About the Board Generator
How does the CATAN board generator work?
The generator places terrain hexes and number tokens with a multi-criteria scoring algorithm. Balanced mode evaluates up to 600 candidate boards and returns the highest-scoring layout for spacing, resource spread, and harbor access.
What does the balance score mean?
The balance score is a 0-100 fairness signal for a generated board. Scores above 80 are excellent, 65-80 are good for most games, and lower scores indicate stronger imbalances worth regenerating.
What is the difference between Balanced and Random mode?
Balanced mode optimizes for board quality, while Random mode performs an unconstrained shuffle. Use Random for pure chance and Balanced for competitive sessions.
How do I share a generated board?
Use the Share action under the board to copy a unique URL. Anyone opening that URL sees the same layout without needing an account.
How do I save a board for later?
The generator stores your most recent boards in browser history storage automatically. You can also bookmark a share URL or download an image snapshot.
Does the generator work on mobile?
Yes, the generator is mobile-optimized with tap interactions and bottom action controls. Strategy details are available through expandable panels on smaller screens.
Can I lock some hexes and regenerate the rest?
Partial lock-and-regenerate is not available yet. For now, use history restore if you regenerate past a board you wanted to keep.
What do the dots under number tokens mean?
The dots represent dice-frequency weight for that token. More dots means the number appears more often in 2d6 rolls and produces resources more frequently.
Why are 6 and 8 printed in red?
6 and 8 are red because they are the most likely production numbers in base CATAN. The color warns players that adjacent red tokens can create unfair hotspots.
Can I generate a board for a specific scenario or seed?
Fixed custom seeds are not exposed as a user input yet. Use share URLs to replay exact generated boards.
CATAN Rules Questions
How many players can play CATAN?
Base CATAN supports 3-4 players. The official 5-6 Player Extension increases the maximum to 6 players.
How many victory points do you need to win CATAN?
Standard CATAN is won at 10 victory points. Points come from settlements, cities, special cards, and victory-point development cards.
How long does a game of CATAN take?
Most 3-4 player games take about 60-90 minutes. First-time groups and 5-6 player tables usually run longer.
How many resource cards can you hold in CATAN?
There is no normal hand-size cap in CATAN. The only limit trigger is rolling a 7, which forces players with 8 or more cards to discard half.
What happens if the CATAN resource bank runs out?
If the bank cannot fully pay a production result, players receive only what is available. Missing resources are not replaced from other sources.
Can you win CATAN on someone else's turn?
No, victory is declared only on your own turn. Reaching 10 points outside your turn does not immediately end the game.
How many settlements, cities, and roads can you build?
Each player has 5 settlements, 4 cities, and 15 roads. These component limits cap what can be built.
Can you trade on other players' turns?
Player-to-player trade is initiated only by the active player during their turn. Bank trade follows official turn-phase restrictions.
Does the robber block gold hexes in Seafarers?
Yes, a robber or pirate effect blocks production on affected targets in Seafarers contexts. Blocking still applies even when gold is involved.
Can you play a Knight card before rolling the dice?
Yes, Knight can be played before rolling during your turn. This is a legal sequencing choice under standard development-card timing rules.
What is the Largest Army card?
Largest Army is a 2-point special card for the player with the most played Knight cards after crossing the minimum threshold. It transfers when another player exceeds the current count.
Can roads be built through the desert?
Yes, roads may run along legal edges that touch desert terrain. Desert affects production, not edge legality for road placement.
CATAN Strategy Questions
What are the best tips for beginners in CATAN?
Prioritize resource diversity in your opening, secure expansion lanes early, and value ports when your production profile supports them. These three habits improve consistency more than chasing one high number.
Is wood or brick more important early game?
Wood and brick are equally critical for early roads and settlements. The scarcer one on your board should usually be prioritized first.
How important is the desert in CATAN?
Desert importance is positional rather than productive because it yields no resources. A central desert removes more high-value intersections than an edge desert.
Should you always go for Longest Road?
No, Longest Road is strong only when your wood and brick flow can sustain it. Ore-grain-heavy boards often reward city-focused plans more efficiently.
What is the best number of players for CATAN?
Four players is commonly viewed as the competitive sweet spot. Three players is faster and cleaner, while 5-6 players creates higher chaos and longer pacing.
How do you recover if you have a bad starting position?
Port access and disciplined trade planning are the most reliable recovery tools. A good 3:1 or 2:1 conversion path can stabilize weak initial production.
Is ore worth going for early?
Ore is valuable only when paired with grain access and a realistic city or development timeline. Early ore without grain often underperforms.
What is the best first settlement position?
The best opening usually touches three resource types, strong total pip value, and at least one high-frequency token. Generator best-start overlays rank these intersections directly.
Expansion Questions
Which CATAN expansion should I buy first?
Seafarers is usually the best first expansion because it adds variety without rewriting the core game loop. Cities & Knights is deeper but much harder to learn.
Can you mix CATAN expansions together?
Some expansion combinations are officially supported, especially Seafarers plus Cities & Knights. Most other mixes are custom variants with extra balance risk.
Does the 5-6 player extension work with Seafarers?
Yes, official compatibility exists through dedicated 5-6 Seafarers extension components. Use the matching component set for legal setup.
Is Cities & Knights harder to learn than the base game?
Yes, Cities & Knights is substantially harder to learn than base CATAN. It adds knights, commodities, city improvements, and barbarian pressure.
Do expansions make the game longer?
Yes, expansions generally increase game length. The exact increase depends on variant and player count, with Cities & Knights usually adding the most time.
Does the Seafarers generator support all official Seafarers scenarios?
Current Seafarers generation focuses on standard procedural layouts. Additional official scenario presets are planned.
What is the gold terrain in Seafarers?
Gold terrain produces a resource of the player's choice when activated. Because of this flexibility, gold placement has high strategic impact.
Can I use the base game generator for Seafarers?
No, Seafarers requires dedicated map topology with sea lanes and island constraints. Use the Seafarers-specific generator route for valid layouts.
About CatanBoard
Is CatanBoard free to use?
Yes, CatanBoard is free to use. No account is required for board generation and core analysis features.
Is CatanBoard affiliated with CATAN GmbH or Asmodee?
No, CatanBoard is an independent fan-built tool and is not affiliated with CATAN GmbH or Asmodee. CATAN is a registered trademark of Catan GmbH.
What data does CatanBoard collect?
Board history is stored locally in your browser and not synced to a user account. Basic anonymous analytics are used for product improvement.
Can I use generated boards commercially?
Generated layouts are suitable for personal and non-commercial use. Commercial use should account for CATAN intellectual-property constraints from rights holders.
How often is the site updated?
The site is updated continuously with feature and content improvements. The changelog tracks major shipped updates and roadmap milestones.
How can I suggest a feature or report a bug?
Use the feedback path inside the generator flow to report issues or request features. Roadmap priorities follow recurring user demand patterns.
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