(Start with post number 1 and just move forward, skipping the occasional posts that arent about the card game.). (The Mint allows you to trade Gold for any one other resource once a turn.). During your build phase, it costs you any 2 resources of your choice less to build 1 road, 1 settlement, or 1 city. Other OGers seem to think its a long game, but I remember it as an hour or so. Even if you are already familar with the previous game, you should still read all of these instructions. Further customization outside of the game's parameters? Separation of the city cards from the settlement cards was the one that really caught my eye. Replace it with another building and pay the difference of the building costs in gold. Maybe youd like me to be more specific about how much playing time reduction were seeing so far maybe not. I was never happy neither with the square format of the cards nor with their size. You can also discard one of your current cards in exchange for a new one from the deck. If you placed Arnd adjacent to one of your gold fields, instead of taking 1 gold you may rotate the other adjacent region to the next higher level when the number of the gold field is rolled. (Although forms of them appear in the Theme decks, they tend to be slightly less effective and/or have prerequisites before you can play them.). . Included with the base game are three theme sets, "The Era of Gold", "The Era of Turmoil", and "The Era of Progress", with each expansion of The Rivals of Catan containing additional theme sets. In addition, the Tournament Game is introduced. People with the boardgame mindset might feel that spending resources towards learning the decks or choosing cards are resources taken away from building. Rivals of Catan Themed Set: Era of Gold - YouTube Follow along and learn the ways of the Era of Gold! All rights reserved. Become prince of Catan! If the new expansion is likewise streamlines and works together more seamlessly, then into the trade bin with the old. There are plenty of rules to this game that you will have to figure out by playing along or by checking out the Rivals for Catan instruction guide. Rivals for CATAN puts you in charge of one of the two factions developing newly-settled CATAN. Rivals for Catan Deluxe is the perfect way for 2 players to settle and develop the ever-mysterious and fantastic land of Catan. This is basic human psychology: one is less willing to trade resources with somebody when he knows exactly what his opponent owns, and can speculate about what he can use them towards. there are two new Action cards that both speed up the game: Goldsmith (which allows a player to trade 3 gold for any 2 resources) and Relocation (which allows a player to rearrange within limits! When you use Axel, a Building Crane does not give you any further discount. In the set The Era of Gold, the struggle for the trade advantage becomes more intense, . If you lose resources as a result of an action card played by your opponent, you may pay 1 gold and roll the die. It starts at a 3:1 ratio, and drops to 2:1 when one builds a ship in his principality. Rivals For Catan was launched in both English and German in late 2010. the addition of the Large Trade Ship (allowing you to trade 2:1 with goods on adjacent regions) gives yet another way to convert resources in something you can use and add another Trade point to your kingdom. Therefore, all action cards will be able to be used from the beginning of the game unlike in the original card game. for Knights/Heroes) and the card mix is different (both up & down). Either way, here it is: For those of you who are interested in seeing how Herr Teuber designed the original card game then progressed forward to what we have now, there is an excellent series of blog posts (8 of them!) The designer of the game, Klaus Teuber, has stated that he completely reworked many of the original . I wonder how much of the streamlining of the new version can be incorporated into the old version? Unfortunately, there are two major bugs that will frustrate users pretty badly. Please note: The special cards presented here are only intended for use with the gameRivals for CATAN. There are no resource cards like in the boardgames of Catan. Components. Plus, you dont have to bug your friends to get together every week for a game of Catan. Both players benefit from the result of the Production die. The designer of the game, Klaus Teuber, has stated that he completely reworked many of the original card game's mechanics to make it easier for newcomers to play the game. In addition, the letters on the cards are rather small. Ive been playing the Settlers of Catan Card Game since the original German release I bought my copy in the summer of 1997. Players may also build expansions in their settlements that aid them in various ways, or upgrade their settlements to cities to allow more expansions to be built. (The Marketplace also makes the who can build settlements first? race less powerful, as the player with a smaller kingdom can leech off the rolls of the other player. Some may not like the luck element involved and have a dice allergy. FUN ADVENTURE CARD GAME: Use gold, resource combinations, and trade to develop your domain. For example, if you have a grain mill, place it adjacent to a field resource. That should: a) get you back in the swing of the system If the event is Celebration: Heiko wins the swimming contest and gets your settlers excited. Knights"The Settlers of Catan board game expansion. The other is that you cant save your game and then exit the app. I think The Rivals For Catan is a definite buy for those who: Doug Garretts Opinion (1 play) Shelley and I used to play this games predecessor a lot back when we first got into the hobby in 2001until Starship Catan supplanted it. Such options did not exist with the older The Settlers of Catan Card Game. By means of this card, Klaus Teuber thanks Ron Magin for many years of successful collaboration. From there on, the differences between it and the Catan boardgames are significant, and I am not going to repeat them again. Blurb from the publisher: 'Rivals for Catan: Deluxe puts you in charge of one of the two factions developing newly-settled Catan. I read all the instrustion and can not find the value of gold in this game? Now players draw their hand back up to the limit (or discard down, but that rarely happens) then are given the option to trade one card with the draw piles. Yet, for a game I claim to enjoy (I recently put it at #90 in my personal list of top 100 games over on my blog), I dont play it very much. The lack of more engaged player interaction starts becoming an issue after a few plays. Another example: players may now change one card free of charge at the end of their turn. The action card has the following function: Your treasures have been recounted in your favor. Event Die. The Base Game (Rivals) Inconsistency: Page 13. Will you prevail or be ransacked? Its not a bad game and my younger son loves it, so its certainly doing something right. Mayfair Games MFG3132 Rivals of Catan - Era of Darkness Expansion. and the Age of Gold (60 min.). If you won a Town Hall, you can take 2 resources or select 2 cards from a draw stack. The Shipbuilder reduces the building costs of ships. Not a bit. Players pick cards from their deck and play what they can from their hand. The title of this card is Arnd, the Fisherman. Use your cunning! Fortunately, there are hostels on Catan that offer traveling merchants excellent room and board. Resources are kept in the regions themselves, and each region may store up to three of the resource they produce; if it subsequently produces more resources, any excess are lost. A good strategy involves placing building cards in ideal locations. Free-to-play action cards also exist. But I see the new version getting a place on the shelf just because it will be easier to get it played. the Basic game (no city cards to 7 points) really is a 30 minute game and while its not a particularly fulfilling way to play. If the Polyglot is on your side, one time during your turn you may trade a resource for another resource 1:1, provided that the region your resource comes from has a total of three resources. Instead, the resource tile is turned, showing how many items of a certain resource a player has. Rather than attempt to explain the game play in detail, Im going to try to do a comparative review for those of you whove played the original game & wonder if the new game is worth plopping down a double sawbuck. 1x during your opponent's turn, they may ask you a question. Most improvements cost resources to play, but have a lasting effect on the game. ABBEY is bere; lots [ding MARKETPLACE If a is that on than I PARISH HALL 1 for draw Stack. the regions in his kingdom for maximum benefit). It was always quite annoying to draw in the Colossus of Catan when you were after a Garrison or a fleet. No other Catan product is necessary to play this game, which is a card game reinterpretation of the famous boardgame. The game takes place in Catan, the setting behind the enormously successful and widely celebrated Catan game line, it is not however a part of it. (It does not, however, keep your little sister out of your bedroom.). Never the same, this casual card game is perfect for couples, families, or any pair of friends who want to explore Catan.'. We are all friends in Catan, until we aren't. It comes with all three decks and the ability to play the Duel of the Princes. In addition to the 20-page English Game Rules that can be found on the publisher's website free of charge, Rivals for Catan: Deluxe also contains the following: 189 cards (one basic set of 94 cards, The Era of Gold with 27 cards, The Era of Turmoil with 28 cards, The Era of Progress with 31 cards, 9 Rivals for Catan Deluxe Special Promo cards), 4 Card Trays, one Hero Token, one Trade Token, one Production die, and one Event die. This is an absolute must for new players to the game. Even playing the Duel of the Princes version of the game (which uses all three Theme decks) only takes the card count up to 74 cards (since you remove 12 cards from each Theme deck). These eras are known as "The Era of Gold," "The Era of Turmoil," and "The Era of Progress. Im really not sure you could easily port the draw to full then exchange rule. The artwork is cool and inspiring. Determine CATANs spiritual balance! the Duel of the Princes game we played (only one so far must remedy that!) At a Celebration event, Heiko supports you when building a street, settlement or city. The setThe Era of Progressis more peaceful again; if you rely on the University, cards such as Three-Field System or Mineral Mining allow you to enjoy the fruits of progress and leave your opponent behind. 1-3: Demand 1 resource from your opponent; if he leads, you may demand another 1 from him. My one complaint is the uselessness of the box insert but thats becoming SOP for lots of games. You can use the card with the theme set The Era of Gold. It will be ultimately judged by your attraction to games bordering on multi-player solitaires. The Rivals for Catan was released in German in September of 2010, on the 15th anniversary of the original card game. If you assign the two bookkeepers to your princely treasury, you'll be pleased to find out that your treasures are more valuable than you thought. Once a player is finished with his actions, he replenishes his hand to his personal maximum. By means of this card, Klaus Teuber thanks Heiko Windfelder for many years of successful collaboration. Thus, try to be the guy that builds five settlements. Choose an action: Take 1 resource or select a specific card from a draw stack. Throughout the game, players seek to expand their principality, scoring victory points for various features. With the card, Klaus Teuber thanks Michael Fleissner for the good cooperation. It provides more entertainment, more options, while at the same time making things feel more fluid. The new building replaces the removed building and, therefore, must be placed at the same location. In my next blog post, I will present the cards and rules of the first Theme Game "The Era of Gold." Klaus Teuber I will say that if you had issues with the original game beyond the length, you will probably still have them, but if like me you wanted something faster, then the reboot is worth checking out. The only reason behind it is the fact that the resource cards must pivot. Gameplay: Each player tries to develop his personal, nine-card principality that extends before him. The easy-to-play Introductory GameThe First Catanianstakes about 30 minutes and is exclusively played with the cards of the Basic Set. (I think this may be the same game as Kosmos February 2011 release, Die Siedler von Catan Das schnelle Kartenspiel. Examples of Event cards include gaining or losing resources when certain preconditions are met, tampering with the opponent's hand etc. Doesnt that help? But, if you play through the entire tutorial, you will get the hang of things pretty fast. Substance: 4 (Meaty) Commerce Token. A Religious Dispute causes both players to lose cards. Just shuffle your eyes onto the next paragraph. You do not start with gold, so your, (buildings or units), one above and one below the. Settlements count for one point (meaning that the players start with 2 points already each), cities count for two, while the Hero token and the Trade token add a victory point each. Shameless plug: for more gaming news and content (including, for example, pictures of Rivals For Catan Deluxe that I am unfortunately not able to upload on RPG.net for the time being), and to better keep track of my reviews, subscribe to my Antonios S facebook and twitter page. You will be able to figure out the games mechanics without needing the how-to guide. We have collected important questions and answers about Rivals for CATAN. The game's designer, Klaus Teuber, said at the time that he had completely reworked the mechanics of this strategy based game to make it easier for newcomers. The corners of the cards may, therefore, have a slightly different curve radius than the standard cards. Cards in The Rivals for Catan are organized into "Theme Sets", which broadly follow the progression of time on Catan. If you have enough resources, there will be a check mark at the bottom right corner. You can use these special hostel cards as an addition to the Rivals for CATAN introductory game and when playing the theme games. In addition to Skill and Progress, the game also counts points relating to Strength and Trade Advantage. The hand management rules changes Mark mentioned really seem to speed up the development of your kingdom leading to shortened playtime. A player may use his Resources to play cards from his hand. I got the English version later and came to the very same conclusion. Spread it out for you in a nutshell? They are a simple idea, yet they offer much to the game. citiesyoull learn how to do this later. If you dont, there will be a question mark instead. A little trickier would be separating the original deck into basic & theme sections. If you have registered for a Big Game or would like to participate in the next Big Game, in addition to the resources you receive as a result of the production roll you also receive the same resources your opponent obtained. Both are also divided into Buildings and Units, and units are further subdivided into Heroes and Ships. This Rivals for CATAN expansion includes three new Theme Sets, The Era of Intrigue, The Era of Merchant Princes, and The Era of Barbarians, which add more variation to the existing game. You do not lose any resources. In the Catan Card Game, you were only able to exchange if you had a full hand at the end of your turn. In the following blog posts, Klaus Teuber reports on the background to the revision and introduces the new illustrations of the cards. In addition to these cards there are also cards like Brick Factories, Weaver's Shops, Abbey's etc. At the beginning of the game players may draft their starting hand from a deck, as well as rearrange their regions free of charge. Use gold, response combinations, and trade to develop your domaine. The game was released in 2010. There is another set of cards planned for the game in 2012, The Golden Age. If the removed building costs more than the new building, no gold is refunded. However, Ill be holding on to my old set with the expansions ***until the expansion for Rivals comes out***. First, the 'wall' between the two players is even more pronounced. Acquire resources through card play and the luck of the dice. The game has always tended towards being overly long rarely clocking in at less than two hours and sometimes reaching the three hour mark. Not sure if that will translate into enjoying The Rivals of Catan but Id certainly recommend giving it a try! A picture of Heiko Windfelder, the Publishing Director Toys at Kosmos Verlag, was used as a model for the card. The game was released in 2010. These cards are key to each deck (they are often prerequisites for building/playing other cards). ), in the original game, the Town Hall is a City (red) building and its search a deck for 1 resource power was more difficult to bring into play. T he game you are holding in your hands is the completely revised new edition of the "Catan Card Game," first published in Germany in 1996. Intra-player trade is non-existent. Thanks for the overview. This aggravates the very serious multiplayer solitaire issues that the game faces. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NOT FOUND IN THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THIS REVIEW (courtesy of W. Eric Martin & BGN on BGG): * Dark Times are looming for the Rivals of Catan. In fact, plan ahead to plan two games: the Introductory Game (30 min.) . Additionally, once youve familiarized yourself with the individual themed decks, you can play the Duel of the Princes, which includes cards from all three themes. In contrast to the Catan boardgames, this is conducted exclusively with the bank and not with your opponent. Play the entire thing. There are less turns spent simply waiting for enough resources to build an important card instead, you have a variety of choices in how to manipulate what you have. Explore and settle new lands. In Lost Cities, you attempt to build runs through the judicious discarding & hoarding of various cards, sometimes holding a card in your hand just to keep it away from your opponent. If the expansion for Rivals doesnt do a better job integrating with the first set than the old expansion did , Ill keep my old set and go back to it. Pingback: Rivals for Catan Extended Review Part 1: Introduction & Overview Mind of the Mindful Reviews. Because of the CATAN - Big Game Event at Gen Con and of the games fair in Essen that year, an additional special card was produced. Use gold, resource combinations, and trade to develop your domain. It was a follow-on from the original card game Settlers Of Catan which was released 15 years earlier in 1995. This game is played to 7 victory points and includes 36 Expansion Cards in four stacks. InThe Era of Turmoil,Traitors, Archers, and Arsonists make the competition between you and your opponent a little tougher. 180 Cards. Requires: Town Hall. The CATANcard gamewas relaunched in autumn 2010 in both content and graphically revised version entitled The Rivals forCATAN. (And Ive got most of the Settlers expansions: Seafarers, Cities & Knights, Das Buch, the HIstorical Boxes, 4-5 of the Essen giveaway maps, etc.) As with the original Catan Card Game, players can also play the Tournament Game, in which each player chooses specific cards to build their deck ahead of time from which they draw from during the game. Knight . Unless your opponent does something that requires your attention, there is a bit of downtime during turns. If due to bad luck or any other reason your opponent builds six settlements, you might as well concede the game and start a new one. The ones in here are made of plastic. A player can still read his own cards, yet reading your opponent's cards which you see upside down is nigh-on-impossible. Just like the games it reimplements, and in contract to the Catan boardgames, all the cards in this game are square at 69 x 69 cm. -- Watch live at https://www.twitch.tv/unorthodoxmasterofgames Follow along and. The Era of Gold: Competition for the trade advantage become more intense and the gold resource gains importance. The expansion doesnt have an official name (yet) but the working title is Dark Times., The expansion will bring back the Tournament mode (a deck-building version that was released in Germany as, The first Theme deck will be called The Era of Intrigue.. Therefore, all action cards will be able to be used from the beginning of the game unlike in the original card game. Playing the game was a once a year endeavor always leaving me with the thought that I wanted to play more, but ultimately I found myself leaving it on the shelf. Secondly, and more importantly however, the cards stay where they are supposed to be. An abbey, however, gives a progress point. The weak points: It must be obvious by now that Rivals for Catan Deluxe is not the Catan boardgame reworked for two players. Here you can find the corresponding blog posts: You can combine the the Rivals for CATAN basegame withthese expansions. Catan: Cities & Knights / Catan: Cities & Knights 5-6 Player Extension. I just threw it away & bagged all the cards & components, leaving plenty of room for the expansion decks. Of course, if you like direct conflict, the Age of Turmoil Theme deck has a lot of ways for you to mess with other players but you have to be developing the rest of your kingdom to finance your attacks. (As mentioned, many of the interactive action cards have been moved to the Theme decks.).