[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":442},["ShallowReactive",2],{"game-en-rivals-for-catan":3,"overlays-en-rivals-for-catan":441},{"id":4,"title":5,"accent":6,"age":7,"backdrop":8,"bggUrl":9,"body":10,"categories":27,"components":8,"cover":31,"deepDive":32,"description":16,"duration":169,"extension":172,"faq":173,"industryLegend":8,"lastReviewed":199,"leaders":8,"locale":200,"manualUrl":201,"mechanics":202,"meta":206,"navigation":207,"path":208,"players":209,"publisher":211,"quickStart":212,"resourceLegend":8,"rulesVersion":400,"seo":401,"sourceFiles":402,"sourceNotes":404,"stem":405,"strategies":406,"summary":437,"videoLanguage":8,"videoUrl":8,"weight":438,"year":439,"__hash__":440},"games\u002Fen\u002Frivals-for-catan.md","Rivals for Catan","#B91C1C","10",null,"https:\u002F\u002Fboardgamegeek.com\u002Fboardgame\u002F66056\u002Frivals-for-catan",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":23},"minimark",[13,17,20],[14,15,16],"p",{},"Rivals for Catan turns the island into an engine duel: six regions that rotate, a\ndie that hands out resources and a rival growing at the same pace. The tension is\nin the rhythm, not in surprise.",[14,18,19],{},"Points come three ways: building (settlements and cities), holding the strength and\ntrade advantages, and not falling behind on either. The introductory game teaches\nthe skeleton; the theme sets add cards that reward specialising.",[14,21,22],{},"Because almost everything is paid with stored resources, the most common mistake is\nover-stacking: a saturated region is production thrown away.",{"title":24,"searchDepth":25,"depth":25,"links":26},"",2,[],[28,29,30],"Strategy","Card game","Civilisation","\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-for-catan\u002Fcover.webp",{"title":33,"intro":34,"phases":35},"Two principalities, one resource clock","You can already produce, trade and build. The duel is decided by regions filling up, by events that hit both players and by a race to ten or twelve points where advantages come and go.",[36,83,123],{"id":37,"label":38,"steps":39},"production","Regions that fill up",[40,55,69],{"title":41,"text":42,"images":43,"check":48},"Each region holds three at most","Regions store resources by rotating, up to a maximum of three. Anything produced beyond three is lost, so production is not unlimited income: it is a bucket you must empty. That changes the value of numbers: a 6 producing every turn in a full region is worth nothing, while a 4 in an empty region is still useful. Before rolling, check which regions are full and spend before piling up more.",[44],{"src":45,"alt":46,"label":47},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-catan\u002Fproduction.webp","Example of resource production: a 6 on the production die rotates the matching regions 90 degrees.","Resource production",{"question":49,"options":50,"answer":53,"explanation":54},"How many resources can one region hold at most?",[51,52],"Three","Five",0,"The card's orientation shows 0 to 3 resources; anything beyond is lost.",{"title":56,"text":57,"images":58,"check":63},"Gold starts behind","The gold field starts at zero while other regions start with one. It is the slowest resource to get going, which is why building on it or rotating it early is a tempo investment: leave it idle and your economy loses a region for the first rounds. In a short game, that gap can be the whole disadvantage.",[59],{"src":60,"alt":61,"label":62},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-catan\u002Forientation.webp","Region cards rotated to show 0, 1, 2 and 3 stored resources.","Resources on a region",{"question":64,"options":65,"answer":53,"explanation":68},"How much gold does the gold field start with?",[66,67],"Zero","One, like the others","Every region starts with one resource except gold, which starts at zero.",{"title":70,"text":71,"images":72,"check":77},"Region numbers change","Region cards have a number that can change during the game. Production is therefore not fixed: a region that produces on a 5 today may stop if the number changes. Do not build a whole plan around one number without a fallback; a sound economy produces on several numbers rather than depending on a single 6.",[73],{"src":74,"alt":75,"label":76},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-for-catan\u002Fguia-cartas-1.webp","Game cards face up in a fan, none covering another.","Cards",{"question":78,"options":79,"answer":53,"explanation":82},"What makes a region produce?",[80,81],"The production die's number","The event die","The production die marks which regions generate; the event die triggers events.",{"id":84,"label":85,"steps":86},"advantages","Events and advantages",[87,109],{"title":88,"text":89,"images":90,"check":103},"Events hit both players","The event die triggers a card that can affect both principalities, not just you. Reading the event deck becomes strategic information: if you know what is left, you can prepare for what is coming. An event that destroys resources or closes a region can ruin a plan built on hoarding; building with margin and not leaving resources unused is your best defence against event luck.",[91,95,99],{"src":92,"alt":93,"label":94},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-catan\u002Fevent-deck.webp","Rulebook diagram for assembling the event deck with the Yule card in the middle.","Assembling the event deck",{"src":96,"alt":97,"label":98},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-for-catan\u002Fguia-dados-1.webp","Dice in the foreground with the relevant face showing.","Dice",{"src":100,"alt":101,"label":102},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-for-catan\u002Fguia-recursos-1.webp","A separate pile for each resource, all clearly visible.","Resources",{"question":104,"options":105,"answer":53,"explanation":108},"Who can an event card affect?",[106,107],"Both players","Only the player who draws it","Events can hit both principalities at once.",{"title":110,"text":111,"images":112,"check":117},"Advantages can be lost","The hero token and the commerce token are worth a point each, but only while you keep three or more strength or commerce and more than your rival. They are not permanent points: they are a race that can change hands. Investing in strength is therefore not only about the token, it is also about taking it from your rival. If you build advantages, build them with enough margin to survive a bad turn.",[113],{"src":114,"alt":115,"label":116},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-catan\u002Fadvantages.webp","Strength and trade advantage diagrams with the hero token and the trade token.","Advantage tokens",{"question":118,"options":119,"answer":53,"explanation":122},"When do you lose the hero token?",[120,121],"When you no longer have three strength and more than your rival","Only if the rival buys it","Tokens stay while the condition holds; otherwise they return to the centre.",{"id":124,"label":125,"steps":126},"race","The race to ten or twelve",[127,141,155],{"title":128,"text":129,"images":130,"check":135},"Cities are the points engine","Each settlement is worth one point and each city two, and cities also open more building sites and improve production. The race is not about many cheap settlements but about turning the ones you have into cities and using their sites for upgrades. A principality with two cities beats one with four settlements, and produces more too.",[131],{"src":132,"alt":133,"label":134},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-catan\u002Fbuilding-sites.webp","Rulebook example showing an additional building site next to a settlement.","Building sites",{"question":136,"options":137,"answer":53,"explanation":140},"How many points is a city worth?",[138,139],"Two","One","A settlement is one point and a city two, plus more building sites.",{"title":142,"text":143,"images":144,"check":149},"You can swap a card, not play it","At the end of your turn you may swap one card for another from a draw pile, but the swapped card cannot be used until next turn. The swap is a future investment, not an immediate fix: swap when your plan spans several rounds, not when you need a card now. If the swap will not arrive in time, discarding and drawing more is better.",[145],{"src":146,"alt":147,"label":148},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-catan\u002Fexchange.webp","Diagram of exchanging a card in hand for the top card of a draw stack.","Exchanging a card",{"question":150,"options":151,"answer":53,"explanation":154},"When can you play the card you swapped?",[152,153],"On your next turn","In the same action phase","The swapped card waits a turn before it can be played.",{"title":156,"text":157,"images":158,"check":163},"Ten or twelve: count your sources","The introductory game ends at ten points and themed games at twelve, with the princes' duel at thirteen. That difference changes the rhythm: at twelve there is time for a second city and for fighting over tokens; at ten, the race is shorter and immediate points matter more. Before starting, check the limit and decide whether your plan is slow economy or fast pressure.",[159],{"src":160,"alt":161,"label":162},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-for-catan\u002Fguia-fichas-1.webp","Game tokens grouped by type, each detail visible.","Tokens",{"question":164,"options":165,"answer":53,"explanation":168},"How many points is the introductory game played to?",[166,167],"Ten","Twelve","The introductory game goes to ten; themed games to twelve.",{"min":170,"max":171},30,60,"md",[174,178,181,185,188,192,195],{"category":175,"question":176,"answer":177},"setup","Can I start with the expansions?","You can, but the manual recommends the introductory game first and then the theme sets, since each adds cards with requirements.",{"category":175,"question":179,"answer":180},"What are the theme sets?","Three card sets (Gold, Turmoil and Progress) that replace part of the basic deck and change the feel of the game. The Duel of the Princes mixes all three.",{"category":182,"question":183,"answer":184},"turn","Can I trade several times in a turn?","Yes, trading costs no actions: you can make as many 3:1 exchanges (or 2:1 with a trade ship) as your resources allow.",{"category":182,"question":186,"answer":187},"When do I draw or exchange a card?","At the end of the turn, after the action phase: refill up to your hand limit and optionally swap one card for another from a draw stack.",{"category":189,"question":190,"answer":191},"special","What does the event die do?","It triggers an event card that resolves immediately. Some events hit both players, such as the brigand attack or the celebration.",{"category":189,"question":193,"answer":194},"What are progress points for?","Each progress point on your buildings raises your hand limit by one. Hero skill points are used by the celebration event.",{"category":196,"question":197,"answer":198},"end","What if both players reach the target at once?","That cannot happen: the game ends on the turn of whoever reaches the target, without waiting for the other player.","2026-10-23","en","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.catan.com\u002Frivals-catan",[203,204,205,98],"Resource management","Engine building","Hand management",{},true,"\u002Fen\u002Frivals-for-catan",{"min":25,"max":25,"best":210},[25],"Kosmos",{"pitch":213,"pitchCheck":214,"setup":218,"turn":291,"mistakes":365,"winning":393,"winningCheck":394},"Rivals for Catan is a two-player duel: each player builds a principality with six regions producing lumber, wool, gold, brick, ore and grain. On your turn you roll the production die — every region showing that number gives you one resource, stored by rotating the card up to a maximum of three — and the event die, which triggers an event card. Then, in the action phase, you play cards and trade to build roads, settlements and cities or to place improvements. The first to reach the victory point target wins: ten in the introductory game and twelve in the theme games. Each settlement is worth one point and each city two, and the strength and trade tokens add one more point to whoever holds them.",{"question":215,"options":216,"answer":53,"explanation":217},"How many resources can one region store?",[51,52],"Each region stores between 0 and 3 resources; anything beyond that is lost.",[219,236,249,259,271,281],{"text":220,"images":221,"check":231},"Each player builds their principality: two settlements joined by a road, with the six regions around them (forest, pasture, gold field, hills, mountains and fields). At the start every region holds one resource except the gold field.",[222,226,227],{"src":223,"alt":224,"label":225},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-catan\u002Fprincipality.webp","Region and settlement cards forming the starting principality in the Rivals for Catan rulebook.","Starting principality",{"src":60,"alt":61,"label":62},{"src":228,"alt":229,"label":230},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-for-catan\u002Fguia-losetas-1.webp","Tiles laid out and legible, artwork and number visible.","Tiles",{"question":232,"options":233,"answer":53,"explanation":235},"How many resources does each region start with?",[234,51],"One, except the gold field","All start with one except gold, which starts at zero.",{"text":237,"images":238,"check":243},"Between the two principalities place the face-up road, settlement and city stacks, the facedown region deck and the separate basic set draw stacks.",[239],{"src":240,"alt":241,"label":242},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-catan\u002Fstacks.webp","Setup diagram with the road, settlement and city stacks, the region deck and the draw stacks between the principalities.","Central stacks",{"question":244,"options":245,"answer":53,"explanation":248},"Where do the building stacks go?",[246,247],"Between the two principalities","Beside the score track","The central stacks sit within reach of both players.",{"text":250,"images":251,"check":253},"Build the event deck: three cards face down, the Yule card on top and the rest above it. Shuffle and keep it beside the other stacks.",[252],{"src":92,"alt":93,"label":94},{"question":254,"options":255,"answer":53,"explanation":258},"How is the event deck built?",[256,257],"With the Yule card under the rest","Without the Yule card","The Yule card ends up under the rest of the deck.",{"text":260,"images":261,"check":267},"Roll a die each: the highest starts and draws three cards from one draw stack. The other player draws three from a different stack.",[262,266],{"src":263,"alt":264,"label":265},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-catan\u002Fhands.webp","Diagram of drawing the three top cards from a draw stack into your hand.","Starting hands",{"src":96,"alt":97,"label":98},{"question":268,"options":269,"answer":53,"explanation":270},"How many cards does each player draw at the start?",[51,52],"The starting hand is three cards from one draw stack.",{"text":272,"images":273,"check":277},"Check your region numbers: each one shows a number from 1 to 6 and that roll activates it. Numbers can change during the game.",[274],{"src":60,"alt":275,"label":276},"Region cards showing how their orientation marks 0 to 3 stored resources.","Region numbers and orientation",{"question":78,"options":278,"answer":53,"explanation":280},[279,81],"The production die number","The production die marks which regions produce.",{"text":282,"images":283,"check":285},"Keep the hero token (axe) and trade token (scales) in view: they are gained with three strength or commerce points and are worth one victory point.",[284],{"src":114,"alt":115,"label":116},{"question":286,"options":287,"answer":53,"explanation":290},"What does three strength give you?",[288,289],"The hero token","The trade token","With three strength and more than the rival you take the hero token.",[292,304,315,341,352],{"title":293,"text":294,"images":295,"check":298},"Roll production and event","Roll both dice. Every region of yours matching the production die produces one resource: rotate the card 90° counter-clockwise. The event die tells you which event card resolves.",[296,297],{"src":45,"alt":46,"label":47},{"src":74,"alt":75,"label":76},{"question":299,"options":300,"answer":53,"explanation":303},"How do you show that a region produced a resource?",[301,302],"Rotating the card 90° towards you","Placing a token on it","The orientation of the region shows how many resources it stores, from 0 to 3.",{"title":305,"text":306,"images":307,"check":309},"Play cards","Cards with a green box are settlement or city expansions: pay for them and place them on a free building site. Cards with a yellow box are action cards: resolve immediately and discard.",[308],{"src":132,"alt":133,"label":134},{"question":310,"options":311,"answer":53,"explanation":314},"Where do settlement or city expansions go?",[312,313],"On a free building site next to your settlement or city","Under a region card","Each settlement offers two building sites; cities add more.",{"title":316,"text":317,"images":318,"check":335},"Trade and build","You may always trade 3 resources for 1 of any type; with a trade ship the rate improves to 2 for 1 of the resource it names. Resources buy roads, settlements and cities from the central stacks.",[319,323,327,331],{"src":320,"alt":321,"label":322},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-catan\u002Ftrade.webp","Regular exchange example: pay 3 ore from two regions and take 1 wool.","Trading resources",{"src":324,"alt":325,"label":326},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-for-catan\u002Fguia-barco-1.webp","Ships on the board, each bow pointing at the space it moves to.","Ships",{"src":328,"alt":329,"label":330},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-for-catan\u002Fguia-via-1.webp","A complete track section with both ends visible.","Track",{"src":332,"alt":333,"label":334},"\u002Fimages\u002Fgames\u002Frivals-for-catan\u002Fguia-edificio-1.webp","Building pieces assembled on their base.","Buildings",{"question":336,"options":337,"answer":53,"explanation":340},"What is the basic trade rate?",[338,339],"3 resources for 1","2 resources for 1","Without a trade ship the rate is 3:1; a trade ship improves it to 2:1.",{"title":342,"text":343,"images":344,"check":346},"Refill your hand and exchange a card","At the end of the action phase, draw or discard up to your hand limit and you may exchange one card for another from a draw stack. Exchanged cards cannot be used until your next turn.",[345],{"src":146,"alt":147,"label":148},{"question":347,"options":348,"answer":53,"explanation":351},"Can you use the card you just exchanged?",[349,350],"No, wait for your next turn","Yes, in the same action phase","The exchanged card stays in hand but can only be played next turn.",{"title":353,"text":354,"images":355,"check":359},"Check the advantages","With three or more strength points and more than your rival, take the hero token; with three or more commerce points and more than your rival, take the trade token. Each token is worth one victory point and is lost if you stop meeting the condition.",[356],{"src":114,"alt":357,"label":358},"Hero token and trade token diagrams, each worth one victory point.","Hero and trade tokens",{"question":360,"options":361,"answer":53,"explanation":364},"How much is each advantage token worth?",[362,363],"One victory point","Two victory points","The hero token and the trade token are worth one point each.",[366,375,384],{"title":367,"text":368,"check":369},"Stacking more than three resources","A region cannot hold more than three resources. Producing into a full region wastes the resource, so spend before it saturates.",{"question":370,"options":371,"answer":53,"explanation":374},"What happens if you produce in a region already holding three?",[372,373],"The resource is lost","It goes to a separate reserve","The cap is three per region; the excess is not stored.",{"title":376,"text":377,"check":378},"Building without a road","A new settlement can only go at the open end of a road. Build the road first, and there is always exactly one road between two settlements.",{"question":379,"options":380,"answer":53,"explanation":383},"What do you need before building a new settlement?",[381,382],"A road to place it against","A city next to it","The settlement sits at the open end of a road.",{"title":385,"text":386,"check":387},"Forgetting advantages can be lost","The strength and trade tokens are not permanent: if your rival overtakes you or you drop below three points, the token changes hands or goes back to the table. Recheck after every build.",{"question":388,"options":389,"answer":53,"explanation":392},"Are advantage tokens permanent?",[390,391],"No, they move when strength or commerce changes","Yes, once gained they are kept","You lose the token as soon as you no longer have three points and more than your rival.","You win by reaching the victory point target during your turn: ten in the introductory game and twelve in the theme games, with the Duel of the Princes at thirteen. Each settlement is one point, each city two, and the hero and trade tokens one each. If you reach the target before rolling the dice, the game ends right then.",{"question":395,"options":396,"answer":53,"explanation":399},"When does the game end?",[397,398],"When a player reaches the point target on their turn","When the building cards run out","The game ends as soon as someone reaches the target during their turn.","EN rulebook (Kosmos, 2010), basic game and theme sets",{"title":5,"description":16},[403],"reglamentos-pdf\u002Frivals_for_catan_rules_200309.pdf","The PDF includes the introductory game, the three theme sets (Gold, Turmoil, Progress) and the Duel of the Princes. This page focuses on the common rules.","en\u002Frivals-for-catan",[407,411,414,417,421,424,427,431,434],{"level":408,"title":409,"text":410},"beginner","Spend before you overflow","A region at three resources wastes the next production. Turn those resources into roads or improvements.",{"level":408,"title":412,"text":413},"Road before settlement","A settlement without a road cannot be placed. Plan the pair of builds one turn ahead.",{"level":408,"title":415,"text":416},"Watch your hand limit","At the end of your turn you cannot exceed your hand limit: play cards or discard. Progress points raise that limit.",{"level":418,"title":419,"text":420},"intermediate","Chase the trade advantage","Three commerce points give a victory point and better exchange rates. It is the easiest advantage to hold early.",{"level":418,"title":422,"text":423},"Do not hand over strength","If your rival piles up axes, match or pass their number: every token you leave them is a point you will not easily recover.",{"level":418,"title":425,"text":426},"City before expansion","A city is worth two points and adds building sites. It often beats founding another settlement far away.",{"level":428,"title":429,"text":430},"advanced","Read the event deck","Knowing which events remain tells you whether to hoard resources or spend them before a celebration or a brigand attack.",{"level":428,"title":432,"text":433},"Manage your region numbers","Cards that change region numbers alter your production. Place them thinking about the rolls that come up most at your table.",{"level":428,"title":435,"text":436},"Close with a double build","If you can build twice in one turn, the second build can be the point that wins the game. Save resources for that final push.","A duel of two principalities: produce resources, build settlements and cities, and reach the victory point target first.",2.3,"2010","8hrhBABCMIsUBp8OCp92NstjJiVs5JBFlzsa09c8ZaI",[],1792930450095]