The Kids of Catan
A children's board game set in the world of Catan.
The Kids of Catan is a German board game for children, based on the world of The Settlers of Catan. Klaus Teuber designed it, and it was released by Kosmos in German and by Mayfair Games in English.
In the game’s story, three children (even though the game is for four players) help their parents build Catan’s first settlement. One parent makes bricks, one cuts wood, and one farms. The kids haul goods in wagons, but an older sibling sometimes bullies them, scaring them away so their supplies get stolen.
The game uses a turntable split into 16 sections. Four players and their wagons sit on the turntable, while the 16 spaces are around the edge. Fifteen spaces hold resources—five each of three types—and the sixteenth is the robber. Players start so no one begins on the robber.
Each turn, a player rolls a die and moves the turntable that many spaces. If a player lands on a resource space that still has that resource, and they don’t already have it in their wagon, they take it. Landing on the robber forces a player to return one resource from their wagon to an empty space on the board. When a wagon is full, the player may place a building, returning all three resources to the board. There are 13 buildings total: 12 red ones and one green city hall. The red buildings are split evenly among players, and only a player who has placed all their red buildings may build the city hall. The first to build the city hall wins.
- Designer
- Klaus Teuber
- Publisher (German)
- Kosmos
- Publisher (English)
- Mayfair Games
- Theme
- The Settlers of Catan
- Players
- 4
- Game type
- Children's board game
Lore & Background
The story revolves around three children of Catan (despite the game being for four players) who are helping their parents build structures for Catan's first settlement. One parent is a brickmaker, one parent is a woodcutter, and one parent is a farmer. To help their parents, the children, with the help of their wagons, help the parents haul goods. However, the children are bullied by one of the kids' older siblings, who sometimes scare them into running away from their wagons and finding their goods stolen when they return.
Reader's Guide
The game is played on a turntable separated into 16 sections. Each of the four players and their wagons are placed on the turntable itself, while the 16 spaces are on the outside. 15 of these spaces allow the players to collect resources - five each in three different types, while the 16th space is the robber. Players begin the game so that no one begins in the robber's space. On a player's turn, a die is rolled and the turntable is advanced a certain number of spaces. Each player, if on a resource space with a resource present, collects the particular resource there if they do not already have the resource in their wagon. If a player lands on the robber, they are forced to give up a resource on their wagon and return it to a space on the board. If, after collecting resources, a player's wagon is full, they may place a building on the board, and returns their three resources to spaces on the board. There are a total of 13 buildings - 12 red ones and the green city hall. The red buildings are divided evenly amongst the players, and the city hall may only be built by players who have placed all of their red buildings. The winner is the player who builds the city hall.
Did You Know?
- The game is designed for four players despite the story featuring only three children.
- The game includes a turntable separated into 16 sections.
- There are 13 buildings in total: 12 red ones and one green city hall.
- The robber space forces a player to return a resource from their wagon to the board.
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