Game Night Light 28

This is a non-specific game "night" report that was done over multiple days instead of the fixed (now-Thursday) weekly beer exchange and game night.

I decided to address the concern that Mega Catan might take too long to play. You know:

So I made new rules for Mega Catan rules that I already wrote. Some are now optional for smaller games. These additional rules are at the end of the rules.

These are the new pieces I added (not including the circular resource value chits in the bad with other parts):

Other pieces are added from the second game I purchased for parts.

MEGA CATAN

Mega Catan board 

I made two extra small pieces for the border--one 3:1 port and one blank. So there will be alternating port and blank extensions. This makes Catan 4 hexes on each side, totaling 37 hexes. 

Place a 3:1 small border piece between section 1 links; a blank piece between section 2 links; a 2:1 sheep piece between the 3 links; a blank piece between the 4 links; a 3:1 piece between section 5 links; and a blank piece between section 6 links. 

Mega Catan circular resource distribution chits 

I added 7 new circular chits marked Zd throuh Zj. Because the expansion pack adds 10 chits with a total point value of 31, I made the 7 new chits equal 22 points. But I arbitrarily assigned them numbers. From Zd as a 12, with subsequent chits 5, 3, 6, 2, 9, and 8. 

Mega Catan buildings and roads 

One day I may spray paint the buildings and roads, but for now the extra sets have roofs painted black; and the ends of the road segments painted black. 

The Trade and Build Phase 

For any Mega Catan game of 7-10 players I modified the revised special building phase for 5-6 players that now has a Trade and Build Phase with a Settler1 phase and a Settler 2--who is three players to the left of Settler 1--special building phase. 

The Mega Catan Trade and Build Phase will have a Settler 1 and a Settler 2 who is four players to the left of Settler 1. 

In addition, your hand is safe from the robber with 9 cards instead of 7. So the robber takes half (rounded down) when you have 10 cards in your hand instead of the 8 in other games. 

Victory points 

For victory point levels I looked at the maximum theoretical points per player, using 13 points for building per player, plus 5 victory point cards and 6 points with the harbor master, largest army, and longest road bonuses. This ran from an average of 16.75 points per player with 3 players to 14.8 points per player at 6 players. I set a rounded 15 as the threshold for 10 victory points for a regular game and 11 victory points for harbor master variant. 

Calculating theoretical points per player from 7 to 10 players, I was looking at 14.6, 14.4, 14.2, and 14 points. So I established the victory points needed for victory at 10 and 11 for 3-7 players; and 9 and 10 points for 8-10 players. 

I hold open the option of going to 8 and 9 points for 10 players because I did not factor in players to space. 

Additional pieces 

Playing Mega Catan requires the basic game, plus the expansion kit pieces, plus the following additions:

One small blank frame and one small 3:1 harbor frame (which I had to make using my copier and cardboard). 

Two new Robber’s Desert Lair hexes for use in all Mega Catan games. Replace original desert pieces with these after hexes are flipped and revealed. 

One 3:1 harbor piece.

Six knights, and one each of year of plenty, monopoly, road building, and victory point cards. 

Six each of bricks, rocks, sheep, wheat, and wood. 

Seven circular resource value chits Zd (12), Ze (5), Zf (3), Zg (6), Zh (2), Zi (9), and Zj (8). 

Four sets of building pieces and building cost cards. 

One Robber Baron variant card. 

One Longest Road variant card.

Additional rules 

Longest Road Bonus. Anybody who holds the longest road card is considered to have a 3:1 “port” for trading purposes only. This does not count toward Harbor Master. This rule is mandatory in Mega Catan and optional in smaller games. 

Robber’s Desert Lair. Whenever a 7 is rolled, after the effects of the robber and placement/resource card taking of the robber segment is completed, each player who has at least one settlement (or city) on a desert hex—beginning with Player 1—may choose one resource card for their hand, if they choose to. This is one total and not one per settlement or one per desert hex. This rule is mandatory in Mega Catan and optional in 5-6-player Catan. 

Robber Baron Variant. The first player to play 3 economy cards (road building, monopoly, and year of plenty) gets the RB card. Another player who plays more economy cards takes this card. It is worth 2 victory points. This variant does not increase the number of points needed to win. It is required in a 9-10 player Mega Catan game and is optional in a 7-8 player game. 

/END RULES/

Hopefully the additional rules help move a larger game along by correcting the more inland nature of Mega Catan, prevent too many players from being locked out of having available victory points to win, and prevent the robber from slowing down the game too much.