2. Now take the 9 harbor pieces (the small 5-sided pieces with ships on them) and randomly place one on top of each harbor on the frame. See Illustration P.
3. Place the 18 number tokens as shown in Illustration Q.
4. Sort the number tokens beside the board, letter side face up.
5. Place 1 token on each land hex. Start at a corner of the island. Place the number tokens on the terrain hexes in alphabetical order, proceeding counter-clockwise toward the center. Skip the desert.

Important: Alternatively, you can use a fully random set-up. Place 1 token on each land hex. Start at one corner of the island, and place the number tokens in random order. In such case, the tokens with the red numbers must not be next to each other. You may have to swap tokens to ensure that no red numbers are on adjacent hexes.

Note: The desert never gets a number token. It should be skipped.

More set-up instructions can be found in "Set-up Phase."*

Some earlier editions of Catan had soldier cards. These are now called knight cards. See Knight Cards*.

If you want to use the starting set-up, lay out the board as shown in Illustration R (and the Game Overview):

• Assemble the frame exactly as shown in Illustration R.
• Place the terrain hexes exactly as shown in Illustration R.
• Place 2 settlements and 2 roads of each color as shown.

If only 3 are playing, remove the red pieces.

Each player receives the 3 resources from the terrain hexes adjacent to their settlement marked by the white star.

The oldest player is the starting player. The oldest player takes the first turn and rolls for resource production.

Since you play Catan with a variable map, the tactical considerations of each game are different. There are, nevertheless, some common points you should consider:

• Brick and lumber are the most important resources at the beginning of the game. You need both to build roads and settlements. You should try to place at least 1 of your first settlements on a good forest or hills hex.
• Do not underestimate the value of harbors. For instance, a player with settlements or cities on productive fields should try to build a settlement on the "grain" harbor.
• Leave enough room to expand when placing your first 2 settlements. Look at your opponents' sites and roads before making a placement. Beware of getting surrounded! If you plan to build toward a harbor, the middle of the island may be a tricky place for a starting settlement, for it can easily be cut off from the coast.
• The more you trade, the better your chances of victory. Even if it is not your turn, you should offer trades to the current player!