Catan: Soccer Fever Scenario Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Preparation
• Gameplay
  • Starting Set-Up
  • Building Beside a Soccer Pitch
• Matchday
  • Playing a Match
  • Match Results & Earning Rewards
  • Adjust League Standings
  • Ending the Matchday
• Ending the Soccer Season
• Turn Knight Cards into Shots
• Ending the Game
• Additional Rules for 3 Players
  • Matchday
    • Before the First Match of the Day
    • After the First Match of the Day
    • After the Second Match of the Day
    • Ending the Matchday
• Your Pitch, Your Rules
  • House Rules
  • Track Match

Preparation

• Assemble the soccer balls as described on the inside flap of the folio.
• Remove the desert hex from the game. Build the board using the variable setup described in the CATAN rulebook. Leave the center hex empty.
• Place 1 of the soccer pitch hexes in the center of the island.
• Place the number discs onto the board using the spiral-method.
• Locate the hex with the '2' disc. Move the '2' disc onto the hex with the '12' disc. This hex now has 2 number discs and will produce resources when either number is rolled.
• Replace the hex with no number disc with the other soccer pitch hex. If the hex you replace is a:
  • Forest, pasture, or fields: Remove it from the game.
  • Mountains or hills: Choose a random pasture hex and remove it from the game. Then place the mountains/hills hex in its place. Place the number disc from the removed pasture hex on the replacement hex.
• Place the robber next to the game board.
• Place the league board where it is easily accessible to everyone. Note: The soccer ball icons in the lower right corner indicate the number of players. Place it with the appropriate side up.
• Place the matchday indicator onto the pairings chart so that its arrow points to match 1 (as shown below).
• If you have enough room in your play area, assemble the folio to create a soccer stadium as described on the inside flap of the folio. You will toss your soccer ball into the stadium to score points during matches.
• Each player takes the following pieces in their chosen color:

All standard playing pieces from CATAN. Place yours in front of you.

• 1 soccer ball. Place it with your playing pieces.
• 1 match results marker. Place yours on the match results track on the space marked with the whistle. This marker tracks your match results over the course of the season (see page 2).
• 1 league standing marker. Place yours next to the league standings chart (see page 2).
• 6 shot tokens. Place them in front of you. Look at the pairings chart. It shows who each player will compete against for each match. You and the player you are competing against in the first match each place 1 of your shot tokens onto the same soccer pitch hex (it doesn't matter which one) to form your shot token stack. The other players place 1 of their shot tokens on the other hex.

[Diagram caption, as printed: "In a 4-player game: For the first match of the season, White will play against Orange while Red will play against Blue." A second caption reads: "Place your shot tokens on the soccer hexes as shown above."]

[Page 2 diagram caption, as printed: "For a 4-player game, place your tokens on the league board as shown below." The diagram labels the parts of the league board: Matchday indicator, Pairings chart, Standings chart, Match results track, League Board, Standings markers, and Match results markers.]

Gameplay

CATAN – Soccer Fever uses the CATAN rules with the following changes. Additional rules for 3-player games are on page 4.

Starting Set-Up

Place your settlements as you would in CATAN, starting with the person who was last in a stadium cheering for a team.

Building Beside a Soccer Pitch

If you build a settlement or city next to a soccer pitch hex, immediately take 1 shot token from your personal supply and add it to your shot token stack on the soccer pitch hex.

You receive an additional shot token when you build on ANY soccer pitch hex—the hex your shot token stack happens to occupy does not matter.

Important: You receive 1 additional shot token for each settlement you place next to a soccer pitch hex, during set-up and gameplay.

Example: During starting set-up, Orange placed both settlements next to a soccer pitch hex—Orange receives 2 shot tokens. White and Red each placed 1 settlement next to a soccer pitch hex—they each receive 1 shot token. Blue did not place a settlement next to either soccer pitch—Blue does not receive a shot token. Each player adds these tokens to their shot token stack, placed during the game preparation.

Matchday

If you build a settlement or a city anywhere on the board, you trigger a matchday. The matchday occurs at the end of your turn (i.e.: when you declare you are done building/trading/playing development cards) and before you pass the dice to the next player.

If you build multiple settlements and/or cities during a turn, only one matchday occurs.

Matchdays consist of two separate matches. Each player competes in one match or the other. The pairings chart on the league board shows who is competing against whom on any given matchday. Play the active player's match first, followed by the other match.

Match results can earn you special rewards over the course of the season. They also affect your league standing which can earn you additional Victory Points (VPs).

Playing a Match

The two players in a match take alternating turns taking a shot on goal. Toss or flick your soccer ball into the stadium and check the result. It doesn't matter who takes the first shot. If your ball lands with your player color facing up, you score a goal. Otherwise, you miss the goal.

Each player takes as many shots as they have shot tokens in their shot token stack on the board.

Alternate rules: If you don't have enough play space to set up the soccer stadium, you can flip your shot tokens (like flipping a coin) instead of tossing the balls to determine the result of each shot. If the shot token lands kicking-the-ball-side up, your shot misses. If it lands ball-in-the-net-side up, you score a goal.

[Icon captions, as printed: "Kicking-the-ball-side up" and "Ball-in-the-net-side up".]

Match Results & Earning Rewards

Immediately after a match, compare the number of goals each participant scored. The player with the most goals wins, and their opponent loses. If you both scored the same number of goals, it is a draw. Depending on these three possible outcomes, advance the match result markers along the match results track as follows:

• Win – winner advances 3 spaces
• Loss – loser advances 0 spaces
• Draw – both players advance 1 space

If your match result marker lands on (or passes) a space marked with this icon:

• [Icon: a resource card with a plus sign] Immediately take 1 resource card of your choice from the supply.
• [Icon: a development card] Immediately draw the top card from the development card stack.

Adjust League Standings

After both matches are complete, adjust the markers on the league standings chart. The player who is furthest along on the match results track is in 1st place (worth 3 VPs). The next furthest along is in 2nd place (worth 2 VPs), etc.

If two players are equally far along on the match results track, they share the same place on the league standings chart (each receives the full number of VPs). Leave the standings position immediately below it empty.

Example: Blue is farthest along on the match results track, so Blue is in 1st place on the standings chart (with 3 VPs). White and Red are next (and equal), so they share 2nd place (2 VPs to each) and 3rd place is left unoccupied. Finally, Orange is in 4th place (0 VPs).

If three players are equal on the match results track, they all share the same place on the standings chart, and the two following positions on the league standings chart remain empty.

If all four players are equal, they all share 1st place (3 VPs each).

Ending the Matchday

After adjusting the league standings, move the matchday indicator down the chart by one space to show the pairings for the next matchday. All players place their shot tokens onto a soccer pitch hex on the board to reflect the next pairings.

When the matchday ends, your turn is over. Pass the dice to the next player.

Ending the Soccer Season

A season can end before the game does. Or, the game can end before the season does. With 4 players, a season ends after 15 matchdays (for 3 players, after 12).

If the season ends before the game does (all matches are complete, but no player has achieved the VPs to win the game) the following rules apply:

• The league standings (and associated VPs) remain in place until the end of the game.
• If you build a settlement or city there is no matchday.

Early season end: If you reach the trophy space on the match results track before the final matchday, the season ends early. You are guaranteed the 3 VPs from the standings list and all other standings remain in place. No more matches are played.

[Icon: a trophy.]

Turn Knight Cards into Shots

Even your knights can catch soccer fever!

Once during your turn, you may convert 1 knight card into a shot token.

This knight card must be one that you have already played (not one from your hand). Remove the knight card from the game. Then take a shot token from your supply and add it to your shot token stack on the game board.

You may convert a knight on same turn you play it. Converted knights do NOT count toward "Largest Army."

[Card image, as printed: a KNIGHT card. Its text reads: "Move the robber. Steal 1 resource from the owner of a settlement or city adjacent to the robber's new hex."]

Ending the Game

The game ends when a player has 11 VPs at the END of their turn.

The winner of the game is not necessarily the player winning the soccer league.

Important: If you achieve your 11th VP on a turn in which you built a settlement or city, you MUST still play a matchday before your turn ends (if there are still matches left to play). As a result, you could lose some VPs due to moving down in the league standings.

If you achieve your 11th VP without building a city or settlement, there is no matchday, and you may immediately declare victory.

Additional Rules for 3 Players

In a 3-player game, do not use the white player pieces.

Matchday

Every matchday, one of the players must compete in two soccer matches. We refer to this player as the doubles player. This player is marked with a dot on the pairings chart to make them easier to identify.

Before the First Match of the Day

The two players shown on the left-hand side of the pairings chart place their shot token stacks on 1 of the soccer pitch hexes. The other player places their shot token stack on one side of the other soccer pitch hex. The opposite side of that pitch remains empty for now.

After the First Match of the Day

After the first match is complete, the doubles player has a choice. They can either score the result of that match as their match results for the day or not. If they choose not to score that result, they must score the results from the next (yet to be played) match for that day. If the doubles player chooses to:

• Score the first match: Move the match result markers for both players along the track as usual.
• Ignore the first match: The doubles player's match result marker does not move, but their opponent's does (again, as usual).

Regardless of whether the doubles player chooses to score the first match or not, they must place their shot token stack on the open side of the second soccer pitch hex and play a match against the third player so that player can earn their match results. This second match is conducted as usual.

After the Second Match of the Day

If the doubles player chose to:

• Score the first match: The result of the second match does not apply to them. Only the opposing player in this match scores their match results.
• Ignore the first match: Both players advance their match result markers along the track as usual.

Ending the Matchday

After adjusting the league standings, move the matchday indicator to the next matchday on the chart (one space down). Place your shot tokens on the soccer pitch hexes as described in the 3-player rules "Before the first match of the day" above.

With 3 players, the season ends after 12 matchdays (unless a player wins the game or reaches the trophy space before the season ends).

Your Pitch, Your Rules

House Rules

Make up your own house rules! Here are some examples:

• If the ball does not land in the stadium, bounces off the stadium, falls off the table or similar, the ball is out of bounds and the shot is a miss (do not toss it again).
• If your shot accidentally lands on the game board and disturbs the playing pieces, or perhaps even hits an opponent, a foul is called and the shot is missed (do not toss it again), etc.

Track Match

If you would like a more detailed chart to track the results of each individual match, you can download a season results sheet from catan.com/soccerfever.