Seafarers FAQ's

Development Cards – Progress – Road Building - May I use a Road Building card to build one road and one ship?

Yes. You must build them one after another though. You are not allowed to first build a road via a Road Building card, then build a settlement adjacent to that road by paying the required resources, and finally use the Road Building card once again, this time to build a ship.

Gold Fields - For a city adjacent to a gold field, do I receive two resources of the same type or of different types?

It is up to you whether you want to take two resources of the same type or of different types.

Gold Fields - In a scenario with islands, do I earn a victory point when settling islands consisting only of gold fields, or is no extra victory point awarded in this case?

That depends entirely on the respective scenario. In scenarios with foreign islands, each player who places his first settlement on a foreign island receives two special victory points (according to the reformed rule). This rule also applies if a foreign island consists only of gold fields.

Pirate - Can the pirate be placed on the edge?

Yes, if it is not prohibited by a scenario.

Pirate - During the starting set-up, may I build a ship next to where the pirate is located?

No.

Pirate - May I build on the edges and corners of a terrain hex if it is blocked by the pirate?

- Roads, cities, and settlements: yes.

- Ships: no.

Pirate - May I steal a Resource Card from the owner of a coastal settlement if I place the pirate on an adjacent sea hex?

Yes.

Roads - May I build a road between two desert hexes?

Yes.

Robber - Where does the robber start if there is no desert in a scenario?

At the beginning of the game, the robber stands beside the game board. As soon as the first “7” is rolled or the first knight is played, the robber is placed on any of the terrain hexes. Afterwards, he changes hexes as usual.

Scenarios - If I create my own “Seafarers” game map, what should be the number of victory points required to win the game?

You can calculate the number of victory points according to the following formula: Number of terrain hexes (not counting deserts) divided by 2.

Settlements - Does the distance rule between two settlements also apply to settlements on neighboring islands separated by a narrow waterway?

Yes.

Ships - Do I lose the Longest Trade Route while moving a ship?

No. You don’t lose the Longest Trade Route when moving one of your ships, provided that after its relocation your continuous trade route is at least as long as before.

Ships - How far may I move an “open” ship?

You may move a ship to any place where you would be allowed to build a new ship.

Ships - If an opponent interrupts my shipping route by placing a settlement in between, do my two ships adjacent to this settlement become “open”?

No. Please also see the answer to the question When is a ship “open”?

Ships - Is it allowed to build ships on the edges of the frame pieces? The question arises because the frame pieces aren't hexagonal in the new editions.

You may always build on the inner edge of the frame but never on the outer edge. On the frame itself, building is only possible at certain places.

Ships - May a road and a shipping route coming from different directions meet each other?

Yes. However, this doesn’t create one continuous trade route in terms of being counted toward the Longest Trade Route: unless they are connected via a settlement, you still have two separate trade routes.

Ships - May I build ships and roads on the coast that run parallel to each other?

No.

Ships - When is a ship “open”?

A ship is “open” when it is located at the end of a shipping route. As soon as a shipping route connects two settlements (or cities or for Cities & Knights also knights), the shipping route is considered as closed. A ship in a closed shipping route cannot be moved. The same rule applies for roads.

This rule also applies if an opponent builds a settlement on an intersection of your closed shipping route. In this case, your continuous trade route is considered as interrupted; however, the two settlements of the shipping route are still connected, meaning that the shipping route remains closed.

Special Case: If a ship's line starts at a settlement or city and returns to this settlement or city without a building between the individual roads, one of the two ends of the ship's line bordering the settlement or city is considered open. Thus, any of the two ships that border the settlement or city may be moved.

Special Case 2: If a ship's line describes a circle without connecting a settlement or city, then each of the ships in this circle is considered to be a open.