Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Easier to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Player-count sensitive
Deep strategy
More strategic control
How it plays
How does it play?
Develop a card-built Catan principality for two, harvest six resources by dice, and race through settlements, cities, heroes, trade, and three themed eras.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Open Drafting
Select cards or items from a shared face-up display.
Race
Compete to reach a destination, threshold, or objective before opponents.
Read the full game description
Rivals for Catan distills the island into a head-to-head card game in which each player rules a growing principality. Six rotating region cards produce resources from the dice; roads and new settlements extend the tableau, while buildings, heroes, and trade ships compete for strength, commerce, and victory points. The introductory First Catanians game teaches the system in about half an hour. Three included theme sets—The Era of Gold, The Era of Turmoil, and The Era of Progress—then add sharper interaction and longer strategic arcs, and experienced players can combine them in the Duel of the Princes. Every card occupies real space in your province, making development visible, personal, and immediately contestable.
