Fans of Catan will know you can add to enhance game play by adding Catan Expansions. However you will also need a Catan Base Game in order to play Catan Explorers & Pirates. However this will add a whole new element of game play to the game. The game like Settlers of Catan is for 2-4 players and can also be played alongside other Catan Expansions and Extensions as long as you are also playing the Catan Base Game. Also see how to get victory points for all the scenarios.
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What Is Catan Explorers & Pirates About?
The aim of Catan Explorers & Pirates is to build harbour settlements, ships, settlers, and sailing crews. When ready you set sail across mysterious seas in search of new lands, spices, fish, and gold fields. Along the way you can challenge pirates on land and sea as you make new friends, learn to fight pirates and carry settlers to claim farway territories.
The 5 Scenarios Of Explorers & Pirates
This is the recommend order you play the scenarios in, the reason being, each new scenario brings more rules. Start with Land Ho and gradually build your way up to Explores and Pirates. This way you build game expertise and knowledge as you go.
Land Ho
In Land Ho you must explore the seas of Catan and discover two new islands to expand your settlements. Once you have discovered a new island, you must use your ships to ferry settlers from one island to another to claim and colonise distant lands.
Pirate Lairs
In Pirate Lairs, pirates prowl the seas along with your trading vessels. You must pay tribute to the pirates or drive them off! The aim is to find and capture their lairs to earn gold and Victory Points.
Fish For Catan
In Fish For Catan, the people of Catan are short of food, thus you must fish the ocean for meals. However you are searching for deep water fish, so first you must identify their shoals before catching them.
Any player returning fish to the island and capturing pirates lairs will be rewarded Victory Points. However beware of roaming pirates, they demand gold for tribute, but they also may get to the fish before you do.
Spices For Catan
In Spices For Catan you must find fish and spices for the people of Catan, with the offer of successful traders winning victory points. However to obtain spice, you must befriend the mysterious inhabitants of the Spice Islands.However in return they will trade you spices and also teach you tall they know about sailing and pirate fighting techniques.
Explorers and Pirates
Explorers and Pirates is a longer more challenging scenario, which brings everything from the previous scenarios together. Thus enabling you to Explore new lands, find fish, capture pirate lairs, find fish, and also befriend the inhabitants of the spice islands.
What’s In The Box?
To give you an idea of what is the Catan Explorer’s and Pirates Expansions.
- 16 harbor settlements
- 36 crews
- 12 ships
- 8 settlers
- 4 pirates
- 6 pirates’ lair tokens
- 6 fish hauls
- 24 spice sacks
- 76 gold coins
- 6 gold fields
- 6 fish shoal hexes
- 12 standard terrain hexes
- 6 spice hexe
- 15 frame pieces
- 12 number markers
- 3 mission cards
- 3 victory point cards
- 4 new building cost cards
How To Play Cantan Explorers And Pirates?
Catan Explores and Pirates are two separate expansions for the popular board game Settlers of Catan. Here is a detailed guide on how to play each expansion:
How To Play Catan Explorers:
- Setup: Start by setting up the modular board, which is made up of several tiles that are placed in a random configuration. Each player starts with two settlements and two roads.
- Gameplay: The game is played over several rounds, with each round consisting of the following phases:
- Event Phase: Draw an event card and resolve its effects. These can range from gaining resources to moving the robber to stealing from other players.
- Trade Phase: Players can trade resources with each other.
- Production Phase: Players collect resources based on the roll of the dice.
- Building Phase: Players can spend resources to build new settlements, roads, and other structures.
- New Elements: Catan Explores introduces several new elements to the base game of Settlers of Catan. These include:
- Fish: A new resource that can be used to build ships and upgrade settlements.
- Ships: Players can build ships and explore the waters around the island.
- New Buildings: There are new building types, such as the fishery, that provide unique benefits.
- Pirates: Pirates can be encountered on the high seas and players must deal with them using their ships.
- Winning: The game ends when a player reaches a certain number of victory points (determined at the beginning of the game), which are earned by building structures and other achievements.
How To Play Catan Pirates:
- Setup: Start by setting up the modular board, which includes a main island and several smaller islands. Each player starts with two settlements and two roads.
- Gameplay: The game is played over several rounds, with each round consisting of the following phases:
- Event Phase: Draw an event card and resolve its effects. These can range from gaining resources to moving pirates around the board.
- Trade Phase: Players can trade resources with each other.
- Production Phase: Players collect resources based on the roll of the dice.
- Building Phase: Players can spend resources to build new settlements, roads, and other structures.
- New Elements: Catan Pirates introduces several new elements to the base game of Settlers of Catan. These include:
- Ships: Players can build ships and sail around the board, discovering new islands and trading with other players.
- Pirate Lairs: Pirate lairs can be found on some islands and players must deal with them using their ships.
- Harbors: Harbors provide additional trading options for players.
- Winning: The game ends when a player reaches a certain number of victory points (determined at the beginning of the game), which are earned by building structures and other achievements.
In both expansions, players must use strategic thinking and negotiation skills to outmaneuver their opponents and build the best settlements. Each expansion adds new gameplay elements and challenges to the base game, making for a fun and engaging experience for players
Can You Get An Extension For Catan Explorers & Pirates ?
Yes there is a 5-6 player extension available, however you will also need the CATAN base game, the Explorers & Pirates Expansion, and both the CATAN 5-6 Player Extension and this Explorers & Pirates 5-6 Player Extension. That is a total of four game boxes needed to play.
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