Released by 999 Games in 2007 this Dutch version of Catan is quite possibly the smallest version of Catan ever released. It was released as a promotional game that uses very simple rules and does not use any cards. Play is to 7 points and the set comes with a paper spinner to replace the dice.
On BGG they make the point that this game is made out of paper and can only be used a few times. I think it highly unlikely people played the game enough to wear it out. While I get the idea and accept it is quirky, I also wonder how many Dutch people were put off buying Catan as they thought the real game might be as basic and humdrum as this mini-game is. However, for those who are keen to try it at least once I have a copy of Wegwerpcatan that people can play when they visit my mini-museum. If the paper bits are too small and fiddly, I can change them for miniature plastic Catan pieces.
The Game Components
Instead of dice, Wegwerpcatan uses a spinner which you have to assemble yourself. Each player receives five roads, three settlements and two cities. Every player has a set of tiles to rotate and represent the number of resources you own or gain. The board layout is fixed, as are the positions of the starting settlements and roads.
The Game Rules
Preparation
Choose a starting color and take the corresponding playing pieces. Everyone gets 2 villages and 2 streets (pre-printed on the game board). Each player receives a building tile of each resource on which the stock can be kept track of. All players receive 1 grain (yellow), 1 wool (light green) and 1 wood (dark green) and place the relevant building tiles with the 1 facing up. The other building tiles are placed with the O up.
Game flow
- Start of turn: 'Roll the dice' by turning the wheel. If you have a village or city on the 'dice' number, you harvest the resource. Turn your building tile 1 turn to the left. If you have a city on the number you get 2 resources
- Trade with the bank (4:1) or with your fellow players. You may only take the initiative to act on your own turn.
- Build roads, villages or cities by 'paying' the building materials to the bank. Once you have paid, place the playing piece on the open space.
- Building Rules: A city can only be built to replace a village. There must always be room for 2 streets (2 sides) between 2 villages.
- Villages are worth 1 and cities are worth 2 points. The first to reach 7 points wins. The first person to have 5 streets or more gets 2 bonus points.
The Construction Costs of Catan
In the game 'The Settlers of Catan' everything revolves around building streets, villages and cities. You build it using raw materials. Below you will find an overview of the costs per playing piece.
(Diagram of build costs using symbols - see images below)
Are you short of a raw material? Then of course you can always exchange with an opponent or with the bank (4:1). And as soon as you build a new village, you also receive raw materials from the surrounding fields.
The Game As It Arrived
Below are some images of the game envelope before sperating out the components. Click the images to see a larger version.
EDIT: Shortly after posting I was asked am I doing a reprint of this game any time soon. For clarification, I am not a producer of any Catan products, I am simply a passionate collector of all things Catan. Also to be clear, the ownership of the artwork and game rests with the creator. This site cannot give any permissions for duplication or replication for commercial purposes.