The Resources

Just as in the Board Game, resources are indispensable in the Catan Online World. You can use them for paying the Mason to expand your own house or your hometown, or for buying new clothes from the Tailor.

Every day at 7 p.m. (GMT+1) you receive a new resource, which is displayed in your Resources window. The resources are ore, brick, grain, wool, and lumber. The type of resource you get is determined randomly, but it is likely for you to get resources with affinity to your chosen profession. That way, you will rather receive grain if you are a miller and less frequently lumber or ore.

Important: After you have registered your Premium Account, you first have to choose a profession in order to receive your daily resource! Click on the backpack in the Hostel (or in your own house) and use the option “Character” to select a profession.

You also obtain resources if you are participating in the games that take place in the Taverns. If you have participated in at least one game during one week (Start of the new week is the night to Monday 0:00 GMT+1, +/- 30 minutes), you obtain one resource; if you have participated in at least 5 games, you get yet another resource.

But winning is rewarded too! If within a week you win at least one game, your reward will be one resource, and if you win 3 games within a week, you’ll obtain yet another one. That way, in one week you can use up to 11 resources for building. It surely would be wise to first complete your own house.

Sometimes you may be lacking certain resources for carrying out one of the four possible Building Projects. Then it would be a good idea to visit the Marketplace at the center of the city, and trade resources with a fellow citizen. (Trade) Pay attention to your fellow citizens’ nametag colors! The color tells you the profession of a fellow citizen. For example, the nametag of a miller is yellow. If you happen to be in dire need for grain, you should approach a miller.

Gold

Like in real life, gold is a very special resource and shouldn’t be confused with the coins one can get from the Coin Trader. One receives gold in special cases only, for example when winning a Tournament. Gold occupies no space and can be stored in any amount. At the Bank, gold can always be exchanged for any other resource at a 1:1 ratio.

Clothing

As a new citizen, your character will be provided with simple level 1 clothing. You can upgrade your clothing to a magnificent garment, all the way up to level 12. With the clothing, you are representing your character in the Chat windows of your fellow citizens as well as in the games. Consequently, your clothing is also a sign of your success in the Catan Online World.

Certain buildings you can enter with good clothing only. For example, only if you are wearing the first-class fabrics of level 6 will you be allowed into the Bathhouse. The better your clothing, the more attentively will you be treated at the Bank, and you can trade resources at a better ratio. Clothing wears out and has to be renewed on a regular basis. (Tailor Shop)

Security

Well, unfortunately there are also Thieves and Arsonists in Catan. The City Guard is very busy protecting the citizens against the misdeeds of those fiends. If the City Guard doesn’t get enough support, it cannot always perform its task. A player who doesn’t support the City Guard at all or only on rare occasions is therefore often attacked by Thieves or Arsonists, equivalent to a downgrading of one’s own house (fire) or loss of the current clothing level(s) (theft). If you click on the books (Chronicle) inside your house, you can learn at any time about your reputation as viewed by the City Guard. The Thief and the Arsonist won’t have any success with poor citizens (house level < 2 or clothing level < 3).

Thieves and Arsonists will not bother newcomers during the first four weeks.

Barbarians

The barbarians are a constant threat for Catan. Fortunately, the cities are not helpless. Scouts and spies are watching the savage peoples and inform the City Council in case the barbarians should go on a raid. After the first sighting, it usually takes about 4 weeks until the barbarians actually reach Catan. In the Town Hall, the Council Members learn about the scope of the threat. The task of your Mayors and Council Members is to warn the population and organize resistance. Then every citizen is called upon to give donations to the City Guard, to improve the defense of the city and thus fend off the barbarians. If this fails, the cost may be high.

The barbarians have their eye especially on rich cities, and they loot their Cultural Buildings (The Cultural Buildings) as well as the belongings of the population (clothing and house expansion levels). Watchfulness is therefore important. The raided cities are the ones that, in comparison, have done the least for their defense. If a city is raided, the City Guard focuses on the citizens who have best supported the guard. Those citizens are spared.

The city receives a Victory Statue for defeating the barbarians.

Here is a detailed calculation:

1. Clothing value = Sum of all clothing levels (CL) > 2

2. House value = Sum of all house levels

3. City value = Sum of the construction stages (a construction stage has a value of 24)

4. Protection value = Sum of the donations active at the moment of the barbarian attack

5. Risk value = (clothing value + house value + city value)

                                             protection value

On the basis of the risk value, a table can be created (risk value in descending order):

 (*All percentages are approximate values and may slightly vary due to rounding errors!)

At all times, the last finished construction stages of the public buildings (Cultural Buildings, not Production Buildings) are the ones being destroyed.

When your city is attacked by barbarians, the City Guard will protect you if your record shows at least 4 active donations to the Guard. Without the help of the City Guard, your house or clothing will be downgraded; levels lower than 3 are exempted. New citizens are spared, similar to situations where the arsonist/thief strikes.

Politics

Politics is an important part of the Catan Online World. Every city has a City Council, and elections for City Mayor are held regularly.

City Council

All citizens work together on the construction of the public buildings of their city. The first building of a young city is the Church, which is completed in 5 construction stages. The completion of each construction stage requires a certain number of Building Donations. Citizens who make at least 5 donations are named in a list at the Town Hall and are members of the City Council. However, the total number of Council Members is limited to 15 in order to maintain the Council’s ability to act. In case of a tie, the citizen with the most recent donation becomes Council Member.

City Council Members wear a silver necklace as sign of their rank, and their clothing belongs at least to level 3. Only City Council Members get access to the main room of the Town Hall, and the Council Members make decisions that are important for the city. For example, the important decision regarding the next city expansion lies with the Council Members. (Town Hall)

If the citizens assiduously continue building their city, their reputation in the Catan Online World rises. The city with the highest reputation is the Capital of the Catan Online World.

A Building Donation costs one brick, one lumber, and one ore. If you want to make a Building Donation, go to the Masons’ Guild and click on the city’s current Building Project. If you want to find out about your commitment to your city, click on the books in your house.

Mayor

The Mayor occupies a prominent position within the city. He/she is the only one who can distribute the city’s gold (Town Hall) to the players, and he/she is the coordinator and decision maker regarding important issues. During voting for city expansion, his/her vote counts double in case of a tie. As a sign of his/her position, he/she wears a golden necklace, and his/her clothing belongs at least to level 3.

The Mayor is elected in free elections that are held via the Forumof the city. Otherwise, the Mayor has the same rights and duties as a Council Member.

The City Titles (Capital of Catan)

The city showing the highest cultural growth within a 3-months period becomes the Capital of Catan. The best-developed city receives the title of “Most Beautiful City” in Catan. The city currently holding this title can be looked up on the map in the Library. Cultural Buildings are also targets for barbarian attacks and can thus be destroyed or downgraded. (more Infos)