Red Number Spacing
6 and 8 must not share an edge. Any violation heavily reduces the board score because adjacent red numbers create unfair production hotspots.
About CatanBoard
We built the CATAN board generator we always wanted but could never find.
Why We Built This
Every CATAN group knows the same argument: are the 6 and 8 too close, are resources clumped, should the board be reshuffled before the game even starts. We had this debate enough times to realize that random setup alone was not solving the fairness problem.
We looked for a tool that did more than randomize. We wanted one that could score layout quality, evaluate resource spread, and explain why a board was strong or weak. We found randomizers, but we did not find a balancing tool we trusted, so we built CatanBoard.
The project began as a single generator page and expanded into strategy, setup, rules, and expansion guides. The mission stayed the same: help every CATAN table start fair, fast, and with fewer rule arguments.
How the Algorithm Works
The score model combines multiple fairness signals into a 0-100 output. Scores above 80 usually indicate strong balance, while scores below 60 typically contain one or more major structural issues.
Resource Distribution Variance
The algorithm checks how evenly probability pips are distributed across wood, brick, wool, grain, and ore. Extreme spread is penalized.
Terrain Clustering Penalty
Adjacent clusters of the same terrain type reduce score because they can create monopoly zones that are hard for other players to access.
Harbor Proximity
Each specialist harbor is evaluated against nearby production of its matching resource. Ports that are technically present but practically unusable are penalized.
Iteration Count
Balanced mode evaluates up to 600 candidates and returns the highest score. If a board above 90 appears early, iteration can stop because gains beyond that are usually marginal.
Want the player-facing interpretation?Read the Strategy Guide.
Our Principles
Ad-free generator, always
The generator interface is the product and remains ad-free. Content pages may carry lightweight ads to support hosting and development.
No accounts, no friction
You can use CatanBoard without sign-up. Board history stays in local browser storage, and no personal account profile is required.
Clear about limits
The score model measures probability fairness, not player psychology or table politics. We state that boundary clearly so users can trust what the score does and does not mean.
CatanBoard in Numbers
8
Languages supported
600
Max balanced iterations
5
Expansion tracks supported or planned
0
Ads inside generator
Legal Notice
CATAN is a registered trademark of Catan GmbH. Settlers of CATAN, Seafarers of CATAN, Cities & Knights of CATAN, and related marks belong to Catan GmbH and are referenced for identification purposes only.
CatanBoard is an independent fan-made project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Catan GmbH, Asmodee, or their subsidiaries.
Generated layouts are algorithmic outputs from this tool and are not reproductions of official CATAN printed materials.
Get in Touch
Found a bug, have a feature request, or want to collaborate? We read all feedback.
[email protected]- • Bug reports: feedback button inside the generator
- • Feature suggestions: same feedback path, reviewed continuously
- • Product updates:view changelog