Welcome to Gods of Catan!

Gods of Catan is a high-stakes, cooperative twist on the classic Settlers of Catan. In this variant, you and a partner work together on a physical Catan board and this ditigal board to settle a mysterious island, build a thriving civilization, and keep the wrathful gods at bay. Every decision carries weight as you balance expansion with the ever-looming threat of divine retribution. Do you have what it takes to appease the gods and secure your civilization's future?

Game Objective

Win Condition:

Reach a collective 20 victory points before the end of the 30th round.

Loss Condition:

• Island Crumbles - when the island is cursed by the gods, If the island crumbles splits in two, your civilization is lost immediately.
• Fail to reach 20 points by the end of the 30th round

Key Differences & Core Mechanics

Divine Fate and the Appeasement Meter

Fate Dice:

Three unique dice determine divine influence at the beginning of each round:

• Boon Die: Grants beneficial boons.
• Curse Die: Inflicts harmful curses.
• Chaos Die: Delivers unpredictable outcomes.

Appeasement Meter:

Ranges from –3 to 7 and is your scorecard of divine favor.

Raising the Meter:

• Lamb Sacrifice: Spend wood, brick, and sheep to gain +1 favor.
• Cornucopia Sacrifice: Spend one of each resource to gain +3 favor.

Falling Meter:

• Automatically drops by 1 on every even round (2, 4, 6, etc.)
• Certain curse dice outcomes will instruct you to reduce the meter by 1.
• Any time a seven is rolled, reduce the meter by 1.

Curse Event:

At any point if the meter hits –3, the gods’ curse is unleashed. Roll the Catan dice immediately and turn the hexes matching the result into the ocean (flip over the tiles). The meter immediately resets to 0 after a curse is resolved.

• If you roll a number matching already flipped tiles, nothing happens.
• If you roll a 7, nothing happens.

Rolling 7:

If a player rolls 7 perform the following steps:

1. Any player with more than 7 cards discards half round down.
2. Remove the Knight/Robber from the board.
3. Move the appeasement meter down 1.

Development Cards & The Knight

Knight Card:

The knight wins you favor with the gods. When played, it increases the appeasement meter by +1. Additionally, move the knight piece (the robber) to a chosen hex.

Blessing Effect: The hex with the knight produces double resources when rolled. Any time a 7 is rolled, remove the knight from the board.

Largest Army: Any one player may score the Largest army by playing three or more knight cards. (note, knights are not added up between players)

Knight/Robber piece:

Any hex with the knight produces double resources when rolled.

If a seven is rolled, enforce the discard rule and remove the knight (if present).

Trading Rules

Equal Exchange Only:

• Trades may only occur on the active player’s turn.
• Only equal, card-for-card exchanges are allowed (e.g., one for one, two for two).
• Like normal Catan, a player may use Port trades and 4-for-1 trades only on their turn.

Quick Setup and Turn Structure

Board Setup

Physical Board:

Set up the board as you would in a normal game of Catan—shuffle the hexes and number tokens, and place them according to the standard rules.

Initial Settlements:

Collaboratively select starting positions for four settlements (with attached roads). Collect resources from all adjacent hexes as per standard rules.

Turn Structure

Start of Round:

• Apply Automatic Effects: On even-numbered rounds, the appeasement meter automatically drops by 1.
• Resolve any Curses: if the meter drops to -3 as a result of a new round, immediately resolve the curse.

Fate Phase:

• Roll the fate dice once.
• Resolve the effect immediately.

Player Turns:

1. Player One: Roll the standard Catan dice, collect resources, then build, trade, or sacrifice.
2. Player Two: Follow the same sequence.

End of Round:

• Click the End Round button on the digital UI to transition to the next round.
• Always check the appeasement meter; if it has dropped to –3, immediately resolve the curse effect.

Digital Interface & UI Interaction

User Interface Highlights:

Tracking: Manages the appeasement meter, fate outcomes, and victory points.

Interaction:

• Action Buttons: Click to roll dice, perform sacrifices, play knight cards, and update your progress.
• Victory Points: Adjust manually using the plus/minus buttons as you build and progress.

Guided Prompts: The interface provides on-screen instructions ensuring you never miss a critical action—particularly when divine forces demand immediate attention.

Final Thoughts

Gods of Catan challenges you to balance risk and reward under the ever-watchful eyes of volatile gods. Expand your settlements, manage your resources wisely, and perform timely sacrifices to keep the divine anger in check—all while racing against time. Every roll of the dice is a step closer to glory or calamity. Prepare for an unforgettable battle of wits and divine intervention!

Have feedback? Please email any thoughts/questions to games@erun.ai