Catan Two Player Rules

My wife and I love Catan! There have been many nights (mostly before kids) that we would play Catan for hours. Below are the Catan two player rules that we developed and refined over years of play. 

I should mention that we really enjoy the world-building aspect of Catan gameplay. As such, the rules emphasize expansion and development more than quick wins. Even with the focus on expansive gameplay, there is still a level of competition that keeps the game interesting. Each game will last between an hour to an hour and a half.

I hope you enjoy this two-player Catan variant!

 

 

Requirements:

• Settlers of Catan base game
• Extra set of dice

Recommended:

• 5-6 Player Expansion 
• Additional hexes and borders to make a really gigantic map

Setup:

Build the map as you would in a regular game of Catan. We prefer building a large map, usually using at least the hexes from the 5-6 player expansion, although often times even more expansive.

Each player chooses two colors to play. For this variant of Catan, the two colors are counted as the same color. For example, if you are playing red and blue, you could place a red road followed by an attached blue road, which would count as a connected road. If you have multiple sets of the Catan base game, you could use two sets of the same color.

The game starts with the placement of three settlements each. The winner of the previous match (Player 1) places the first settlement and connecting road. If this is your first match, roll a single die and the highest number places first (Player 1). Player 2 places their first settlement and road followed by their second settlement and road. Player 1 places their second and third, and Player 2 places their third.

Players collect cards from the placement of their choice.

The Hand Limit for this game is 9 instead of the standard 7.

Gameplay:

Player 1 goes first, rolling two sets of dice. The red and yellow dice that came with Catan are resolved first, followed immediately by the second set. For example, if you roll an 8 (4 + 4) with the red and yellow dice and a 7 (6 + 1) with the other set. Collect the cards for the 8, then immediately resolve the 7.

Otherwise, the gameplay is the same as standard Catan. 

Ending the Game:

This is where you really see the emphasis on world building. Gameplay continues in this variant until a player can no longer expand. This may be triggered when a player places all their settlements and cities from both sets of pieces. Additionally, the end may be triggered when a player is entirely cut off and unable to build elsewhere. 

Once the end is triggered, count up all the points to see who wins!