Traders and Barbarians FAQ's
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Barbarian Attack (in general) - When determining which player has the most victory points, is each captured barbarian counted as half a victory point?
Two captured barbarians are worth one victory point, but a single barbarian initially has no value for a player. In a combination with Cities & Knights or The Fishermen of Catan, this means that whenever you can play cards (Master Merchant and Wedding) against the leading player(s), they are not affected by it if a single captured barbarian provides them with half a virtual point more than you.
Barbarian Attack + C&K - How far away do you move a displaced knight?
His owner places him on the next free path.
Barbarian Attack + C&K - Is it prohibited to use gold for trading commodities when a 3:1 or 4:1 trade is performed?
Yes.
Barbarian Attack + C&K - May I use a Diplomat to move a road on which a knight stands?
Yes.
Barbarian Attack + C&K - May knights be moved past foreign knights, settlements, and cities?
Yes.
Barbarian Attack + Seafarers (in general) - Is a trade route interrupted if a settlement that represents the only connection between road and ship route is conquered?
The conquered settlement still exists. The trade route is interrupted, that is, only the road segments or the ships count toward the Longest Trade Route. However, the ship and the road segment adjacent to the settlement are not “open.”
Barbarian Attack - Do you leave the remaining knights at their current hexes or move them back to the castle hex?
The knights remain at their current hex. Furthermore, they may immediately intervene in the next battle if there are more knights than barbarians at an adjacent hex.
Barbarian Attack - If there are multiple battles against the barbarians, do you first fight all battles and then determine the losses, or do you determine the losses immediately after each battle?
After each battle, you immediately determine which knights didn't withstand the battle. A knight wounded in a battle can't participate in another battle.
Barbarian Attack - May I resolve the phases “Move your knights” and “Expel the barbarians” in any order, perhaps also simultaneously?
No. First you have to move all knights, then all the battles take place.
Barbarian Attack - May I use the Treason card to place the two barbarians on hexes in the island's interior?
No. Barbarians may only be placed on coastal hexes.
Barbarian Attack - Once a knight development card is played and a knight is placed at the castle hex, can the player immediately move the knight away from the castle hex or does he/she need to wait one full turn before moving the knight?
A knight placed at the castle hex must be moved immediately; to do this, however, you have to wait until the end of your turn. You can move your knights after you have finished trading and/or building. Knights you just placed at the castle hex must be moved.
Catan Event Cards (Earthquake) + C&K - May I build a knight adjacent to a damaged road?
Yes.
Catan Event Cards (Earthquake) + C&K - May I use the Diplomat to remove a damaged road and replace it with a new road?
No.
Catan Event Cards + C&K - Event Card and red die – how are they combined?
- If you use the Mayfair edition: You reveal an Event Card and additionally roll the event die. The red die is shown on the event card.
- If you use the German edition: You reveal an Event Card and additionally roll the red die and the event die.
Catan Event Cards + C&K - How do I combine the Alchemist with the “Catan Event Cards”?
Instead of revealing an Event Card, play the Alchemist. Determine a production number. Determine the result shown by the red die. Only roll the event die.
If all participants in a game want to agree on a different procedure, they certainly are free to do so. If, in addition to the Alchemist, you would like to reveal an event card, we recommend that after playing the Alchemist you first determine the production number, then resolve the result of the event die roll, then draw an event card (of which only the event is resolved, provided that an event is described on it), and lastly distribute the resources. Please note that this is only a variant, not the official rule.
Catan Event Cards + C&K - May I first play the Alchemist and then reveal an Event Card?
No. It’s either the Alchemist or an Event Card.
If all participants in a game want to agree on a different procedure, they certainly are free to do so. If, in addition to the Alchemist, you would like to reveal an event card, we recommend that after playing the Alchemist you first determine the production number, then resolve the result of the event die roll, then draw an event card (of which only the event is resolved, provided that an event is described on it), and lastly distribute the resources. Please note that this is only a variant, not the official rule.
Catan Event Cards + Seafarers (in general) - Does the event “Robber flees!” also affect the pirate?
No.
Catan Event Cards + Seafarers (in general) - In scenarios without desert, what happens when the robber flees to the desert?
The robber is placed beside the game board, where he waits for his next mission – that is, until a “7” is rolled or a Knight card is played.
Catan Event Cards + Seafarers (in general) - May I build ships if one of my roads is damaged?
Yes. You can’t continue building roads though.
Catan Event Cards + Seafarers (in general) - May I turn a ship sideways, instead of a road?
No.
Catan Event Cards + The Rivers of Catan - May I build a bridge if a road is damaged by an Earthquake?
Yes, provided that you place the bridge adjacent to an intact road or adjacent to a settlement.
Catan Event Cards - Earthquake: May I build a settlement adjacent to a damaged road?
If only your damaged road connects to an intersection, you may not build a settlement there. However, you may build a settlement if one of your other, intact roads or one of your ships also borders on this intersection.
Catan Event Cards - Earthquake: May I repair a damaged road by using a Road Building card?
Yes.
Catan Event Cards - Event and production – in what order are they resolved?
First the event is resolved, then the production is distributed.
Catan for Two + The Fishermen of Catan - If I have used a Development Card or fish token to build a road, do I have to build a road for a neutral player too?
Yes.
Catan for Two + The Rivers of Catan - Can a neutral player become the Wealthiest Settler?
No. The neutral players never receive gold.
Catan for Two + The Rivers of Catan - Do I have to build bridges for the neutral players too?
Yes, provided that you have just built a bridge yourself. However, if you can’t build a bridge for a neutral player you can build a road instead.
Catan for Two - Are the victory points on face-down Development Cards also taken into account for determining the costs of an action taken by means of trade tokens?
No. Only visible victory points are considered.
Catan for Two - If I build a settlement adjacent to desert and coast, do I receive three trade tokens?
Yes.
Catan for Two - May I give the cards I just received via forced trade back to my opponent?
Yes.
Catan for Two - May I move the robber in between my two production rolls by playing a Development Card?
Yes.
Catan for Two - May I perform a forced trade if my opponent has less than two cards?
- If your opponent has only one card, you may take it from him, but you must give him back two cards.
- If your opponent has no card, he cannot trade with you, not even by force.
Catan for Two - May I steal a Resource Card after I have used trade tokens to move the robber to the desert?
No.
Catan for Two - May I use the trade tokens before rolling the dice?
Yes.
Catan for Two - Where do I place the Knight cards I discarded in exchange for trade tokens?
On the discard pile.
General - Is Traders & Barbarians also available with wooden game pieces?
A German edition of Traders & Barbarians with wooden game components is not programmed. However, you can order a set of matching wooden game components at the Catan Shop.
Harbormaster + C&K - How many points does a metropolis yield when “Cities & Knights” is combined with “Harbormaster”?
Two.
How can I combine Traders & Barbarians with other scenarios?
You can find information on possible combinations on the CATAN website - please click here
I don’t understand the rule regarding the “orientation” pairs of paths adjacent to the castle hex. How do they determine which knights are removed?
After a victory over the barbarians, one of the involved players rolls a die and places it in the center of the castle hex. Each of the six edges of the castle hex is marked with a different die roll result. The number rolled determines one of the three possible “orientation” pairs of paths adjacent to the castle hex: the path adjacent to the edge marked with the number rolled and the path adjacent to the edge on the opposite side.
Check each knight involved in the victory. If the path that the knight is on has the same orientation as one of the two paths on the castle hex determined by the die roll, remove that knight from the board.
The Caravans + Seafarers (in general) - Do camels have an effect on neighboring ships?
Yes.
The Caravans - May I place a camel on the coast?
Yes. An edge between a terrain hex and water is also regarded as a “path.”
The Caravans - May I place a camel on the path adjacent to the oasis if the caravan has found its way back to the oasis?
Yes, provided that the last camel you placed faces a free intersection at the oasis hex.
The Fishermen of Catan + C&K - Do I get one resource via the Aqueduct if I only received fish tokens?
Yes. Fish do not count as resources.
The Fishermen of Catan + C&K - When combining “Cities & Knights” with “The Fishermen of Catan," may I pay three fish to steal a card from an opponent if the barbarians haven’t come yet?
Yes, because this does not block any hex.
The Fishermen of Catan - Are victory points on face-down Development Cards also taken into account when I want to give the old boot to another player?
No. Only visible victory points are considered.
The Fishermen of Catan - Do I get a fish token for the last settlement in the set-up phase?
Yes, if you place your last settlement adjacent to a fishing ground tile you receive a fish token.
The Fishermen of Catan - Do I have one victory point less as long as I own the old boot?
No. Although the owner of the old boot needs one victory point more to win the game, this token doesn’t affect the number of victory points he owns.
The Fishermen of Catan - Is the old boot counted towards the allowed maximum number of seven fish tokens per player?
No.
The Fishermen of Catan - May I perform various actions with fish tokens and pay it all in one chunk?
You may perform various actions with fish tokens, but you have to pay for each action individually – meaning that sometimes you'll probably overpay.
The Fishermen of Catan - May I place the robber on the lake?
Yes.
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The Fishermen of Catan - May I trade fish tokens?
No.
The Fishermen of Catan - When exchanging fish tokens, may I take a fish token of my choice from the discard pile?
No, you must draw from the face-down fish token supply.
The Friendly Robber + Seafarers (in general) - Is the pirate also friendly when “Seafarers” is combined with “The Friendly Robber”?
Yes.
The Friendly Robber - Are victory points on face-down cards also taken into account when determining next to which player I may place the friendly robber?
No. Only visible victory points are considered.
The Friendly Robber - Do I have to place the friendly robber on a hex adjacent to which I have a settlement or city if any other position would affect players with less than three victory points?
Yes. However, this will happen only in very rare cases.
The Friendly Robber - If all my opponents have only two points each, may I drive away the robber without stealing a card?
Yes.
The Lost Tribe + Harbormaster - When I get a harbor from the Forgotten Tribe, do I receive a harbor point even if I can’t build a harbor right away?
No.
The Rivers of Catan + Seafarers (in general) - May I build ships on the dotted lines?
Yes, provided that you'd be allowed to build a ship there if the line didn’t exist.
The Rivers of Catan - Are the terrain hexes depicting the source of the river also regarded as river hexes?
Yes.
The Rivers of Catan - May I cross the river by means of a road?
No. This was only allowed in the 2005 giveaway edition.
The Wonders of Catan + Barbarian Attack - Is a settlement adjacent to the wasteland threatened by the barbarians who are in play from the start?
Yes. Otherwise, it would be too easy to build the Great Wall.
Traders & Barbarians + C&K - Is the event die repeated if a “2” or “12” is rolled?
No. You only re-roll the two production dice.
Traders & Barbarians + C&K - May I drive off the barbarians lurking on the roads without having to wait for the first barbarian attack?
Yes.
Traders & Barbarians + C&K - May I use a Diplomat to move a road on which a barbarian stands?
Yes.
Traders & Barbarians + Seafarers (in general) - May I move the wagon from a road onto a ship if there is no settlement between the road and the ship?
Yes. When you move a wagon, it doesn’t matter whether you move it along a closed or an open trade route.
Traders & Barbarians - After my wagon's movement has ended, may I still drive off a barbarian?
No.
Traders & Barbarians - May I buy movement points ahead?
No. You must immediately use the movement points you have bought.
Traders & Barbarians - May I drive off a barbarian and not use the path afterwards?
No.
Traders & Barbarians - May I use the “Swift Journey” card after I have reached the trade hex?
Yes.
Traders & Barbarians - What is the effect of the “Swift Journey” card?
You may use the movement points of your wagon once more. If you want to move on, you must pay grain again.