This adds even more randomness to an already luck-heavy game. You won't know if you've placed that bet on a desert tile, though. The number tokens stay facing up so you'll know what dice roll you're betting on. This custom rule has you place all the tiles facedown so you can't see what resources are on them. That's when you place your first two settlements and roads - it's a moment that can sometimes decide who wins the game an hour before it's finished. The most important part of Catan is the first two turns. Tiles start facing down Flip resource tiles upside-down while placing starting settlements No matter what approach you take during your board game nights, here are ten house rules to check out that make Settlers of Catan even more fun. Others up the competition by giving players additional tools to expand their settlements around one another. Some custom Catan rules make the game more welcoming to newcomers by lessening the randomness factor. Credit: Trade with resources you don't have.Crime and Punishment: Change how the robber works to make Catan more or less competitive.Robin Hood robber: Robbers can't steal from players with fewer than two victory points.
Roll double, roll again: Roll again if you roll two of the same number.Discard desert: Scrap the desert in favour of an additional resource tile.The Bridge: Build a super-bridge across one resource tile.Everyone gets one re-roll: Each player gets one chance re-roll at any point.
That same roll could start an equally as decisive chain that lands you in fourth place. One roll of a seven could start a chain reaction that leads you to victory. Settlers of Catan's standard set of rules has a wonderful mix of skill and randomness.