Some of the settlers looking for a future on Catan have wandered a bit off course. They have instead found the fables island of Catakatoa. Though just as rich in natural resources as its more famous sister-island, Catakatoa has a dangerous heart: the great volcano known as Catakau. According to native legends, a great demon slumbers in the bowels of the mountain; and someday that demon will awake, spreading destruction through the entire island.

• 1 x Catakato Volcano hex
• 1 x additional set of Catan number counters

Best for the base game, but can work with all expansions.

The Scenario Set Up

• Remove the desert tile from the basic set. Place the volcano in the centre of the board. Shuffle the remaining land tiles and place two rings around the volcano tile. This will give you a normal shaped island.
• Shuffle the harbour tiles and place them around the island normally.
• Place the number tiles as in the basic game. Do not place a number tile on the volcano
• Take the extra set of number tiles and stack them in numerical order with the 2 tile on top and the 12 tile at the bottom. Place this stack on the volcano tile,
• Place the robber on the volcano.

Except where noted use all the normal Settlers rules.

The Volcano

• Roads, settlements and cities can be built along the edges of the volcano just like any other land hex. But, there is some risk to building near the volatile heart of the island.
• The natives of the island respect nothing more than bravery. Anyone who is brave enough to live next to Catakau will be showered with gifts from the natives each time the demon within rumbles. When the number on top of the volcano stack is rolled, anyone who has built settlements or cities next to the volcano receives a bonus. This is in addition to any normal production for the turn.The owner of each settlement next to the volcano receives a resource of their choice from the bank. The owner of each city receives two resource cards of their choice (same or different). These are gifts from the natives.
• However, the "demon" sleeping within the mountain will rumble and hot lava will erupt from the volcano!
  After the natives have given their gifts, lava will flow down one of the six corners of the volcano. Roll one 6-sided die. The lava will flow towards the corner of the hex with the number that matches the die roll. If there is a settlement on the corner, then it is destroyed and removed. If there is a city on the corner then it is replaced by a settlement. (See also the alternate Witch Doctor rule for when the lava strikes below)
• After the lava does its damage, remove the top number token from the stack, revealing the next number. As the game goes on the volcano will grow more active as the number rolled becomes more likely. Eventually, the activity will peak, gradually becoming less active as the number moves closer to 12.
• But the danger only becomes greater! If the volcano is showing the the last token ("12") and the number is rolled, then the volcano will explode! After the natives have handed out their final gifts, the volcano and everything touching it will be destroyed! Remove ALL settlements, roads and cities that border the volcano hex. Replace the volcano with the desert hex to represent the ash-strewn wasteland. Once all the roads, settlements and cities have been removed, players may rebuild next to the wasteland hex.

The Witch Doctor

• The witch doctor replaces the robber in this scenario. He alone knows the mind of the sleeping demon slumbering in the heart of Catakau. For most of the game, he is treated just like the robber in the normal game (taking "gifts" from other players, making card rich players halve their hands, blocking production, etc). But he does have a couple of special rules.
• The Witch Doctor can be placed on the volcano hex, but he does not block production. The natives will still give their gifts to those brave enough to make their homes there, and the lava will still flow. The Witch Doctor is never harmed by the volcano (he knows where the lava will come out.)
• ALTERNATE (UNOFFICIAL) WITCH DOCTOR RULE
  When the die is rolled to decide the direction of the lava, if the witch doctor is on the volcano hex then the person whose turn it is can decide to roll again if they do not like the first number thrown. They can roll again to try and protect their own buildings, or they may choose to roll again in the hope of destroying an opponent's property. Only one extra roll is permitted with each eruption.
• If the volcano explodes, the the Witch Doctor will have no more power on the island. If this happens, remove the Witch Doctor/Robber from the game (no matter where on the island it is). For the rest of the game, if a "7" is rolled, or a soldier card (base game) played, then you may steal a random card from any player, but production is not blocked on any hexes.

The volcano does not increase the Victory Points needed to win the game. For example, if playing the base game any player will still need 10 points during his/her turn to win the game.

Copyright: 2005 Mayfair Games and Catan GmbH

This volcano hex scenario was included in the March 2005 issue of Game Trader magazine.