Settlers of Catan: two player house rules

I did some research to find variations of Settlers for just two players. I found this useful set of instructions for two-player Settlers with good rationale for why the changes were needed. I followed the links at the bottom - not all of them worked - for different suggestions. I looked at a few other sites too, and made a note of the major reasons for varying the game when only two people are playing. The main problems with just playing the regular game seemed to be:

1) it can take a while to get going as there would only be four settlements on the board
2) if one player gets ahead, it's hard for the other to catch up
3) trading with the other person isn't going to happen much
4) plenty of space for expansion means the game may be over quickly

Suggestions made at the various sites ranged from using a smaller board (difficult with the new version, unless sea tiles from Seafarers are used), each playing two colours, having a fictional extra player controlled by both, or each rolling twice per turn. We wanted to keep it simple, so decided to use the regular 3-4 person board, and just one set of pieces each. We did try rolling twice per turn, but quickly got confused as to whose turn it was!

So we came up with our own house rules, and have played several versions of two-player Settlers which seem to work well.

• Play to 16 points (we tried 15 at first, but 16 is more interesting)
• Each person starts with three settlements and three adjoining streets. How this works is:

1. Whoever rolls the higher dice places their first settlement and street as usual.
2. The other player places two settlements and two streets, and takes resources for one of them.
3. The first player places two more settlements and streets, and takes resources for all of them (up to six in all)
4. The second player places one final settlement and street, and takes the resources for the settlement.

(what this means is that both players should have access to all five resources, and most numbers. That allows for fairly quick expansion)

• Player-to-player trading does not happen; trading can only happen with the bank, using harbours if owned as in the normal game of Settlers.

(this is simpler than having the frustration of only one player wishing to trade with the other)

• When a seven is rolled in any of the first three rounds, it is ignored and the dice are re-rolled with the robber remaining on the desert.

(in the regular Settlers 3-4 player game we play this rule for the first two rounds anyway, to allow for faster acquisition of resources. We tried four rounds without sevens in the two-player game at first but it was too easy to lose track of which round we were in. Three seems to work)

The next three rules apply when a seven is rolled after the first three rounds:

• Players may hold up to nine cards in their hands rather than seven, before having to put half of them back.

(This is important since resources tend to be acquired more rapidly, and player-to-player trading doesn't happen so it's harder to build)

• The player moving the robber takes a resource card of his choice from the bank* rather than stealing from the other player.

(At first we decided to allow this as an option - since it's possible that the other player might not have any cards - but we tended to use it all the time, so adopted it as a rule)* update to our two-player rules, January 14th 2010: instead of taking a resource of one's choice, the person controlling the robber after rolling a 7 takes a resource card matching the hex on which he or she has placed the robber.

• Very important: if one player has more victory points on the board than the other, then the one who has fewer points controls the robber. So if player 1 rolls a 7, but has more points than player 2, it is player 2 who moves the robber and takes an extra card. It is still player 1's turn, however, so he or she may still trade with the bank and/or build, and/or play a development card.

(This ensures that one player does not gain the lead and then race ahead without any possibility of the other one catching up. Note, however, that a knight card can be played as usual during either player's turn, and that player then controls the robber and takes an extra card from his or her opponent, as in the normal game.)

We did come up with an extra optional possibility: that if one person plays the monopoly card, he or she not only takes the relevant resources from the other player, but then also takes an equivalent number of the same resource from the bank. However the monopoly card does not come up all that often, and we usually forget. It doesn't seem to be particularly important so we've abandoned it.

Playing to 15 points means that it's possible to win by having all cities and settlements on the board, plus either the largest army or longest street card, or a couple of victory points. We now prefer 16 points as it can take a little longer, but even so we find the two-player game rarely takes more than about 45 minutes.

Seafarers of Catan for two players

These rules adapt easily to Seafarers of Catan, in the various scenarios. We play to 16 points, usually, or - if the booklet suggests more than 13 - to 17 or even 18. We usually agree on the number of points (or a finishing time) before we begin or even during the game.

The knight is controlled as above: if a 7 is rolled, if either player is behind in victory points, they control it, otherwise it's whoever rolls the 7. The person controlling the robber takes a resource matching the hex on which the robber lands from the bank. If a knight is played, a resource is taken from the other player. New to seafarers: if the pirate is played, rather than the robber, whether from a 7 or a knight card, a resource card is taken from the other player.

Cities and Knights of Catan for two players

We were pleased to find that Cities and Knights can also work as a two-player game. We use the same rules, again, but playing to 18 points. We start with the same pattern of building in the setup phase, but the final placement is (as in the Cities and Knights rules) a city.

In other words: player A builds one settlement and street. Player B builds two settlements, and two streets, and takes resource cards for the second settlement. Player A then builds one more settlement and one city, and takes resource cards for each (just one per adjoining hex for each) and finally player B builds a city, taking one resource card for each adjoining hex.

We play three rounds without the event die, so that the barbarian cannot start attacking, and we also ignore any 7s in the first three rounds (any player who throws 7 rolls again).

Unlike two-person Settlers or Seafarers, we do not take note of who is behind in victory points when a 7 is rolled, since the progress cards include several which can only be played by the person who is behind. Instead, the robber is moved by whoever rolls the 7, and a resource is taken from the bank matching the hex on which the robber is played. If someone kicks the robber away using a knight, a resource is taken from the hand of the other player.