Catan Explorers & Pirates Expansion

About this product

Leave familiar shores behind and set sail towards hidden lands, valuable cargo and dangerous pirate waters.

Designed by Klaus Teuber as an expansion for the Catan base game.

Explore unknown regions, transport settlers by ship and complete pirate, fishing and spice missions across five connected scenarios.

Please note: This listing is for the earlier edition of Catan: Explorers & Pirates shown in the product image. It is not the CATAN: Explorers & Pirates 6th Edition Board Game Expansion.

Looking for the newer version? Click here to view the CATAN: Explorers & Pirates 6th Edition Board Game Expansion.

Product Description

The shores of Catan are no longer the edge of the world. Beyond the starting island lie unexplored waters, hidden terrain and new opportunities waiting to be discovered.

Catan: Explorers & Pirates expands the base game with ships, settlers, crews, harbor settlements, gold and mission-based adventures. Players begin on a known island before sailing towards two unexplored regions, revealing new hexes and earning rewards as they chart the unknown.

Ships do more than explore. They transport settlers, crews, fish and spice sacks between distant locations. Settler ships allow players to establish their first settlements in newly discovered areas, opening the way for further roads, settlements and voyages.

Instead of cities, this expansion introduces harbor settlements. These coastal centres provide space for loading and unloading game pieces and are worth two victory points. Gold also becomes an important resource, offering compensation when a production roll gives you no resources and allowing you to obtain resources from the supply.

Five scenarios introduce the new rules gradually. Begin with a voyage of discovery in Land Ho!, then face pirate lairs, collect fish for the Council of Catan and trade with villages on the spice islands. The final Explorers & Pirates scenario combines all three missions into one larger adventure.

Why you’ll love it

• Explore hidden territory: Sail beyond the starting island and reveal unknown terrain across two unexplored regions.
• Move settlers by ship: Transport settlers to distant lands and establish new settlements beyond the familiar shores of Catan.
• Five connected scenarios: Learn the expansion gradually before bringing all three major missions together.
• Take on pirate challenges: Discover pirate lairs, send crews to capture them and compete for mission progress.
• Deliver valuable cargo: Catch fish and transport spice sacks to the Council of Catan.
• New coastal development: Upgrade coastal settlements into harbor settlements that support ships, settlers and crews.
• Gold offers more options: Receive gold when production gives you no resources and exchange it for a resource you need.
• Mission-based scoring: Earn victory points by progressing along the included mission tracks.

Quick Details

• Designer: Klaus Teuber
• Product type: Board game expansion
• Compatible game: Catan base game
• Players: 2–4 players
• Scenarios: Land Ho!, Pirate Lairs, Fish for Catan, Spices for Catan, and Explorers & Pirates
• Main additions: Ships, settlers, crews, harbor settlements, gold and mission-based gameplay
• Main missions: Capture pirate lairs, deliver fish and deliver spices
• Final scenario: Combines the Pirate Lairs, Fish for Catan and Spices for Catan missions

Good to Know

• Earlier edition: This product is the earlier edition shown in the images and is not the CATAN: Explorers & Pirates 6th Edition Board Game Expansion.
• Base game required: A compatible copy of Catan is needed to play.
• Uses base-game components: The expansion rulebook requires roads, settlements, frame pieces, dice and resource cards from the Catan base game.
• Designed for gradual learning: The scenarios introduce new rules step by step, beginning with Land Ho!
• No cities: Settlements cannot be upgraded to cities in these expansion scenarios; harbor settlements are used instead.
• Modified base-game rules: Development cards, Longest Road, Largest Army and the robber are not used. Pirate ship rules begin with the second scenario.
• Scenario victory totals: The number of victory points needed to win changes according to the scenario being played.