The Settlers of Canaan
Encyclopedia
Settlers of Canaan is a licensed adaptation of Settlers of Catan that incorporates Hebrew Bible
themes into its multiplayer board game
play. It was published in 2002 by Cactus Game Design, based in North Carolina
, USA.
Settlers of Canaan takes place in the ancient land of Canaan
, which roughly corresponds to the northern half of present-day Israel
.
Settlers of Canaan retains much of the excitement and strategy of Settlers of Catan, but it offers several interesting changes to its parent game.
, as well as around the shoreline of the Sea of Chinnereth, which is surrounded by land tiles.
In Settlers of Canaan, the "robber" is called the "plague." Moving the robber is referred to as "cleansing the plague" from a particular land tile, and it has the same effect as in Settlers of Catan.
The object of the game is to amass 12 victory points. Current scores are indicated by color-coded markers on the eastern side of the playing board. Victory points are earned by building settlements and cities, by building the longest road, by amassing the most priests (equivalent to soldiers in Settlers of Catan), and by obtaining the "King's Blessing."
If ties exist in competition for either the longest road or the most priests, then the corresponding 2-point bonus is removed from play.
The game ends when a player reaches 12 victory points or when the "Wall of Jerusalem" is completed, whichever comes first. In the latter scenario, the player with the most victory points wins the game. (If two or more players tie, then the winner is the player who has contributed more stones to the Wall of Jerusalem. If a tie exists in this tiebreaker, then gameplay continues until a clear winner emerges.)
When a player builds a stone for Jerusalem, this stone is immediately placed in the Wall of Jerusalem, an area in the desert south of Canaan which can hold up to 28 such stones. If a player builds a stone using a multiplayer trade route, then that player must pay one resource card of his or her choice to the owner of the trade route's final settlement or city.
The player who has contributed the most stones to the Wall of Jerusalem earns the King's Blessing, which is worth 2 victory points and gives that player the privilege of trading a resource of his or her choice at a 2:1 ratio. (This trade benefit is the same as that of the Merchant in Cities and Knights of Catan.) If another player later ties for the most stones in the Wall of Jerusalem, then the King's Blessing is removed from play until someone achieves a singular majority.
Every time a 7 is rolled during gameplay, a black stone is added to the Wall of Jerusalem. These stones do not affect the King's Blessing, but they may help bring the end of the game before anyone reaches the required 12 victory points.
. Some, however, are unique to this game. Below is a list of available development cards; the quantity of each type of card is given in parentheses.
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
themes into its multiplayer board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
play. It was published in 2002 by Cactus Game Design, based in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, USA.
Settlers of Canaan takes place in the ancient land of Canaan
Canaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
, which roughly corresponds to the northern half of present-day Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Gameplay
Players play the roles of various tribes of Israel which, according to the Hebrew Bible, settled in this geographical region. The game progresses very similarly to the Settlers of Catan: as players expand their settlements throughout the land, they trade resources and make strategic choices to outmaneuver their opponents.Settlers of Canaan retains much of the excitement and strategy of Settlers of Catan, but it offers several interesting changes to its parent game.
Differences from Settlers of Catan
The most striking difference in the Settlers of Canaan is its fixed playing board. Both the hexagonal land tiles and the numerical disks are printed directly on the board. Also, one land tile, called the "copper hex" (equivalent to the "gold hex" in some expansions to Settlers of Catan), allows bordering players to select which resource(s) it produces. Trading ports are scattered along the western coastline, which borders the Great SeaMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, as well as around the shoreline of the Sea of Chinnereth, which is surrounded by land tiles.
In Settlers of Canaan, the "robber" is called the "plague." Moving the robber is referred to as "cleansing the plague" from a particular land tile, and it has the same effect as in Settlers of Catan.
The object of the game is to amass 12 victory points. Current scores are indicated by color-coded markers on the eastern side of the playing board. Victory points are earned by building settlements and cities, by building the longest road, by amassing the most priests (equivalent to soldiers in Settlers of Catan), and by obtaining the "King's Blessing."
If ties exist in competition for either the longest road or the most priests, then the corresponding 2-point bonus is removed from play.
The game ends when a player reaches 12 victory points or when the "Wall of Jerusalem" is completed, whichever comes first. In the latter scenario, the player with the most victory points wins the game. (If two or more players tie, then the winner is the player who has contributed more stones to the Wall of Jerusalem. If a tie exists in this tiebreaker, then gameplay continues until a clear winner emerges.)
The Wall of Jerusalem and the King's Blessing
A player may build a "stone for Jerusalem," at a cost of one clay resource (which is, somewhat confusingly, called a "stone" resource) and one ore resource, during his or her turn under one of two conditions:- The player owns a settlement or city on the southern border of Canaan (west of the Salt SeaDead SeaThe Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
), or - Another player owns a settlement or city on the southern border of Canaan, and the current player owns a settlement or city that is connected to the other player's settlement or city by a (multiplayer) trade route.
When a player builds a stone for Jerusalem, this stone is immediately placed in the Wall of Jerusalem, an area in the desert south of Canaan which can hold up to 28 such stones. If a player builds a stone using a multiplayer trade route, then that player must pay one resource card of his or her choice to the owner of the trade route's final settlement or city.
The player who has contributed the most stones to the Wall of Jerusalem earns the King's Blessing, which is worth 2 victory points and gives that player the privilege of trading a resource of his or her choice at a 2:1 ratio. (This trade benefit is the same as that of the Merchant in Cities and Knights of Catan.) If another player later ties for the most stones in the Wall of Jerusalem, then the King's Blessing is removed from play until someone achieves a singular majority.
Every time a 7 is rolled during gameplay, a black stone is added to the Wall of Jerusalem. These stones do not affect the King's Blessing, but they may help bring the end of the game before anyone reaches the required 12 victory points.
Development cards
Many development cards in this game resemble those from Settlers of Catan; several are similar to progress cards from Cities and Knights of CatanCities and Knights of Catan
The Cities and Knights of Catan is an expansion to the board game The Settlers of Catan for three to four players...
. Some, however, are unique to this game. Below is a list of available development cards; the quantity of each type of card is given in parentheses.
Settlers of Catan development cards
- The "Road Building" card is called "New Trade Route." (1)
- The "Year of Plenty" card is called "Plentiful Lands." (1)
- The "Soldier" card is called "Priest." (20)
- The "Monopoly" card is called "Caleb's BlessingCalebCaleb is a male given name. A character called Caleb is named in both the Bible and Quran.-Caleb:When the Hebrews came to the outskirts of Canaan, the land that had been promised to them by God, after having fled slavery in Egypt, Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan to report on what was...
" (1) - The single victory point cards are called "Divine Guidance," "City of RefugeCities of RefugeThe Cities of Refuge were towns in the Kingdom of Israel and Kingdom of Judah in which the perpetrators of manslaughter could claim the right of asylum; outside of these cities, blood vengeance against such perpetrators was allowed by law...
," "Ladder to HeavenJacob's Ladder (Bible)Jacob's Ladder is a ladder to heaven, described in the Book of Genesis, that the biblical patriarch Jacob dreams about during his flight from his brother Esau.-Source:...
," and "Ten CommandmentsTen CommandmentsThe Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
." (4)
Cities and Knights of Catan progress cards
- The "Spy" card is called "Gibeon/Gibeonite Trickery." (1)
- The "Merchant Fleet" card is called "Caravan." (2)
- The "Medicine" card is called "Improvements." (1)
- The "Irrigation" card is called "Bountiful Harvest." (1)
- The "Alchemist" card is called "Prophet." (1)
Unique development cards
- The "Korah's RebellionKorahKorah or Kórach Some older English translations, as well as the Douay Bible), spell the name Core, and many Eastern European translations have Korak...
" card allows a player to remove another player's Priest card and shuffle it into the remaining development cards. (1) - The "Deborah's SongDeborahDeborah was a prophetess of Yahweh the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel, counselor, warrior, and the wife of Lapidoth according to the Book of Judges chapters 4 and 5....
" card allows each player to select one resource card from the bank, regardless of whose turn it is. (1)