What are the rules of Catan?

The rules of Catan, a popular board game, are designed to create a strategic and engaging experience. Here’s a summary of the key rules:

1. Game Components
   Game Board: Composed of hexagonal tiles representing different resources (wood, brick, sheep, wheat, and ore) and a desert tile.
   Settlements and Cities: Players build settlements (worth 1 point) and cities (worth 2 points).
   Roads: Players build roads to connect settlements and cities.
   Development Cards: Cards that provide various benefits, including victory points, knights, and special abilities.
   Robber: A piece that blocks resource production from a tile when placed on it.
   Setup
   Board Assembly: Randomly place hexagonal tiles to form the island of Catan, ensuring that the desert tile is placed in a designated spot.
   Number Tokens: Place numbered tokens (2-6, 8-12) on each resource tile (except the desert).
   Initial Placement: Players take turns placing two settlements and connecting roads. The first settlement must be placed on an intersection of tiles, followed by the second settlement.
2. Game Play
   Rolling the Dice: At the beginning of each turn, the active player rolls two six-sided dice. The total determines which resource tiles produce resources for that turn.
   Resource Collection: Players collect resources based on their settlements and cities adjacent to the rolled number. Each settlement produces one resource, while each city produces two.
   Building and Trading:
   Players can build roads, settlements, or cities by spending the required resources.
   Players can trade resources with other players or trade at ports if they have settlements adjacent to them.
   Playing Development Cards: Players can play one development card per turn. This includes moving the robber, gaining resources, or claiming victory points.
   Using the Robber: If a player rolls a 7, they must move the robber to any tile, blocking resource production. They may also steal a resource card from a player with a settlement or city adjacent to that tile.
3. Building Restrictions: Players cannot build next to their own or others' settlements unless there is at least one empty space between them.
4. Winning the Game
   The game ends when a player reaches 10 victory points on their turn. Points can be earned through settlements, cities, development cards, and the longest road or largest army bonuses.
5. Additional Rules
   1. Longest Road: The player with the longest continuous road (at least 5 segments) receives 2 victory points.
   2. Largest Army: The player who plays the most knight cards (minimum of 3) receives 2 victory points.
   3. Trading: Players can trade resources with one another and can also trade with the bank at a standard rate of 4:1 or better rates if they have settlements adjacent to ports.
      Variants and Expansions
6. Catan has several expansions and variants that introduce new rules and components, such as "Catan: Cities & Knights," "Catan: Seafarers," and others, each adding complexity and new strategies to the game.

These rules provide a framework for gameplay, but players can often introduce house rules or variations to enhance their experience.