Cities and Knights FAQ's
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Barbarians I: Course of the Battle - Do I deactivate all knights or only those that participated in the battle against the barbarians?
If you play according to the basic rule for Cities & Knights: All active knights participate in the battle; therefore, they all are deactivated.
If you play the variant for “meanies,” each player decides which of his knights participates in the battle, and they are the only ones that are deactivated after the battle.
Barbarians I: Course of the Battle - How do you calculate the strength of the barbarians?
The strength of the barbarians is calculated according to the following formula:
b = s + m
where: b = strength of barbarians, s = number of cities, m = number of metropolises
Barbarians I: Course of the Battle - May I intentionally make a knight weaker for the duration of the battle – for example, by declaring that a mighty knight is fighting only with the strength of a basic knight?
No. Not only does this contradict the rules, it is also beneath a knight’s dignity.
Barbarians I: Course of the Battle - May I still activate knights the moment the barbarian ship reaches the coast?
No, battle ensues immediately.
Barbarians II: Players Win - After I defended Catan, may I take a Progress Card that matches the color of an area of development where I don't have a city improvement?
Yes.
Barbarians II: Players Win - Can I still earn points as the “Defender of Catan” after the respective cards have all been distributed?
Yes. Simply use any other symbol of your choice to denote the victory point.
Barbarians II: Players Win - Can the players win against the barbarians if there is not one single city on Catan?
Yes.
Barbarians II: Players Win - If I don't have a city, do I receive the Defender of Catan card or a Progress Card as a reward for victory?
Yes.
Barbarians II: Players Win - If I draw a “Victory Point” Progress Card after a victory over the barbarians, may I keep the card?
Yes. The specification given in the game rules that “no one receives a card” only refers to the fact that no Defender of Catan card is awarded in case of a tie.
Barbarians III: Players are Defeated - After losing my last city, do I have to return all city improvements, Progress Cards, and commodities?
No. You merely can’t purchase any further city improvements before having built a city again.
Barbarians III: Players are Defeated - Do the barbarians return to their starting position after each attack?
Yes.
Barbarians III: Players are Defeated - Does a city wall protect a city from being lost to the barbarians?
No.
Barbarians III: Players are Defeated - If I lose a city during my turn, do I - on the same turn - still receive the resources or commodities corresponding to this city?
No. You only receive the production for the settlement.
Barbarians III: Players are Defeated - If the player with the lowest strength of knights can’t lose a city, who loses one?
If the player with the lowest strength of knights can’t lose a city, the player with the second lowest strength of knights loses one. If this player can’t lose a city either, the player with the third lowest strength of knights loses one. And so on, until a player has lost a city.
Barbarians III: Players are Defeated - What happens if I have to downgrade a city to a settlement but don’t have another settlement in my supply?
Turn one of your cities on its side and treat it as a settlement until you have upgraded it to a city again.
Barbarians III: Players are Defeated - Who decides which city a player loses after Catan is defeated by the barbarians?
The affected player decides.
City Improvements - After having lost my last city to the barbarians, may I continue to make use of the advantages of the 3rd levels of improvement?
Yes.
City Improvements - May I perform city improvements only in an area that matches the color of the city gate rolled on the symbol die?
No. The symbol die has no influence on your building activity.
City Improvements - May I perform various city improvements on the same turn?
Yes.
City Improvements - When I reach the 4th or 5th level of improvement, do I continue to have the advantages of the 3rd level?
Yes.
City Improvements and Metropolises - An opponent has various metropolises. How can I recognize which of his metropolises belongs to which area?
You can’t: it is meaningless for the course of the game.
City Improvements and Metropolises - Can I get a metropolis back that another player took from me?
No. Although you can perform the 5th city improvement afterwards, the metropolis stays with the first player to perform the 5th city improvement in an area.
City Improvements and Metropolises - Does the robber also rob from the owner of a metropolis?
Yes.
City Improvements and Metropolises - If I lose a metropolis, do I also lose the two victory points I received for it?
Yes.
City Improvements and Metropolises - May I continue to improve my cities if someone has already reached the 5th level?
Yes.
City Improvements and Metropolises - May I upgrade a city to two metropolises at the same time?
No. If you only have one city and already upgraded it to a metropolis, you are not allowed to build a 4th level of improvement in another area. Before you do this, you must upgrade another settlement to a city.
City Walls - Do city walls protect a city from losses due to the barbarians?
No.
City Walls - Does a city wall protect commodities from the robber?
Yes. The robber does not distinguish between commodities and resources; for him, they are only “cards from some player’s hands”.
City Walls - May I surround one city with various city walls?
No.
City Walls - What happens if I upgrade a city that has a city wall to a metropolis?
Then you have a beautiful metropolis wall. But in order not to complicate things further, we continue calling it a “city wall.”
Commodities - Are commodities also taken into account when the robber strikes?
Yes.
Commodities - Do I have to take one resource and one commodity for a city that produces commodities even if I already have the metropolis for this commodity?
Yes. An alternative does not exist.
Commodities - May I discard commodities when a “7” is rolled?
Yes.
Commodities - May I steal commodities from my game partners?
Yes.
Commodities - May I take two resources instead of one resource and one commodity for a city that produces commodities?
No.
Commodities - May I trade commodities via a 3:1 harbor?
Yes. However, you should consider carefully if this is the best way to trade commodities, because in most cases your opponents will offer you a better rate.
Knights - An opponent’s mighty knight displaces my strong knight. When I relocate my strong knight, may he displace an opponent’s basic knight?
No. Displacing is a knight action that may only be performed by the player whose turn it is.
Knights - Do passive knights also interrupt a continuous road?
Yes.
Knights - Does an activated knight become passive when he is promoted?
No.
Knights - How are the points for the Largest Army awarded in Cities & Knights?
They are not awarded at all: there is no Largest Army in the Cities & Knights expansion.
Knights - How many knights may I build in total?
Six: two basic, two strong, and two mighty knights.
Knights - How often may I promote a knight during the same turn?
One time at most.
Knights - If an opponent's knight displaces one of my knights, may I put my displaced knight on the intersection my opponent's knight came from?
Yes, provided that both intersections are connected to your roads as well as to your opponent's roads.
Knights - If my knight has been displaced by a stronger knight, may I place him on an intersection that is not connected to a road?
No.
Knights - May I activate a knight and then use him to drive away the robber on the same turn?
No.
Knights - May I deactivate one of my knights without performing a knight action?
No.
Knights - May I directly build a strong knight if I pay two ore and two wool?
Yes, provided that your supply still contains a basic knight. In this case, you have first built a basic knight and then promoted him on the same turn, all of which complies with the rule.
Knights - May I first promote a knight and then use him to perform an action?
Yes, provided that the knight has been activated on a previous turn.
Knights - May I immediately place a stronger knight on an intersection occupied by an opponent’s weaker knight, thus driving away his knight?
No. A knight must first be placed on a free intersection of one's own continuous road.
Knights - May I immediately use a newly built road to relocate my knights and displace weaker knights that belong to my opponents?
Yes.
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Knights - May I move my knight past a foreign knight or a foreign settlement/city if the latter is located between the intersection my knight was standing on and the intersection I want to move him to?
No.
Knights - May I place a knight on a free intersection between two of my own roads if both neighboring intersections are occupied by other players’ knights?
Yes.
Knights - May I promote a knight immediately after building him?
Yes.
Knights - May I remove one of my own knights from the game board if I don’t need him anymore?
No.
Knights - May I still build, trade, and play Progress Cards after activating my knights?
Yes.
Knights - May I use a knight to interrupt an opponent’s Longest Road?
Yes.
Knights - May I use an activated knight to drive away the robber before the dice roll?
No.
Merchant - Do I keep the victory point for the Merchant figure if one of my opponents takes this game piece away from me?
No. You receive one victory point when you take over the Merchant figure, and you lose the victory point as soon as an opponent plays a Merchant card and thus takes over the Merchant figure.
Merchant - Does the Merchant’s exchange rate apply to all players who settle adjacent to the hex he is standing on?
No, it applies only to the Merchant's owner.
Merchant - May I use my Merchant figure for trading if the robber stands on the same hex as the Merchant?
Yes. Those two get along very well, all the more so as merchants are purported to be the real robbers.
Merchant - May I use the Merchant figure to trade resources for commodities?
Yes.
Merchant - When I play a Merchant card, may I, on the same turn, use the Merchant figure for trading?
Yes.
Progress Cards - Bishop: May I use the Bishop to move the pirate?
No. The Bishop only drives away the robber.
Progress Cards - Diplomat: May I remove one of my own ships and place a road instead, or vice versa?
No. You may only place the piece you have removed from the game board.
Progress Cards - Diplomat: May I use the Diplomat to relocate an "open" ship that stands on the edge of a sea hex occupied by the pirate ship?
Yes. The Diplomat doesn’t fear pirates.
Progress Cards - Diplomat: What effect does the Diplomat have on ships?
You may use the Diplomat for ships just like you do for roads.
Progress Cards: Alchemist - May I also choose the number for the red die?
Yes.
Progress Cards: Alchemist - May I determine a “7” as the dice roll result?
Yes.
Progress Cards: Alchemist - May I play the Alchemist and determine that there will be no production roll on my turn?
No, you must opt for any number between "2" and "12" – even if that number is a “7.”
Progress Cards: Alchemist - May I still roll the symbol die after having played the Alchemist?
As a matter of fact, you must roll the symbol die. The Alchemist only replaces the roll performed with the pipped dice.
Progress Cards: Alchemist - When playing the Alchemist, does the predetermined dice roll apply to all players?
Yes.
Progress Cards: Alchemist - Which roll result is taken into account first – the real roll result or the result I have determined via the Alchemist?
You either play the Alchemist or roll the pipped dice. You are not allowed to do both things during the same turn.
Progress Cards: Bishop - Do I draw the cards from the opponents I freed from the robber or from the opponents I placed the robber next to?
You draw the cards from where you have placed the robber.
Progress Cards: Bishop - May I draw various cards from a player if I place the robber on a hex adjacent to which that player has various settlements?
No.
Progress Cards: Bishop - May I place the robber on a hex without an adjacent settlement or city?
Yes.
Progress Cards: Commercial Harbor - Do I get the Commercial Harbor card back if none of the players has a commodity?
No, in that case you’ve had back luck or a bad memory.
Progress Cards: Commercial Harbor - May I determine which commodity my opponent must give me in exchange for the resource?
No.
Progress Cards: Commercial Harbor - Who decides which Resource Card I give – face down – to my opponent after I have played the Commercial Harbor card?
You do.
Progress Cards: Crane - May I play a Crane card and then perform various improvements, each for one commodity less?
No. You can use one Crane only for one improvement.
Progress Cards: Crane - May I play two Crane cards and pay two commodities less for an improvement?
No. You may only play one Building Crane card per each expansion.
Progress Cards: Crane - May I use a Crane to perform a level-one improvement at no cost?
Yes.
Progress Cards: Deserter - If I already have two basic knights, does my opponent have to give me a strong knight even though he has a basic knight?
No. If, under these circumstances, your opponent chooses a basic knight, he must remove him from the game board, but you are not allowed to place an additional knight.
Progress Cards: Deserter - May I immediately use a deserted knight to perform a knight action?
Yes, provided that he was activated when he deserted to you.
Progress Cards: Deserter - May I make a mighty knight desert to me if I don’t have a Fortress yet?
Yes.
Progress Cards: Deserter - May I play the Deserter if I can’t place a knight of the same strength?
Yes.
Progress Cards: Deserter - Where do I have to place a deserted knight?
At a location where the rule allows you to build a new knight. This can also be the place where your knight stood before, provided that one of your roads is adjacent to it.
Progress Cards: Deserter - Who determines which knight to remove from the game board when a Deserter is played?
The victim.
Progress Cards: Diplomat - Do I lose the Longest Road while I move one of its road pieces?
No. You don’t lose the Longest Road because you are moving one of its road pieces, provided that after relocation your continuous road is at least as long as before.
Progress Cards: Diplomat - If an opponent interrupts my continuous road by placing a settlement or a knight, does this mean that my two road pieces adjacent to the interruption are now open?
No. Please also see the answer to the question When is a road open?.
Progress Cards: Diplomat - May I remove a road if, as a result, a knight is left without connection to a road of his color?
No. It is mandatory for a knight to be connected to a settlement or city of his color via roads of his color.
Progress Cards: Diplomat - May I remove a road if, as a result, a settlement or city is left without road?
Yes.
Progress Cards: Diplomat - May I remove an opponent's road and place one of my own roads instead?
No.
Progress Cards: Diplomat - What happens to a road I have taken away from my opponent?
It returns to your opponent’s supply.
Progress Cards: Diplomat - When is a road open?
The same rule as for ships apply to roads here.
Please look here: When is a ship “open”?
Progress Cards: Engineer - If I receive the Engineer card on the same turn a “7” is rolled, may I build a city wall before discarding cards?
No. You may play Progress Cards only after the dice result is resolved (only exception: Alchemist).
Progress Cards: General - If I were to receive the 5th card, could I first look at it and then decide which card I no longer want to keep?
Yes.
Progress Cards: General - May I discard a Progress Card without playing it if I have no use for the card?
No.
Progress Cards: General - May I play a Progress Card if playing it has no effect?
- If you know beforehand that playing the card will have no effect (e.g., the Mining card, provided that you are not settling adjacent to a mountains hex): no.
- If you have no way of knowing it (e.g., Trade Monopoly): yes.
Progress Cards: General - May I play Progress Cards before rolling the dice?
Only the Alchemist may be played before rolling the dice.
Progress Cards: General - May I trade Progress Cards?
No.
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Progress Cards: General - What happens if the Progress Card stack of a certain color does not contain enough cards to supply all entitled players?
In the order stipulated in the game rules, the players draw cards of the respective color until the supply stack is used up. The Catanian Devil take the hindmost.
Progress Cards: General - When do I have to discard a surplus progress card if I receive a fifth card and it isn’t my turn?
You must discard one of your five progress cards immediately, that is, before the dice roll result that determines which hexes produce resources and commodities is resolved.
Progress Cards: General - When do you shuffle the Progress Card discard pile?
Never. That’s because there is no Progress Card discard pile: played Progress Cards are placed under their respective supply stacks (yellow, blue, or green) and thus are always recycled back into the game.
Progress Cards: General - When I have to discard a card, do I hold it face up or face down?
Always place cards face down under the Progress Card stack.
Progress Cards: Inventor - May I switch the number token the robber is standing on?
Yes.
Progress Cards: Inventor - Must I have settlements or cities adjacent to the number tokens I switch?
No.
Progress Cards: Inventor - What happens to the robber if the number token he stands on is switched?
The robber stays on the terrain hex and blocks its new number token.
Progress Cards: Medicine - May I play two Medicine cards and thus pay only one ore for a city?
No. You may only play one Medicine card for one city.
Progress Cards: Merchant Fleet - How do I perform a trade via the Merchant Fleet?
First choose a resource type or commodity. Let’s assume that you have chosen “grain”: in this case, during your turn you may take any one Resource Card of a different type or any one commodity of your choice for each two grain cards you pay to the bank.
Progress Cards: Saboteur - Who decides which cards must be discarded?
The procedure is the same as when a “7” is rolled and some players have too many resources/commodities: each affected player chooses the cards himself.
Progress Cards: Smithy - May I play two Smithy cards on the same turn?
Yes, provided that you have enough knights to apply the two cards to different knights.
Progress Cards: Smithy - May I use the Smithy if I only have one knight?
Yes.
Progress Cards: Smithy - May I voluntarily promote only one knight, even though I have two of them?
Yes.
Progress Cards: Spy - May I use the Spy to steal a Victory Point card?
No.
Progress Cards: Trade Monopoly and Resource Monopoly - Do I get my Monopoly cards back if my opponents don’t have the demanded commodities or resources?
No.
Roads - If some of my roads are located between two knights that belong to opponents, do I have to remove these roads?
No.
Roads - May I continue building my road if an opponent’s knight stands at its end?
No.
Robber - Does the robber steal from the owner of a metropolis?
Yes.
Robber - May I move the robber on the same turn the barbarian ship reaches Catan?
Yes.
Robber - May I place the robber on a hex adjacent to which stands an activated knight?
Yes.
Robber - May I use an activated knight to drive away the robber before the dice roll?
No.
Sequence of Play - On my turn, may I trade, build, play Progress Cards, and perform knight actions in any desired order?
Yes. You may proceed in any order. For example, you may first trade, then build, then trade again, etc.