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Catan: Seafarers
Catan: Seafarers (originally Die Siedler von Catan: Seefahrer-Erweiterung) is an expansion for the board game Catan. It introduces ships, sea exploration, islands, gold fields, and a variety of scenario-based maps. Players extend their trade networks across the sea to settle new islands and earn bonus victory points.
Contents
- 60 Sea hexes (frame pieces)
- 19 additional terrain hexes (forests, pastures, fields, hills, mountains, deserts, gold fields)
- 11 additional number tokens
- 50 ships (10 per player color)
- 2 additional settlement pieces per player color
- 2 additional city pieces per player color
- 1 additional road piece per player color
- Pirate ship token
- Longest Trade Route card (replaces Longest Road in some scenarios)
- Various Scenario booklets / scenario-specific tokens
- Scenario-specific victory point and bonus cards
New Concepts
Sea Hexes
Sea hexes form the ocean between islands. They are used to fill the board around and between landmasses. No resources are produced on sea hexes.
Ships
Ships function similarly to roads but must be built on the edges of sea hexes (or mixed sea/land edges). Ships connect coastal settlements to other coastal or island locations across the sea.
- Cost: 1 Lumber + 1 Wool
- Ships form shipping routes, analogous to road networks.
- A shipping route must be connected to one of your settlements or cities at one end.
- Ships can be moved: the last ship at the open end of a route (not adjacent to any of your settlements or cities at the far end) may be relocated to another legal position on your turn, before building. You may only move one ship per turn.
- Ships cannot be placed on land hex edges.
Gold Fields
Gold field hexes are special terrain tiles. When their number is rolled:
- Each player with a settlement adjacent to a gold field may choose any one resource of their choice per settlement (two per city).
- Gold fields are highly valuable and are often placed on islands to reward exploration.
Islands
The board in Seafarers typically consists of a main island and one or more foreign islands. Settling on foreign islands usually earns bonus victory points (as specified by the scenario).
The Pirate
The Pirate is an alternative to the Robber and is included in Seafarers.
- When a 7 is rolled (or a Knight card is played), the active player may move the Robber to a land hex OR move the Pirate to a sea hex.
- The Pirate blocks shipping: any opponent with a ship adjacent to the Pirate's sea hex cannot build or move ships on that hex's edges.
- The player who moves the Pirate may steal one resource card from any opponent who has a ship on the Pirate's hex.
- The Robber and Pirate are used together; each can be placed independently.
Setup
General Setup
Seafarers uses scenario-based maps rather than a single standard layout. Each scenario provides a specific arrangement of islands, sea hexes, and starting positions. The base game tiles and the Seafarers tiles are combined as the scenario dictates.
General steps:
- Lay out the board according to the chosen scenario map.
- Place number tokens on terrain hexes as indicated.
- Each player places their initial 2 settlements and 2 roads on the main island (or as specified by the scenario).
- Distribute starting resources as in the base game.
- Place the Robber on the Desert hex (if present). The Pirate starts off the board.
Starting Ships
Some scenarios allow players to begin with 1 free ship in addition to their starting roads. Check the scenario rules.
Turn Structure
Seafarers follows the same turn order as base Catan with the following additions:
Building Ships
On your turn (after rolling), you may build ships using the standard build phase:
- Place a ship on a sea edge adjacent to your existing settlement, city, or the open end of your shipping route.
- You may build multiple ships in one turn if you have resources.
Moving a Ship
Once per turn, before or after rolling (check your scenario — most allow it after rolling), you may move one ship:
- Only the last ship at the open end of a route (the end not touching your settlement or city) may be moved.
- Move it to any legal sea edge connected to the rest of your network.
- You cannot move a ship that is adjacent to one of your own settlements or cities at both ends.
- You cannot move a ship if the Pirate is on an adjacent hex.
Settling New Islands
To found a settlement on a foreign island:
- Extend your shipping route to reach a coastal edge of the target island.
- Build a settlement at the coastal intersection where the route meets land, following normal settlement-placement rules (distance rule applies).
- Collect any bonus victory points specified by the scenario for being the first (or any) player to settle that island.
Longest Trade Route
In Seafarers, roads and ships both count toward the Longest Road / Longest Trade Route.
- Roads and ships may be combined into a single continuous route.
- The connection between a road and a ship must pass through one of your own settlements or cities — you cannot directly connect a road to a ship without an intermediate settlement.
- The card is called the Longest Trade Route card in some editions when ships are present.
- Minimum length: 5 segments (roads + ships combined).
Scenarios
Seafarers comes with multiple official scenarios. Each has its own map layout, number of islands, victory point target, and special rules.
Heading for New Shores
The introductory scenario. Players start on a large main island and must explore and settle two outer islands. Each new settlement on a foreign island earns 1 bonus victory point.
- Victory Points to win: typically 13 VP.
The Four Islands
Players begin on smaller starting islands and compete to colonize two larger central islands.
- Reaching and settling the larger islands is key.
- Victory Points to win: 12 VP (varies by edition).
The Fog Islands
The board is partially hidden: face-down hex tiles are revealed only when a player builds a ship (or settlement) adjacent to them.
- Hidden hexes may be sea, terrain, or gold fields.
- Adds exploration and surprise.
Through the Desert
Includes a long desert strip separating two regions. Players must navigate around or through narrow passages.
The Forgotten Tribe
Features special "Lost Tribe" settlements pre-placed on islands. The first player to reach and connect to a Lost Tribe settlement claims it and the bonus VP.
Cloth for Catan
Combines Seafarers with elements from Cities & Knights. Players trade cloth resources gained from island settlements. *(Requires Cities & Knights expansion.)*
The Pirate Islands
The Pirate starts on the board and threatens shipping routes. Players must deal with the Pirate while racing to settle outer islands.
- Players can claim a special bonus for driving off (surrounding) the Pirate.
The Wonders of Catan
Players race to build one of several "wonders" — special structures requiring specific combinations of resources, built on designated island spots.
Strategy Tips
- Ships are flexible — unlike roads, the movable ship rule lets you redirect your route if your exploration hits a dead end (sea hex with no useful terrain beyond).
- Gold fields near foreign islands are often worth racing for; they produce any resource and accelerate development.
- Balance land and sea — you still need cities and development cards to win; don't neglect your main island economy for expansion alone.
- The Pirate is a powerful tool against leaders with long shipping routes — use it to cut off opponents' access to new islands.
- Longest Trade Route often swings the game; a combined road + ship route can be very long but requires settlements at junction points.
- In fog scenarios, commit ships toward areas that are likely to reveal gold or rare terrain based on what's already showing.
Compatibility
| Expansion | Compatible with Seafarers? |
|---|---|
| Catan (base game) | Required |
| Cities & Knights | Yes (combined scenarios exist) |
| Traders & Barbarians | Yes (combined play supported) |
| 5–6 Player Extension (Seafarers) | Yes (requires its own extension pack) |
| Catan Universe (digital) | Yes (most scenarios available) |
Edition Notes
- Early editions (Mayfair Games) included wooden ship pieces; later editions (Catan Studio) use the same style.
- The 2015 "Completely Revised Edition" consolidated the scenario booklets and updated component counts.
- The Seafarers 5–6 Player Extension is a separate product that adds components for two additional players.