanted Land". Once a knight has been moved to the island, it must not be moved back to the home island again.

If a settlement belonging to the player is on the intersection to which the shipping line leads, the knight is placed on an adjacent free intersection on the coast. If there is another player's settlement on the intersection to which the shipping line leads, the knight cannot moved. The same is true when the intersection is occupied by another player's knight which cannot be driven out. In this case, the ship's line should be continued to another free intersection.

Movement of Knights in the Enchanted Land: A knight is allowed to move freely from one intersection to another without having to use roads or ships, unlike on the home island. The only restriction is that a knight's move must not end at an intersection on the coast. This is to prevent players from blocking the arrival of opposing knights. An activated knight may be moved up to three intersections. After that the knight will be deactivated according to the rules. Also, according to the rules of Cities & Knights, a weaker knight may be expelled from an intersection by a more powerful knight. The expelled knight is then placed by the player who drove him away (unlike in the rules of Cities & Knights) onto any free intersection of the "Enchanted Land" island.

Fighting the Dragons: If a player moves his knight to an intersection with a dragon token and activates it again, they are allowed to fight the dragon during their next turn. This is a rule of Cities & Knights, in that a knight may not be used for an action on the same turn in which it was activated. If a knight fights a dragon, the dragon token is turned over. The more points the flag has, the stronger the knight must be to defeat the dragon:

• Simple Flag: This dragon is defeated by all knights.
• 2-pronged flag: This dragon is defeated only by strong and mighty knights.
• 3-pronged flag: This dragon is defeated only by mighty knights.

If a player has defeated a dragon with his knight, they takes the dragon token and place it in front of himself. It counts as 1 victory point. If the knight loses the fight, the dragon tile is turned over and returned to the intersection. The knight is deactivated and remains on the intersection. The player may reactivate the knight, and in subsequent turn can either move the knight to another dragon (and activate it again and fight the following turn) or fight the same dragon again, if the knight has been upgraded accordingly.

Rule Changes

Barbarian Attack: During a barbarian attack, the knights who have moved to the Enchanted Land or those who are on ships in the process of crossing the sea, do not count towards the defense of the home island. Therefore they will not be deactivated after a barbarian attack.

Inventor Development Card: No number tokens may be removed or exchanged from the Enchanted Land.

Defectors and Intrigue Development Cards: These two cards cannot be used against knights who are on the "Enchanted Land" island.

The Game End

3 players: The winner is the player who has defeated their sixth dragon or scored 21 victory points during their turn.

4 players: The winner is the player who has defeated their sixth dragon or scored 18 victory points during their turn.