Catan: Junior

CATAN Juniortakes families with children ages 6 and up to a place quite different from Catan as we know it. There are no “settlers” around here. Instead, the players slip into the role of pirates who build their hideouts – called pirates’ lairs – all over the islands and set sail to find new places and build more pirates’ lairs there.

CATAN experts will easily recognize that many essential elements of theCATAN base gameare included inCATAN Junior,although – in accordance with the theme – they received different names: pirates’ lairs are built adjacent to islands, and if the islands’ numbers are rolled, the players receive resource tiles. The resource tiles depict gold, goats, wood, molasses, and cutlasses.

These tiles are used to build ships and more pirates’ lairs or to buy development cards (here called “Coco tiles”), which are played immediately after their purchase.

To launch a new ship, you need wood and wool from goats. And if you want to build a pirates’ lair, besides wood and wool you also need a cutlass and molasses.

The robber well-known from theCATAN base game-also exists inCATAN Junior, but here he is a spooky fellow named “Ghost Captain.” The Ghost Captain isn’t as bad a guy as the robber in theCATAN base game. He blocks the resource production of the islands he is placed on, but that’s all – nothing is being stolen.

The die-cut resource tiles included inCATAN Juniorare very convenient for children because unlike in the CATAN game for adults, the players don’t have to hold cards in their hands but can place the resource tiles in front of them.CATAN Juniorcan also be played as a 2-player game.

AlthoughCATAN Juniorcontains some simplified rules so that 6-year-olds can participate without any difficulty, it is still unmistakably a CATAN game.CATAN Junioris not just a game for kids but a genuine family game, to be enjoyed by adults and young children alike.