Placing Settlements In Settlers of Catan
Using Settlements As A Tool For Diplomacy, Strategy, And Victory.
Aug 16, 2009
(This article assumes an intermediate understanding of the resources involved in the game. To learn how to understand the board itself in-depth, try this article.)
Since every settler needs a settlement, the game Settlers of Catan makes a big deal about these small wooden pieces. Expert players know that a settlement represents more than a place to make income - it represents a place to make or break alliances, and a means of achieving monopoly, if need be.
Deciding on Strategy Early
After figuring out which resources will be easiest to accumulate, try to figure out whether the path to victory is by building the longest road and lots of settlements, or by digging through the development deck for knights and extra points. This strategy will help a player to guide the placement of his or her initial settlements.
When trying to build the longest road, a player should obviously put a premium on wood and brick, but don' t go all-in on these resources. Everybody, by the end of the game, should need every resource. Settlements still require sheep and wheat to produce, and trading for those can ruin one's race to build that road. Going for the longest road is often easier if that road is heading in an "undesirable" direction, such as a coast or near the desert hex. Getting cut off by another player could be a death sentence, so build where resources can accumulate, but near an area which is uncontested.
Players seeking the development card route to victory ought to focus largely on numerical diversity. These players will need to build a few roads and settlements early on to create large income and build their cities later. That means that settlements should avoid being placed on similar rolls. If every roll of the dice produces a resource, a player is going to be able to get development cards sooner - even if the cards produced are not a directly necessary resource. After all, there's always trade.
Using Settlement Space to Act Strategically
Base placement is often a tool in the early game of cutting opponents off from areas to which they may expand. When going first, keep this in mind and try to aim for the most flexible location possible in order to avoid being surrounded and choked out of the game. Likewise, when going last, place both bases in such a way as to work in sync. One great fourth-player move can occur if a resource is premium (see above). By placing two settlements on opposite sides of the high-rolling hex, that player can prevent others from building on that resource, and secure one's monopoly.
When cutting opponents off, be sure that some may take it personally. Be sure not to make any early-game enemies by completely closing one person out. If one opponent gets angry at another, take advantage of this and be ready to make a trade offer. This could go a long way toward creating an ally in the game.
If the best-laid plans go awry, try to build in such a way as to be the game's merchant. Building near a boat trader for a resource which an opponent will generate, for instance, sets one up as the beneficiary of a great deal of trade. This can help to salvage a plan wrecked by meddling opponents. Trying to gain access to a premium resource (even one not essential to the player's strategy) is another way to keep a proverbial foot in the door when playing the game. After all, a wheat can easily become a sheep under the right conditions...
Of course, at the end of the day (or the beginning of the turn), the flexibility and openness of Settlers of Catan is what makes it so fun in the first place. So feel free to try any wacky strategy - just be sure that it is done with a good degree of foresight and appreciation of the plans and needs of others. Happy settling!
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