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Objective
The goal remains the same as the base Catan game—to be the first player to reach a set number of Victory Points, typically 10. However, this expansion adds new ways to achieve points through adventures, treasures, and dragon encounters.
Components
Game Board: Uses the base Catan board with additional tiles and components.
Treasure Cards: Provide bonuses and points for finding treasures.
Dragon Tokens: Represent the threat of dragons that can affect gameplay.
Adventure Cards: Grant special abilities and objectives.
Adventurer Tokens: Represent characters that help players in their quests.
New Terrain Hexes: Include additional features like treasure locations and dragon lairs.
Setup
Prepare the Board: Arrange the base game board and add new terrain tiles and tokens according to the scenario’s instructions.
Place Treasure and Dragon Tokens: Distribute these tokens on the board as indicated by the scenario.
Shuffle and Distribute Cards: Shuffle the Treasure Cards and Adventure Cards and place them in their respective decks.
Distribute Starting Resources: Follow the base game’s setup rules with adjustments for the new components.
Determine Starting Player: As per the base game rules.
New Gameplay Mechanics
Treasure Hunting
Finding Treasures: Players can search for treasure by exploring specific hexes or completing adventure objectives.
Treasure Cards: Drawn when a player successfully finds a treasure, offering bonuses or Victory Points.
Dragon Encounters
Dragon Tokens: Represent dragons that can attack or block paths. Players must manage dragon threats to protect their settlements.
Dragon Movement: Dragons move according to specific rules, potentially impacting resource production and settlement locations.
Defense: Players may need to use special actions or cards to defend against or mitigate the effects of dragons.
Adventurers
Adventurer Tokens: Can be hired or used to explore and overcome challenges on the board.
Adventure Cards: Offer special missions or bonuses related to the adventurers. Completing these missions can earn Victory Points or other benefits.
Victory Points
Base Game Points: Points are earned through settlements, cities, longest road, and largest army.
Treasure Points: Collecting treasures and completing adventure objectives grants additional Victory Points.
Dragon Encounters: Successfully managing dragon threats or completing related objectives can also provide Victory Points.
Special Rules
Exploration and Adventure: Use adventurer tokens and complete missions to gain advantages and points.
Dragon Management: Track and respond to dragon movements to minimize their impact on your strategy.
Treasure Hunting: Focus on locating and collecting treasures to boost your point total and gain strategic advantages.
Tips and Strategies
Balance Exploration: Balance your efforts between expanding your settlements and pursuing treasures and adventures.
Dragon Defense: Prepare to defend against dragons by positioning your settlements strategically and using available cards.
Maximize Adventures: Use adventurers and adventure cards effectively to gain additional resources and Victory Points.
Catan: Treasures, Dragons & Adventurers offers a more dynamic and adventurous gameplay experience, with increased focus on exploration, combat, and the thrill of discovery.