Nautical

We’re in 19th century, sea transport is more and more important. Both corporations and naval forces require newer and newer ships. Try to put yourself in the role of their manufacturers. Hire employees, buy accessories, get favour of evaluating committees. Don’t forget to rent a canal and you can heave anchor.

Players take turns, beginning with a randomly selected player and continuing around the table clockwise. On their turn, they will choose one of the available actions from the Action Track. The action will get the player something they need to help build their ships. On the player's next turn, they will move that Action Card ahead of all the others and choose a different action.

If a player completes a ship on their turn (ships consists of little cards depicting bows, sterns, and (preferably several) middle pieces with several options to add equipment or crew), it is taken out for a shakedown cruise in a canal, during which they may score points for speed, crew, equipment, or safety.

As players take their turns, the line of Action Cards will advance around the Action Track. When the lead Action Card reaches the Starting Space again, the countdown marker moves down one space, and play continues.

The game ends when the countdown marker reaches the finish space. (It can also end early if the players run out of Ship Cards.) Bonus points are scored for Government Contracts, and the player with the most points wins.

The game lasts about 30 minutes per player.

From the box:

A Kafkaesque metaphor about Seekers trying to escape the political, religious, economic and other illusions that entrap them, preventing freedom of Mind and Spirit. Captain K sails to a dark, but enticing Land to look for crew to help cross the dangerous seas to Freedom Island. Constant PATROLS make it difficult for the crew to gather documents & gear needed to make a boarding at any dock. Players are the Crew, seekers after Freedom, helping each other round up credentials which entitle them to board THE GOOD SHIP FREEDOM and avoid those feverish Patrols who never tire vying for your very Being. Courage be with you, Seekers after Truth!

This game is inspired by the Portuguese Age of Discoveries in the 15th-16th century. Players take actions such as contracting men, acquiring ships and buildings, sailing the seas, establishing colonies in discovered lands, trading goods on the market, and getting privileges.

Each player starts with only two ships and three workers and tries to expand his wealth.

There are several undiscovered lands that allow players, once discovered, to found some colonies there. Colonies exist in different places where sugar, gold and spices are available and can be sold to the market to make some money. Money is used to build ships, erect buildings such as factories, shipyards and churches, and to get workers. Workers are necessary to found colonies or to acquire buildings and privileges, which exist in five categories and therefore encourage players to follow different strategies competing with each other.

At the end of the game the player who is most successful in combining his privileges with his achievements (colonies, factories, discoveries, shipyards, and churches) is the winner.

Explore the seas! Catan: Junior introduces a modified playing style of the classic Settlers of Catan, giving players as young as five a perfect introduction to the Catan series of games.

Catan: Junior takes place on a ring of islands where 2 to 4 players build hideouts and encounter the mysterious Spooky Island, where the Ghost Captain lives. Each island generates a specific resource: wood, goats, molasses or swords, and players can acquire gold. Each player starts with two pirate hideouts on different islands, and they can use the resources they acquire to build ships, hideouts or get help from Coco the Parrot. By building ships, they can expand their network; the more hideouts they build, the more resources they may receive. Just watch out for the dreaded Ghost Captain!

Be the first player to control seven pirate hideouts, and you win!

What sets this apart from the previous Die Siedler von Catan: Junior:

This game is playable with two as it comes with a two-player map.
The three- and four-player map is larger and is more symmetrical, so that two of the colors don't operate at a disadvantage.
The map now shows die faces rather than numbers for resource production.
Many of the event cards have been removed to make the game simpler.
There are no cards in the game only tiles for more durability.
There are no longer harbors in the game. In the original game you had to set up the board with random secret harbor tiles that allow for better trades with the bank. Now the trading to the bank is simpler and can be done from the beginning and doesn't require people to build to the harbors.
The resources are different.
There is a race for the Coco the Parrot tiles (rather than 'CoCo Helps' cards) and those that have the most get to put an extra piece on the board (one step closer to winning), tied players take their piece off the island and leave it vacated.
The market is now a part of the board, and can be traded into only once on your turn
By default, Trading with other players is excluded and only part of the "advanced game". In Die Siedler von Catan: Junior trading with other players could be excluded to simplify the game.

As in Die Siedler von Catan: Junior you can't chain ships, you must build a pirate lair before continuing on.

Reimplements:

Die Siedler von Catan: Junior

This is an expansion for The Settlers of Catan. Players can build shipping lanes, which are very similar to roads. Additionally, the game comes with many different water-hex-heavy variant setups. The American version (Mayfair) should only be used with the American base game, instead of the German one (Kosmos), because of matching components and for the same reason, the Kosmos German version should only be used with the German base game. Additionally, several different editions exist; 4th edition is the most recent. Editions should only be used with same edition, otherwise the purchase of adapter kit is required.

Part of the Catan Series.

This game requires The Settlers of Catan. Ideally, using the same publisher and edition of the game.