Catan, perhaps one of the most popular strategy board games out there, is a game based on settling unclaimed land and gathering resources. There are five types of resources: Brick, lumber, ore, wool, and grain. In case you need a refresher on the rules, click this link: https://www.catan.com/service/game-rules. The game is a great family game that combines luck and skill. However, if you are a competitive player, then take a look at these two strategies to win the base game quickly.
Flash Settler: This strategy requires a bit of luck. Ideally, as you place your first two settlements and roads, and flip the hexes, they should not be next to a desert hex. In order for this strategy to work, your two settlements must grant you access to all five resources: lumber, brick, wool, grain, and ore. These are the materials for building roads, settlements, and cities. The numbers on the hexes next to your settlements that give you the resource production are important as well. If the numbers are 2, 12, 3, or 11, the speed at which you settle may be greatly impeded. Whenever you have enough resources for a road or a settlement, build them immediately. Remember that each settlement must be connected to a road. As you build your settlements, your access to the five resources should increase, and the next settlement you desire to build will be available faster. Once you have built ALL your settlements, start to upgrade them into cities. The settlements that you have built next to the ore-producing hex will aid you, as ore and grain are the essential materials for building cities. The exact cost is three ores and two grains. The first settlements that you must upgrade into cities are the ones next to the grain and ore hexes, as this will substantially boost the resource production of those hexes (x2). This will allow you to build cities faster. While this strategy seems complicated, it will win you the game quickly. IMPORTANT: If you do not have access to all five resources at the start, try to build one near the missing resource quickly.
Harbor Operator: This strategy is very different from the first. At the beginning, place one of your starter settlements on a corner of the board facing a harbor. This allows you to have early access to the port. The port will allow you to trade for the resource marked on its mast at a 2:1 rate or a 3:1 rate. If the resource marked on the mast is a question mark, that means you can take any resource for the 3:1 trade. If there is a specific resource marked on the mast, (e.g., grain) then you can take that resource for the 2:1 trade. If you are lucky, you will get the question mark 3:1 trade. This effectively allows you to get other resources that you could not otherwise produce, faster. Without this port, you would have to maritime trade, by trading four of the same resource for one of any resource (4:1). This is very costly and can cost you the game, so the harbor operator strategy helps with that. IMPORTANT: When using this strategy, ensure that the first thing you do when you get enough resources is build another settlement. Since the port is on one of the corners of the board, that settlement will only produce one resource.
In the end, there may be many strategies that I have missed, but these two strategies have shown to be reliable and easy to master. Happy playing!
Sources:
https://www.catan.com/faq/4627-settlements-and-cities-may-i-build-settlement-harbor-during-set-phase
https://www.catan.com/service/game-rules
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