Some rules I "stole" from Neonate Placements Rule #1 Ore Wins (Ore is used in building cities and development cards) Rule #2 Production, Production, Production (focus on different numbers, then resources, then development cards, then other bonuses) Rule #3 No Wheat = Defeat (Wheat is used in building towns, cities, and development cards) Rule #4.1 Get All Five Resources, if Possible (And if you can´t, stay near a tile and build there as soon as possible) Rule #4.2 However, Ore/Wheat/Sheep Is Still Very Strong (It is better to build cities, than building towns) Rule #5 Think About Ports (cheaper trades are invaluable in the mid-late game) Rule #6.1 Good Ratio of Wood:Brick is 1:1 (both are used in roads an towns, and both cost one of each) Rule #6.2 Good Ratio of Ore:Wheat:Sheep is 5:3:2 (ore is to be used in larger quantities, wheat is used in many things, but in low quantities, sheep is the least valuable resource as it is used only in building towns and development cards, it is common, and only used one at a time) Rule #7 Point Roads to Coasts or Desert (so that you don´t cross other players, ruining your strategy and planning) Rule #8 Don’t Be Greedy (7-8pt Spots Will Be Contested, plan ahead)
Placements Cont’d. Rule #10 When First, Check the Edges (you should expand in those options in the early game, as the main placements are to be occupied pretty soon) Rule #11 When Third, Take Rare Resources (as the fourth player will have the biggest advantage in settlements placement) Rule #12 When Second, Predict Last Placement (so that you block him, if possible) Rule #13 Free Road? Yes, Please (when placing your second settlement, if you manage to hold a spot with both wood and brick, in the very next turn you can build a road, no strings attached) Rule #14 Same Numbers Mean Feast or Famine (It is very important to keep the production constantly running at a steady pace) Trading Rule #15 Trade Before Building (Sometimes you can get a better deal and keep some of your resources, also if you build first, other players may not be too convinced to trade anymore) Rule #16 Trade Freely on Your Turn (you are who impose the trading rules in your turn, make as much benefit as possible) Rule #17 Trade Freely for Resources You Don’t Produce (More importantly with the resources you produce the most) Gameplay Rule #20 Track Who’s Going for Largest Army & Longest Road (have awareness of the board, and track development cards and resources allocations) Rule #21 Get to a Port (3-1 is good to any player, if you have a surplus of any resource, consider a specialized port) Rule #22 Largest Army is Better Than Longest Road (roads are easy to build, army on the other hand don´t, and knights serve as a deterrent to the thief) Rule #23 Table Talk Works (keep talking, and be friendly, try to agro other players on themselves) Rule #24 When Ahead, Buy Dev. Cards (protect yourself from the thief, manage to gain hidden points, or have a chance to gain the feared monopoly) Rule #25 Don’t Make Yourself a Target (don´t bully too much and, for example, if you are the only one with knights, try to not gain inmediately the largest army card) Rule #26 Know Your Win Condition(s) (check your placements, and other players conditions too) Rule #27 When Behind, Build Cities (you should produce to keep up with the others, also agro is not on you) Rule #28 Avoid Confrontations (self explanatory) Rule #29 Wood/Brick Player Should Take Risks (build roads to the most desirable places and try to build there first) Development Cards Rule #30 Use Knights Before Rolling (Except When Holding 7 Cards) (if you have a thief on you, there is a chance to roll on that number, you should move the thief away to prevent lose in resources, the exception being that if you roll a 7 afterwards, and you have 8 cards, you just shot yourself in the face) Rule #31 Save Monos for the End (where resources are most abundant, and more hurtful to steal, specially if someone [like you] needs them) Rule #32 Beware of Monos (do not shout what you have, try to spend often, and try to have many different resources if possible) Rule #34 Road Building? Plan Ahead (predict where other players will build) Rule #35 Use Invention for Rare Resources (very big and very small numbers are candidates for this) Rule #36 Don’t Take Army Too Early (don´t make yourself a target) Rule #41 Track Dev. Cards Remaining (and who has been buying them) Robber Rule #50 Block/Rob the Leader (specially if he goes before you) Rule #51 Unfair Robber? Play Tit for Tat (claim your stolen resources, drive the agro away from you) Rule #52 Block Resources You Produce (so that other players are forced to trade with you...or take a bad deal) Rule #53 Racing Someone? Rob Him & Block What He Needs to Win the Race (Not only you manage to win the race, you screw up the other player)
Some others, if you must trade, the player with the least points takes priority If someone is trading, try to participate, as you can gain benefits in other players turn If you have a knight, speak that you have a knight, if you don´t have one, still they other players that you have a knight Know the winning conditions of others and make sure to tell them that you know Sheep is the least powerful resource, unless you have a 2:1 port If you must choose between a town and a city, the city is far more important (unless the town blocks other players) You only have 4 cities, 5 towns and 15 roads, keep an eye on your side of the table You have a monopoly card? Time to keep a close eye on what the dice are rolling, and strike hard Road building development card serve 2 goals: to quicky expand and to block If you have a free 2 resources development card, try to use it only in an emergency When expanding, different numbers are a must to obtain
When ahead, you prefer to have the same numbers as other players; when behind, you prefer to be heavily invested in a different number. If the leader is gaining three resources on 9 and you're gaining two on 10, a third on 10 may be better than a first on 9.
Some rules I "stole" from Neonate
Placements
Rule #1 Ore Wins (Ore is used in building cities and development cards)
Rule #2 Production, Production, Production
(focus on different numbers, then resources, then development cards, then other bonuses)
Rule #3 No Wheat = Defeat
(Wheat is used in building towns, cities, and development cards)
Rule #4.1 Get All Five Resources, if Possible
(And if you can´t, stay near a tile and build there as soon as possible)
Rule #4.2 However, Ore/Wheat/Sheep Is Still Very Strong
(It is better to build cities, than building towns)
Rule #5 Think About Ports
(cheaper trades are invaluable in the mid-late game)
Rule #6.1 Good Ratio of Wood:Brick is 1:1
(both are used in roads an towns, and both cost one of each)
Rule #6.2 Good Ratio of Ore:Wheat:Sheep is 5:3:2
(ore is to be used in larger quantities, wheat is used in many things, but in low quantities, sheep is the least valuable resource as it is used only in building towns and development cards, it is common, and only used one at a time)
Rule #7 Point Roads to Coasts or Desert
(so that you don´t cross other players, ruining your strategy and planning)
Rule #8 Don’t Be Greedy (7-8pt Spots Will Be Contested, plan ahead)
Placements Cont’d.
Rule #10 When First, Check the Edges
(you should expand in those options in the early game, as the main placements are to be occupied pretty soon)
Rule #11 When Third, Take Rare Resources
(as the fourth player will have the biggest advantage in settlements placement)
Rule #12 When Second, Predict Last Placement
(so that you block him, if possible)
Rule #13 Free Road? Yes, Please
(when placing your second settlement, if you manage to hold a spot with both wood and brick, in the very next turn you can build a road, no strings attached)
Rule #14 Same Numbers Mean Feast or Famine
(It is very important to keep the production constantly running at a steady pace)
Trading
Rule #15 Trade Before Building
(Sometimes you can get a better deal and keep some of your resources, also if you build first, other players may not be too convinced to trade anymore)
Rule #16 Trade Freely on Your Turn (you are who impose the trading rules in your turn, make as much benefit as possible)
Rule #17 Trade Freely for Resources You Don’t Produce
(More importantly with the resources you produce the most)
Gameplay
Rule #20 Track Who’s Going for Largest Army & Longest Road
(have awareness of the board, and track development cards and resources allocations)
Rule #21 Get to a Port
(3-1 is good to any player, if you have a surplus of any resource, consider a specialized port)
Rule #22 Largest Army is Better Than Longest Road
(roads are easy to build, army on the other hand don´t, and knights serve as a deterrent to the thief)
Rule #23 Table Talk Works
(keep talking, and be friendly, try to agro other players on themselves)
Rule #24 When Ahead, Buy Dev. Cards
(protect yourself from the thief, manage to gain hidden points, or have a chance to gain the feared monopoly)
Rule #25 Don’t Make Yourself a Target
(don´t bully too much and, for example, if you are the only one with knights, try to not gain inmediately the largest army card)
Rule #26 Know Your Win Condition(s) (check your placements, and other players conditions too)
Rule #27 When Behind, Build Cities
(you should produce to keep up with the others, also agro is not on you)
Rule #28 Avoid Confrontations
(self explanatory)
Rule #29 Wood/Brick Player Should Take Risks
(build roads to the most desirable places and try to build there first)
Development Cards
Rule #30 Use Knights Before Rolling (Except When Holding 7 Cards)
(if you have a thief on you, there is a chance to roll on that number, you should move the thief away to prevent lose in resources, the exception being that if you roll a 7 afterwards, and you have 8 cards, you just shot yourself in the face)
Rule #31 Save Monos for the End
(where resources are most abundant, and more hurtful to steal, specially if someone [like you] needs them)
Rule #32 Beware of Monos
(do not shout what you have, try to spend often, and try to have many different resources if possible)
Rule #34 Road Building? Plan Ahead
(predict where other players will build)
Rule #35 Use Invention for Rare Resources
(very big and very small numbers are candidates for this)
Rule #36 Don’t Take Army Too Early
(don´t make yourself a target)
Rule #41 Track Dev. Cards Remaining
(and who has been buying them)
Robber
Rule #50 Block/Rob the Leader
(specially if he goes before you)
Rule #51 Unfair Robber? Play Tit for Tat
(claim your stolen resources, drive the agro away from you)
Rule #52 Block Resources You Produce
(so that other players are forced to trade with you...or take a bad deal)
Rule #53 Racing Someone? Rob Him & Block What He Needs to Win the Race (Not only you manage to win the race, you screw up the other player)
Some others, if you must trade, the player with the least points takes priority
If someone is trading, try to participate, as you can gain benefits in other players turn
If you have a knight, speak that you have a knight, if you don´t have one, still they other players that you have a knight
Know the winning conditions of others and make sure to tell them that you know
Sheep is the least powerful resource, unless you have a 2:1 port
If you must choose between a town and a city, the city is far more important (unless the town blocks other players)
You only have 4 cities, 5 towns and 15 roads, keep an eye on your side of the table
You have a monopoly card? Time to keep a close eye on what the dice are rolling, and strike hard
Road building development card serve 2 goals: to quicky expand and to block
If you have a free 2 resources development card, try to use it only in an emergency
When expanding, different numbers are a must to obtain
Nice.
What are monos? (rules 31-32)
Christian Desmarais monopoly
When ahead, you prefer to have the same numbers as other players; when behind, you prefer to be heavily invested in a different number. If the leader is gaining three resources on 9 and you're gaining two on 10, a third on 10 may be better than a first on 9.
This is mostly positive comments, quite rare!
Good information
My sister has played this a bunch and I’ve never played, but I challenged her and said I would win. I hope your strategies work!
Erik Benotti How did it go?
Thank you, this was really helpful 😊
Excellent video, I got a lot out of it. Thanks!
13:48 so it is DO defend you achievements after all
You rock Chris!
Good clear succint easy to follow video.
Am I crazy? or is he saying Dos and Dulks? Is that in inside joke Catan thing?
Thanks for the video! Just getting into this game myself!
May your games be filled with much victory and may the resources flow your way.
great vid vid
Dude I love you
Glad you found this helpful!
Three times, a stupid babu lost twice
ASMRy AF!!!!! Perfect!