Random Tricks to Help You Defeat Catan Players (16 items)

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  (#1) Diversify Your Portfolio

  This refers more to the number token on the resource than the specific resource being sought. It's better to have one settlement on a six, and one on an eight, than two on the same number. The latter scenario results in collecting resources in bursts, which makes a player more vulnerable to losing half their cards when a seven is rolled.

  That said, some diversity in resource type is also beneficial. Being self-sufficient can be the difference between a win and a loss in the late game. Basically, you never want to have all your eggs in one basket.
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  (#2) There Are Two Basic Strategies

  The first strategy is to build as many settlements as possible. You focus on the brick and wood resources, and to a lesser extent, sheep. You need a lot of room to expand using this strategy, and you should also try to get longest road. Area control is key, making sure that you can build in new areas while your opponents cannot.

  The second strategy is to focus on ore and wheat, and use it to make cities and get development cards. Ore is more important than wheat, as cities require three ore and two wheat to build. The downside to this strategy is that it's vulnerable to the robber, so it makes sense to also go for the largest army bonus if you take this route. Start getting knights early so you can fend off any robbers that seek to ruin your economy. Getting a port also goes well with this strategy.

  You can also combine the two strategies, but be careful not to overextend yourself. Additionally, do not try to go for both the largest army and the longest road cards. Pick one, and commit. 
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  (#3) Choose Your Trading Partners Wisely

  There is more to a trade than simply getting a good deal. Keep in mind that the trade will benefit the other trader as well, and if that person is already beating you then they can run away with the game. If someone is only one or two victory points away from winning, then it's safe to say that no one should be trading with them at all. A general rule is if they are showing seven victory points without longest road or largest army, do not trade with them.

  If you are racing someone to a prime settlement location, then you don't want to give them the resources they need to beat you to it. Sometimes it's better to take a bad deal from the bank than to give others access to your precious resources.
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  (#4) Use the Robber as a Weapon

  Nothing shuts down an economy like a well placed robber. Listen to your friends curse your name in lamentation as you foil their best laid plans with one swift stroke. The primary targets of the robber should be the player with the most victory points, the highest yielding (enemy) resource, and/or an enemy resource that you are bountiful in. While sometimes it can pay to target a player because you think they are holding a resource card you need, this technique is risky and should be used very sparingly.

  The ultimate goal is to make yourself the only business in town. If you are collecting a lot of bricks, for example, it can behoove you to shut down a rival's source of bricks. That makes it so everyone has to trade with you if they want to get their brick fix. Keep in mind, though, that low-yielding resource spaces are less valuable to rob (but sometimes still worth it), and that cities are better to rob than settlements.
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  (#5) Monopolize

  When using the monopoly development card, it's good to trade away all of one type of resource before using it - then you can ask for that type of resource and get all your cards back, and more! It's a very effective way to get a bunch of different resources essentially for free. Be prepared for a few upset friends, however.

  Besides being a development card in the game, monopolizing resources can be a good way to increase the value of your own goods compared to those of your neighbors. Generally speaking, if everyone else lacks access to a resource you produce, you can get a much better exchange on that resource.
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  (#6) Box People Out

  Cutting off your friends from expanding to a new settlement and then watching them cry in despair is one of the most important aspects of Settlers of Catan. There are several techniques to achieve this end. First, you can use roads to wall in your opponents. Second, you can maximize the effectiveness of the "two spaces away" settlement placement rule.

  Instead of simply placing your own settlements two spaces from each other, you can take up more space by putting them three away while still preventing your opponent from placing a settlement in between your two. Be mindful when you do this, however, so it doesn't backfire and prevent you from building a settlement in a desired location.
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  (#7) Last to Place? Get a Port

  The last person to place their first settlement is in a great position to grab a 2:1 port, because they will know exactly where their second settlement will go. Remember to place the port first (so you can pick up three resources for your settlement), followed by a settlement that takes advantage of the 2:1 ratio. When taking this strategy, it's okay to break apart your settlements to different parts of the board, but make sure that you leave yourself room to expand. Also, keep in mind that you will be forgoing longest road if you take this route.
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  (#8) What the Heck Are the Dots For?

  You may have noticed that the number tokens have dots, ranging from one to five. These dots represent the probability of rolling that number on a given turn (each dot represents the dice combinations out of 36 that can make that number). In other words, more dots are good. You want dots. If you ever aren't sure about which is the better of two spots on the board - based purely on probability of rolls - add up the dots on each tile and go with the intersection that has the higher total number.
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  (#9) Don't Hoard

  Try to never have more than six cards in your hand at the end of your turn, because chances are you will get over seven by the time it gets back around to you. Losing half your cards on a seven roll is never a fun time, and it's better to invest those resources in hard assets while you still can. If you have a lot of one type of resource that you don't currently need, it can be worth it to trade with the bank just to get the number of cards in your hand down. Chances are you have a ready supply of said resource anyway.
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  (#10) Beware of the Sheep Glut

  During almost every game, there will be an excess of sheep at some point. Everyone will have sheep, and everyone will be trying to unload them. A person with a well situated sheep port can turn this into an advantage, but this route is only worth pursuing if it's convenient within a player's larger strategy. Above all, don't focus too heavily on acquiring sheep early in the game. They will come. They always come. 
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  (#11) Bricks Mean Business

  Bricks are the most important resource in the game. On a standard Settlers board, there are three brick and three ore spaces. Brick is necessary for both roads and new settlements, meaning that this resource is in high demand. This is especially true at the beginning of the game, where most players need a few roads and a settlement just to get off the ground. As the game goes on, the focus starts to switch toward ore and wheat, but brick retains value as people strive for the longest road card. Basically, a brick space with a good number on it's going to be a much sought after space.
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  (#12) Count Cards

  This is a difficult task to pull off, but it's possible to keep track of every single resource each player has at any given time. Whenever the dice are rolled, keep account of what each player receives. Then keep a running total in your mind. Remember to update this total any time a trade occurs. If you aren't some kind of memory genius, you can still keep a general accounting of the resources of each player. From this you can deduce what strategies are being used, and when a player is close to building something.
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  (#13) When to Raise an Army

  The short answer is: when you are winning. The more victory points you have, the bigger a target you become. Beyond this, though, cities are really the prime targets of robbers. Therefore, if your strategy depends heavily on cities, you are definitely going to want to get some knights to protect them.

  The largest army bonus is another factor to consider, but make sure that having a large army meshes well with your larger strategy. If you are pursuing the largest army, buy knights early and often. You can only play one at a time, so it takes a while to get them all on the board.
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  (#14) Never Build Three Settlements on the Same Hex

  This isn't just tempting the robber - this is inviting the robber in, pouring him a drink, and telling him to get comfortable. A hex with three settlements on it (let alone cities) is going to have a robber on it most of the time. This is somewhat mitigated when the hex is occupied by multiple players, as they are also invested in keeping a robber off their resources.

  Having three settlements of the same player on a single hex, however, is akin to painting a giant target on the board.
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  (#15) Unless You Want Knights, Stay Away from Development Cards

  Ah, victory points. Near the end of the game, you may think, "I only need one victory point, so I'll just get development cards until I get a victory point card." This is a bad idea.

  In the standard development deck, 48% of the cards are knights. That means you can be relatively confident that you will get a knight every other draw. So if you need a knight, or are going for the largest army, the odds are pretty good you'll get there.

  On the other hand, only 16% of the cards give victory points. That means going through six development cards before finding that elusive victory point is well within the normal probability. And that counts on your luck being normal, not bad.
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  (#16) On Opening Turns, Ports Shouldn't Be Chosen Second

  Keep in mind that during your second turn of the initial placement phase, you will pick up resource cards according to the adjacent resources. If you pick a port, that means that you will only get two instead of the usual three. Therefore, if you want to open up with a port, be sure to do it on the first placement turn and never the second.

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