Post originally by Leon Magdic at 2004-08-11 08:15:54
Converted from Phorums BB System

The Settlers of Catan Card Game – Rules for "BigMix" Set v2

Preparation / Setup
1. Both players gets Private.Dev.Stack that consists of 7 cards each: Church, Town Hall, Counting House, Metropolis, University, Scout, Castle.
2. Make BigMix of dev.cards (55 basic + 83 expansion set), suffle and form six equal expansion stacks.
3. Event Deck consists of 17 cards: 2xProgress, 2xConflict, 2xCivil War, 2xRaid, 3xPlague, 3xProductive Year, 1xBegging Monk, 1xPeasant Revolt, 1xYear End
4. Each player takes one free city and puts it on one of his two starting settlements (each player starts with 3 victory points)
5. Place all other stacks in their starting positions and roll the numbered die to see who goes first.
6. 1st player selects 3 cards from one expansion stack (without disturbing the order of the cards); 2nd player gets another stack

During Play Rules
• The player with the most Knight strength points is awarded the Knight token
• The player with the most Commerce points is awarded the Windmill token
• The first player with 20 VPs during his own turn is the winner if he has no mortgage debt.
• Each player must have 4+ VPs before an action card may be played (exception: Scout card).
• During the first two rounds of play ignore: Brigand Attack Event, Windmill Token Event and Plague Event.
• The Spy Action Card may not be used to steal any buildings.
• You may not force opponent to receive gold resource/region with any action card (Merchant, Trade Monopoly, Large Bazaar...)

Turn Sequence
1. Roll the Event and Production Dice simultaneously (exception: Alchemist)
• The result of the Event Die is applied to each player.
• The Production Die indicates which region(s) (in both principalities) produce an additional resource.
2. Perform any or all of the following actions (as often as desired, in any order, but only as permitted)
A. Play an action card (yellow text) – Each player must have 4+ VPs (exception: Scout card).
• The opponent may play a counter card in defense.
• If an action card causes a player’s hand limit to be exceeded, excess cards are discarded under expansion stacks.
• After an action card is played, it is removed from the game (put in discard stack).
B. Trade Resources
• A player may trade freely with his opponent.
• A player must have a region card with “room to spare” in order to receive traded resources.
• A player may trade between regions cards within his own principality at 3:1 ratio
• Some cards allows you 2:1 or 1:1 trade ratio (Trade Fleets, Gold Mint ...)
C. Build a Road – Roads may be built in the same turn as an adjacent Settlement or City.
D. Build a Settlement – Play the Scout card to select two cards from the region stack (which is then reshuffled).
E. Build a City – The Settlement card stays under the City.
F. a) Updgrade a City to Metropolis for free – you get 4 more units only slots.
b) Upgrade Metropolis to Megapolis for price like building a city – you get 4 normal city slots instead
G. Add an Expansion Card to a Settlement, City or Metropolis
H. Put building under mortgage. Flip over any building you own, it loses all abilities, get back resources –1. It is excluded from play in any way except it still uses expansion slot. You can't win if any building is under mortgage.
I. Reactivate building that was under mortgage. You must pay full construction cost (ignore cards: Mission, Crane ...)
J. Discard any expansion card from your own principality (not Embasy, Bordelo) to make room. You don't get any resources. Any housed card is discarded along with the building.
3. End of Turn – You replenish your hand, bringing your card total back to 3+ (for each Abbey, Library, University, Theater)
• If you already have maximum cards in your hand – you can return one under some of 6 expansion stacks.
• There are two ways of selecting card(s) to replenish:
a) select the top card from one of the six expansion stacks, or
b) pay any two resources to look through one of the expansion stacks for the card of your choice
• When replenishing, you can choose a card from yours Private.Dev.Stack instead any of six dev.stacks. You never touch the other Private.Dev.Stack (reserved for your opponent). You don't pay any resource(s), but can get only one such card per turn. When removed/destroyed, such cards is returned to Private Dev. Stack to which it belongs, so can be reused again (exception: Scout is removed after use).
• You can freely exchange/balance same resources between duplicated region cards (of same type) in your principality – in any way you wish.
• You may pay one grain resource to move one unit (Knight, Cannon, Trade Fleet, Pirate Fleet, Great Trade Fleet) to other valid position within your principality. You can move only one unit per turn.
• You may return any building or yellow card, from your principality to your hand (not Embasy, Bordelo; not units), without exceeding your hand maximum at any time. You can't return housed building, but if you have 2 cards bellow maximum you can first return housed card (not unit) and then building. You don't get any resources. To play such card again – play just like any other card (pay whatever you need, match requirements ...)


Other Rules
• When upgrading Metropolis to Megapolis you have total of 8 city slots. Rotate Metropolis card 90 left or right, to visually distinguish it from normal Metropolis, or use Citadel card to represent Megapolis.
• Shipyard costs 1 timber only (instead 1xTimber + 1xOre)
• Toll Station is played on a road – just like Treading Post.
• Watch Tower / Great Wall – instead of discard the Spy your opponent played – you take it, or counter use it.
• Castle reduces cost of each Knight by 2 resources, but never lower than 1 (have to pay at least 1 resource).
• Mission reduces cost of each Sacred building by 2 resources, but never lower than 1 resource.
• Peasants are immune to all Knight attacks (Black Knight, Lady Imelda, Bribe, Bordello...), but get +1 strength from Smithy
• Large Tournament Field – gives +1 tournament point like Tournament Field, plus text on the card
• Border Dispute – you can't force opponent to give you region that you already have duplicated
• Templar Fortress protects all knights, which cost is 4 or more resources
• If you play Arsonist on Bordello / Embassy, and destroy it – you take it in your hand
• Trade Center – you don't pay 3 Commerce points – just must have them on your Artisan, Distillery, Dye W.
• Produce Storehouse / Treasure Vault – can return stored resources to regions and back, always in pairs.
• Some buildings are mutualy exclusive – while you have one of them in your pricipality, immediately return the other to expansion stack. If you draw such card again, same rule apply.
Church Domain and Capital of the Republic are mutualy exclusive buildings.


Special Housing Rules
• Some buildings can house one other card. Such housed card don't take expansion slot, and stay there permanently. If building is destroyed, return housed card to player's hand along with the building.
While replenish you can return housed card to your hand (see End of Turn).
If yellow housed cards is target of Spy attack – player don't look opponent's hand.
While housing a yellow card in your principality, you must return all other copies of that card to expansion stack immediately, as well as any "similar" yellow card. If you draw such card again, same rule apply.
• Cathedral can house a Bishop – it stays there permanently and counters all attacks from Arsonist and Brigands as usual.
• Marketplace / Large Bazaar can house a Herb Woman – it stays there permanently and counters all Black Knight attacks as usual. Marketplace / Large Bazaar are mutualy exclusive buildings.
• Garrison / Great Wall can house one Knight or one Cannon (not both).
Cannon can be played on Garrison / Great Wall only – not standalone (need soldiers to handle).
• Templar Fortress can house one Knight, which cost is 4 or more resources.
(Minstrel, Otto, Falk, Ingo, Gotz, Roland, Karl) = 7 knights
• Castle can house one Knight, which cost is less than 4 resources.
(Siegfried, Richard, Hagen, Conrad, Lothar, Pippin, Bodo, Walter) = 8 knights
• Tournament Field / Large Tournament Field can house one Knight with 3 or more tournament points.
Housed Knight is immune to Black Knight and Civil War.
(Lothar, Pippin, Minstrel, Falk, Ingo, Roland) = 6 knights
• Harbor / Large Harbor / Lighthouse / Trade League can house one normal Trade Fleet (not Pirate Fleet). Housed Trade Fleet is protected from Pirate Fleet attack.
• Shipyard can house one normal Trade/Pirate Fleet. Fleet is vulnerable to all attacks.
• Merchant Guild / Mint / Trade Center can house a Merchant – balances all unfair commerce attacks against player to 1:1 ratio. Still opponent can force fair trade in style of Large Bazaar:
a) on Windmill event, if opponent has Windmill token he can force 1:1 trade (or 2:2 if has Bank Vault)
b) if opponent plays Spice Caravan / Merchant, he can force 1:1 or 2:2 trade
c) if opponent trades Commerce Point from Distillery, Dye Works, or Artisan Shop, he can force 1:1 trade
d) if opponent plays Trade Monopoly, he can force 1:1 , 2:2 or 3:3 trade
Note: You can house Trade Monopoly card instead (same as Merchant) – without need for Counting House
Merchant Guild and Mint are mutualy exclusive buildings. Merchant and Trade Monopoly are "similar" cards.
• Abbey can house a Doctor – on Plague Event pay 1-4 gold and choose 1-4 cities to protect.
• Town Hall can house a Mayor – protects your principality from following attacks:
a) Counter Brigands – just like Bishop but if you roll 4-6
b) on Spy – if you roll 5-6 Spy has no effect and is discarded
c) protects from playing Bordello in your principality, and if its already there counters its effect
d) if have Embassy in your principality, you don't need to show your cards to opponent anymore
e) on Raid Event against you – your opponent selects 4 buildings instead 3
• Palace / Capital of the Republic can house a Diplomat / Chancellor – while replenish (see End of Turn) you may pay 3 gold to use Diplomat / Chancellor to take 1 card of your choice from the discard pile. You can't exceed your hand maximum at any time. Palace and Capital of the Republic are mutualy exclusive buildings. Diplomat and Chancellor are "similar" cards.


Card Roster

You use following cards:

Base Set, all except: Master Builder

Trade & Change, all except: Calm Sea, Great Tournament, 2xPawnbroker, Horse Farm, Livery Stable, Robber Baron's Castle

Politics & Intrigue, all except: Good Neighbors, Religious Festival, Archivist, 2xCouncil Meeting, 2xExcommunication, Brewery, Secret Society

Knights & Merchants, all except: 2xInquisition

Science & Progress, all except: Progress, 2xPirate Fleet, Trade Academy



By: Leon Magdic, Zagreb (Lmagdic@usa.net)