Catan: Explorers and Pirates” is an expansion to the base game “Settlers of Catan,” which adds several new gameplay mechanics and scenarios. One of the scenarios included in the expansion is called “Explorers and Pirates Scenario.”
In this scenario, players become seafaring explorers, discovering new lands and resources beyond the shores of Catan. The game board is set up with several islands, each with its own unique resources and harbors. Players must use their ships to explore these islands, establish trade routes, and build new settlements and cities.
Players can also encounter pirate ships while sailing the seas. If they are unable to defeat the pirates in battle, they must pay a tribute of resources to the pirates or risk losing their ships and cargo.
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What Comes With The Scenario
The Explorers and Pirates expansion for Settlers of Catan comes with several components to enhance the base game and add new gameplay elements. Here’s a list of what comes with the Explorers and Pirates scenario:
- 16 sea hexes – These hexagonal tiles form the ocean surrounding the game board and are used for ship movement and exploration.
- 6 frame pieces – These pieces connect to the sea hexes to form the board for the Explorers and Pirates scenario.
- 20 wooden settlement pieces – These are used to mark player settlements and cities on the game board.
- 16 wooden ship pieces – These represent player ships and are used to explore new areas and transport resources.
- 2 sea robber tokens – These tokens are used to represent the pirate who will move around the board and disrupt player movement.
- 12 gold coin tokens – These tokens are used in some scenarios to represent valuable treasure that players can collect for victory points.
- 8 mission cards – These cards represent tasks that players can complete to earn extra victory points.
- 1 rulebook – This provides detailed instructions on how to set up and play the Explorers and Pirates scenario.
How To Set Up The Game
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up the Explorers and Pirates scenario for Settlers of Catan:
- Separate the base game components from the Explorers and Pirates components. You’ll need the base game pieces as well as the new pieces that come with the expansion.
- Choose a scenario to play. The Explorers and Pirates scenario comes with five different scenarios, each with its own unique board setup and rules. Select the scenario you want to play and follow the instructions for setting up the board.
- Set up the sea tiles. The sea tiles are used to represent the ocean and are placed in a circular shape around the board. The board will come with instructions on how to set up the sea tiles for the scenario you have chosen.
- Place the islands. The board will also come with several island tiles. These are placed within the sea tiles to form the islands that players will be exploring.
- Place the harbor tokens. Harbor tokens are placed on the edge of the sea tiles to allow players to trade resources more easily. Follow the instructions in the manual to place these tokens.
- Place the pirate lair tokens. These tokens are placed on certain island tiles and represent the pirate hideouts that players will be exploring. Follow the instructions in the manual to place these tokens.
- Distribute starting resources. Each player starts with two settlements, two roads, and two ships. Players will also receive a certain number of resources to start the game, depending on the scenario being played.
- Begin playing! Once the board is set up and players have received their starting resources, the game can begin. Players take turns rolling the dice and collecting resources, building structures, exploring new areas, and trying to earn victory points.
How To Play The Explorers And Pirates Scenario
Here’s a basic overview of how to play:
Choose a starting location: Players select a starting location on the board and place their starting pieces (settlements and roads) as in the base game.
Begin play: The game proceeds as in the base game of Settlers of Catan, with players taking turns rolling the dice, collecting resources, and building new structures.
New mechanics: The Explorers and Pirates scenario introduces several new mechanics, such as the ability to move ships and explore new areas of the board. Players can also collect “pirate lair” tokens and trade them in for victory points.
Objectives: The goal of the game is to reach a certain number of victory points, which can be earned through building structures, completing objectives, and collecting pirate lair tokens.
End game: The game ends when a player reaches the predetermined number of victory points, and that player is declared the winner.
Victory Points In The Explorers And Pirates, Scenario
In addition to the standard victory points for building settlements, cities, and roads, players can also earn victory points by completing certain tasks, such as discovering new islands or establishing the longest trade route.
Here are some of the ways to earn victory points in this scenario:
- Explore New Islands: When a player builds a settlement on a new island, they earn a victory point.
- Build a Pirate Fortress: A player can build a pirate fortress on a coastal intersection to earn a victory point.
- Build a Metropolis: Upgrading a city to a metropolis earns a player two victory points.
- Complete a Mission: The scenario includes mission cards that players can complete to earn victory points. Each card has different requirements, such as building a specific type of structure or trading a certain number of resources.
- Have the Longest Trade Route: Players can earn two victory points if they have the longest trade route.
- Have the Largest Army: Players can earn two victory points if they have the largest army.
- Ship Gold: Players can ship gold to earn victory points. A player must ship three gold to earn one victory point.
How To Win The Explorers And Pirates, Scenario
Complete missions
There are eight mission cards that provide players with specific tasks to complete, such as exploring certain areas, building specific structures, or acquiring certain resources. Completing these missions earns players victory points, and the first player to reach the required number of points wins the game.
Build metropolises
In some scenarios, players can build metropolises, which are upgraded versions of cities. Building a metropolis earns players two victory points.
Control pirate lairs
In some scenarios, players can explore and control pirate lairs. Controlling a pirate lair earns players one victory point.
Collect gold coins
In some scenarios, players can collect gold coins, which can be found on certain islands or acquired through trade. Each gold coin collected earns players one victory point.
Expand your territory
Players can earn victory points by expanding their territory through building settlements, cities, and roads, and by exploring new areas on the game board.
Have the most victory points at the end of the game
If no player has reached the required number of victory points by the end of the game, the player with the most points wins.
In Conclusion
Overall, there are multiple ways to win the Explorers and Pirates scenario, and players will need to balance different strategies to come out ahead. It’s important to stay flexible and adapt to changing conditions on the game board to maximize your chances of success.
The game ends when a player reaches a certain number of victory points, depending on the number of players. The first player to reach this number is the winner.
The “Explorers and Pirates” scenario adds a new level of complexity to the game and provides players with many new strategic options. It is a great choice for experienced Catan players looking for a fresh challenge.
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