Catan: Starfarers - How To Play

[@pier-lucboivin6645]

The quality of your videos is incredible! Professional and easy to understand. Thanks!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Very kind of you to say!

[@FrankMinogue]

Pier-Luc Boivin Rodney is the best in the business, bar none....

[@ryanburdick8230]

I work in video daily and couldn't agree more. Even the sound is great.

[@deefuze1151]

@@WatchItPlayed Rodney, seriously bud - there are board game reviewers and then there is Rodney Smith. We accept no substitutes in my board gaming home. My wife and I quite literally ALWAYS check your videos first when buying a new game... This is going to sound pretty terrible, but if there is not a review by you for that game, it makes us wonder if its any good. lol We do visit BGG and try to go with 7's or higher typically. Now of course you don't have time to review EVERY game out there, but we have actually said this before "What does Rodney say about it?". We have of course watched the other big name reviewers (You know the ones.... the guy that falls out of a tower and shuts doors, etc. we won't mention names here), but we always keep coming back to yours. It feels like its a special thing that Board Gamers in the know are privy to, Rodney Smith will show you the ropes and do it with style. From the box flipping catches at the start, to your opening intros and endings - you really make learning board games of all types incredibly fun for anyone interested in the hobby. I realize I am probably fan-boying here. but this is not hyperbole... we really do LOVE your reviews! So don't ever stop what you're doing because you have a ton of fans who love what you do and how you do it! Keep on rolling brother! So, as the saying goes. Let's Learn.... How to play :D

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for the kind words Dee - really nice to know you've been enjoying the videos!

[@doncorleole2356]

4:51 nothing is more important than awesome sound effects!

[@d.l.6186]

Wow, so much logic behind the mechanics, makes it easy to learn the game. I have to say it again, the idea with the rockets it's just genius. Wonderful video, thanks Rodney!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks Darko, glad you liked it!

[@uneCENT]

This was by far the best overview I have seen of this board game, or any other board game for that matter. Thank you!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks Penny - really glad you enjoyed it!

[@Anaoa_Official]

"And one giant freakin mothership" That caught me so off guard I love it 😭

[@WatchItPlayed]

Glad you enjoyed that :)

[@Anaoa_Official]

@@WatchItPlayed You're so cool for still replying to comments even if it's been years, big W for Mr. Rodney 👑

[@WatchItPlayed]

@@Anaoa_Official And hey, it IS one giant freakin mothership :) Glad you’re enjoying the videos!

[@ThanatoselNyx]

I have the original, and I am glad to see they updated the motherships to have plugs instead of snapping in. All my motherships ended up broken as a result. Fortunately the makers provided rings to repair the ships.

[@JJ_TheGreat]

Unfortunately, I got the original game too late. After Asmodee took over, they weren't as nice as Mayfair - so they wouldn't send me the rings :( Whiuch is one reason that the game is un-played on my shelf to this day. This looks like a good replacement. Is there any gameplay differences between the original Starfarers and this one? Thanks.

[@kisonzo]

I'm still amazed at how great you are at explaining games. Keep up the great work, Rodney.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks David!

[@megan6439]

Thanks! We learned to play a few months ago, but only remembered the generalities of play. Your clear, concise and thorough explanation had us on track and ready to play much faster than if we had tried to figure it out ourselves. We were all quite impressed with your delivery and instruction. Bravo!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thank you kindly Megan, glad this was helpful!

[@ZebraCatfish73]

Channels like Watch It Played have made board gaming accessible, easy to understand and play. Well done Rodney, you have done it again!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thank you kindly!

[@Telinstryata]

I love that they have reprinted this game. I've always wanted to try Starfarers.

[@Telinstryata]

@@Lapusso650 The card tray comes with the game.

[@bizzerk8922]

Before I buy any game I always check your videos to see if it's the type of game my friends would enjoy! Keep up the great work!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks so much Berkeley!

[@Clintoss83]

Brilliant explanation! Very clear and concise, and no unnecessary fillers.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Very glad you enjoyed!

[@TheJamesMReid]

Yes! Simple enough to get to the table quick but enough decisions to make it fun.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Glad you enjoyed what you saw!

[@jenskarlsson80]

Amazing video as usual. You sir, are a lifesaver! Even for an experienced player, reading and understanding rules are a challenge. Your videos are so valuable and well produced. The timestamps allowing to use the video as reference is also so amazing. Thank you so very much for everything you do. I'm gonna play this game for the first time tomorrow :)

[@WatchItPlayed]

I hope you have a great time - and thanks for the very kind feedback!

[@samueleuresti3]

This is an awesome game. However, the best thing that I loved about Catan was that it was a great gateway game. This version of Catan is A LOT more heavy.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Which is why it’s great that regular Catan is out there :)

[@tayloreddesigns6852]

Yeah I gave up on Catan after finding so many better games out there since regular Catan was so basic. This version looks so much better. Thank you for your clear directions.

[@whitecloud197]

This is a great video! Thank you! The Audio was clear, you didnt stutter even once, no lame jokes, very to the point and easy to follow.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thank you - glad it was helpful!

[@sixhundosixtysix]

Super helpful video as always! I just picked it up for my crew, but would still love to see you do a playthrough. I'm sure the gameplay is more straightforward once you actually dive in and start playing.

[@lu7ky]

Good thing I re-watched this. This video led me to buy Catan Starfarers recently and I missed a few of the rules when playing my first game.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Very glad it was helpful!

[@tarttizzle]

Wow I just watched a 30 min video, learned how to play a board game I got for xmas, and it only felt like 5 minutes. 10/10 video!!!

[@WatchItPlayed]

So nice of you to say - I hope you get a chance to play over the holidays and have a great time! Merry Christmas :)

[@jesskramer4099]

Finally I found a video that explains gameplay for this without being overwhelming & confusing! Also question: so are the Freight Pods only useful for defeating ice planets then?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hi Jess, so glad you enjoyed the video! I would normally do my best to answer your question, but I lent my copy of the game to a friend, and I shot this long enough ago I don’t remember. If you don’t encounter any other benefit from them, then you’ve likely deduced correctly :)

[@DeanMcKenzie]

Awesome organizing trays!

[@WatchItPlayed]

They are pretty great!

[@jonathantopscher2901]

Y'know. I've always wanted to pick up Settlers of Catan because it's a fun game shelf staple. But this video really makes me want to break the mould and pick this up instead. It's so quirky and charming. Definitely subscribing to see more cool looking board games.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Welcome to the channel, glad to have you here - glad you enjoyed the video!

[@christophercantrell2821]

I never buy board games, especially one that costs $99.00, but I wanted to start a collection, so I bought this based on your review for my first. Very excited for it to get here, thanks for this informative, and interesting video!

[@WatchItPlayed]

I hope you have a wonderful time playing Christopher, and here's to many more enjoyable plays (and games) in 2023!

[@toweypat]

Aw, I love that mother ship!

[@LmodianABiene]

This is for a long time a Catan game which I want to try :D It is still Catan, but this is much different :)

[@WatchItPlayed]

Yes, quite a few differences! It’s why I hoped the video might be helpful. I figure it could be easy to see “Catan” and make assumptions about the game.

[@necronfluff]

Hey Rodney great video as always. Do you know if they are planning a 5-6 player add on to this game?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Glad you enjoyed the video! I'm not sure what their future plans are.

[@boristuga]

@@WatchItPlayed @necronfluff it seems it will be an expansion released this year, www.catan.com/game/catan-starfarers-extension-for-5-6-players

[@boristuga]

It seems it will be an expansion released this year, www.catan.com/game/catan-starfarers-extension-for-5-6-players

[@jamiewallis2797]

Fantastic video. Just ordered my copy of the game. I missed out on the original.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hope you have a great time with it Jamie!

[@Skarpo89]

This game looks so good! (and so huge)

[@andreys6459]

Hi Rodney, Would you be so kind to answer a couple of questions? 1. If all of the players have more then nine points and not enough of a particular resource in the supply tray, do all the resource cards from the reserve pile go back to the supply as nobody is using the reserve pile anymore? In some encounters with pirates, if they demand 2 of my resources but I have only one card: is this considered non-compliance with the demand or the player can return whatever one resource they have and meet the demand?

[@WatchItPlayed]

1) Nope. 2) This is tough to answer, as I don't know the exact text on the card (and I do tend to avoid card-specific questions, as that's a lot to track across all the games I cover). If is requires you to give 2 resources OR something else happens, then I would say, if you cannot give 2, then the "something else" happens. The Pirates don't care for your excuses :)

[@andreys6459]

Thank you so much, Rodney, for clarifying this. As to my question regarding an encounter with the pirates, the card reads "A space pirate demands 2 of your resources. Do you surrender them?". So, if I wish to surrender but I have only one resource card, my only option would be to answer "No." Correct?

[@WatchItPlayed]

@@andreys6459 Correct - if you can't give them what they demand, then you must answer "No".

[@bozo-3848]

Amazing game, I love it when classic games are rebooted and modernized.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Me too!

[@TheQueerLeaf]

I want this game

[@joethomas1775]

I just got my copy 3 days ago. Can't wait to play it!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hope you have a great time with it!

[@Fhox_]

I have 2 question about how ships move: first question: it is said that a ship can backtrack and move backwards on the intersection it moved through this turn but I didn't understand if moving it back would require the ship to have speed left for example: I have a speed of 4 and I moved it twice forward, then if I want to move it back again does it make me have 1 or 2 speed left? second question: can a ship move through the middle of a space sector?

[@WatchItPlayed]

1) Move forward once, 1 move, move forward once again, 1 move, move backwards once, 1 move. 3 moves total. 2) I'm not quite sure what you mean, are you asking if you can move through the lines that are covered up at 21:57. If so, than no. Hope that helps!

[@stevegold8070]

Hi Rodney. Thank you for anoyher great video. When you explain the games it makes me want to play it right away! So clear and easy to understand even if English is your second language. I have one question: 2.56 in this video you could see the numbered tokens "8" and "8" in the bottom of the first 3+3 planets, but as I can see in the manual it really should be "8" and "6". It could be that i do not see it corectly!? Hope you will do the 5-6 expansion as well soon.

[@WatchItPlayed]

That was a slip up on my part - sorry for any confusion there!

[@TheQueerLeaf]

Seems like a good game

[@blizion914]

Looks like a fun game. I might have to check this one out :)

[@joes8383]

Thanks for another very helpful video, Rodney!

[@WatchItPlayed]

A pleasure Joe - thanks for checking it out!

[@jefferywilson3279]

Well a few changes from the original game but nothing I can not adapt to. Encounters expansion is adaptable as well. Card deck for encounters appears a bit different size, perhaps a deck can be purchased from the new game?

[@WatchItPlayed]

I don’t believe an upgrade pack was released.

[@aba_dab_o]

I'm actually wondering if it really says "one giant freakin' mothership" in the manual. xD Thanks for the vid!

[@WatchItPlayed]

It should!

[@victorgonzalez2927]

Did they reprint this? If so I need this ! I hate regular Catan but this was the only one I liked.

[@JustinWatson23]

Its the only one I really like too.

[@WatchItPlayed]

This isn’t just a new reprint, but a new production.

[@victorgonzalez2927]

Yeah I notice they got rid of the cheap ships and totally upgraded everything.

[@bdf8642]

Hi Rodney, can you cover Catan Starfarers Duel? Thanks!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for the interest!

[@michaelreynolds4624]

In regards to fame medal pieces, do you pick them up randomly and hope they fit together to gain the extra victory point or do you make sure that they fit together each time you pick up a new fame medal piece? E.g. four fame medal pieces could equal either 0,1,or 2 victory points in the first circumstance or four fame medal pieces will always makes 2 victory points in the second circumstance. Thanks for your help and the great video!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hey Michael, it's not a random pickup. Every 2 fame pieces always equals 1 point. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@Elicurren]

How many D batteries do the rockets require?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Just 9.

[@KnucklesEki]

Are the balls in the ships preset at all times? Is there some variant that lets you modify what colors are inside your ship?

[@JustinWatson23]

I doubt it as in the original version the ships were completely sealed and there was a clear plastic bit where the engine balls dropped.

[@WatchItPlayed]

You can adjust the balls in the ships. It’s even on of the included variants!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Just so you know, I’m this version, they can be adjusted.

[@darthteddybear2385]

thanks man this helped a tonne.

[@WatchItPlayed]

You're very welcome - so glad you found it helpful!

[@lindaduncan4754]

What do freight pods do? Do they increase the number of resource cards we can hold ?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hi Linda, you'll find these explained in the video. Here are a couple of time stamps that might help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKmudpurgtuXp8Ufeature=shared&t=1398 kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKmudpurgtuXp8Ufeature=shared&t=1524

[@carymgc]

Another question. Please help! If someone has the fame for sale card can they use fame for sale as pilot 2? The card reads once on your turn you may trade a trade good for half a fame medal piece. Im not sure if your turn is considered pilot 1 only or also when you are pilot 2. The game doesn't explain well enough. You are allowed to buy and use cards as pilot 2.

[@WatchItPlayed]

I do my best to answer all rules questions on the games I cover, but I avoid individual card effects, as that's a level of detail beyond what I can manage across all the videos I do. I'd suggest checking the rules forum for the game on BoardGameGeek or the publishers website. I hope you can find your answer there - have fun playing!

[@andreys6459]

Hi Rodney, Would you be so kind to a answer a question? If a player has the Galactic Relief Fund card and doesn’t get any resources from a dice roll production phase on their turn but still eligible to draw cards from the reserve pile, are they still qualified to draw a card from the supply or they only can when both the dice roll and the reserve pile produce no resources for them? Thank you

[@WatchItPlayed]

I do my best to answer all rules questions on the games I cover, but I avoid individual card effects, as that's a level of detail beyond what I can manage across all the videos I do - I also lent my copy to a friend, so that adds an extra layer of challenge :). I'd suggest checking the rules forum for the game on BoardGameGeek or the publishers website. I hope you can find your answer there - have fun playing!

[@yorhey]

Do you know if there is a ruling to the 5-6 player expansion regarding a 7 roll? My group thinks that Pilot 2 does not get any extra resources from the "victory track bonus". (or whatever its called). Only Pilot 1.

[@WatchItPlayed]

I haven't played with the expansion, sorry - not sure.

[@CrazyBunnyGuy]

Love it, love it so much... I just fear it might be a bit too heavy for my already disintegrated gaming group :(

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@GeeDee8412]

Can you please do Starfarers duel how to play? Thanks so much

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for the interest! I talk a bit about that here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5XXdaisfrqUbKM&t=342

[@Jaybee5509]

Your videos are wonderful! Thank you, our Canadian God of Rules!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Ha! Thanks Jamie, glad you're enjoying :)

[@yogibbear]

I don't even like Catan and this looks awesome!

[@anthonymodak2957]

You are missing out :)

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@Teemonaut]

Box too big to flip aye? hahah. Love your work.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Well, I didn't want to show off ;)

[@LM-vq7ju]

12:48 Canadian?

[@WatchItPlayed]

What are you you talking aboot? :)

[@shadowhenge7118]

So i was designing a space game and decuded to check out other space games because i thought mine was getting too complicated. Now I know I'm good.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Something being "too complicated" will come down to individual taste. What's too complicated for one person won't be to another and vice versa. All the best with your design.

[@fjjakel]

If on an encounter the question is alien demand 2 resources do you surrender them? yes/no and you say yes and then it says surrender 2 resources but do not have any resources do you have to change your original answer to no and go that route?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Right, you can only offer an option that you can fulfill. If you can't pay the required amount, you must choose the other option.

[@carymgc]

Help please! Is a space port an additional point to a colony, so 2 in total or is 2 points more? Basically is a colony and a space port together 2 points total or 3 total??? Thanks!

[@WatchItPlayed]

You'll find this covered here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKmudpurgtuXp8U

[@thatspyguy839]

Wait what? A Catan game that actually looks really good?!? Might have to check this one out.

[@mbrochh82]

ThatSpyGuy I played this a decade ago. This seems to be a re-release.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for giving the video a watch!

[@monalisarunnels5049]

Can you upgrade the trade ships to colony ships or do they have to be built separately?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hey there, I'm always happy to try to help with rules questions, but if the answer is provided in the video, than I have to direct you there. You'll find an index in the description to help you find the section you might be looking for.

[@jeffwmoore]

Rodney, I shared on Facebook, but there's no preview image. Is that something that gets done on your end, or is it supposed to be auto generated?

[@DriveThruReview]

Facebook can be funky like that. I sometimes find that if I close it and re-open it to try again it will show the thumbnail. It's definitely flaky.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Sometimes you have to paste the link in and wait a few seconds before posting (to let FB fetch the image).

[@jeffwmoore]

@@WatchItPlayed That worked. Thanks!!!

[@Criszeb]

Extraordinary top 👍🇮🇹

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks so much Cris!

[@y0tub]

Just amazing🎉

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thank you!

[@heineszero]

I've a question, I was playing with some friends and one other had 2 market ships available to move he first moved one to the red market place and he got the + 1 to movement and attack card, does the second ship gets the + 1 movement bonus of her decided to move it after getting this bonus card?

[@WatchItPlayed]

I do my best to answer questions on the videos, but tend to avoid card effects and interactions as that’s more detail than I can manage across all the videos, that said, you might have success checking on the forums for the game on BoardGameGeek. I hope you can find your answer there - sorry I couldn’t offer more direct help!

[@bluejaynation137]

rule discrepancy If i have no ships to move, do i still shake my mothership? The turn overview implies that shaking the mothership is not optional and happens regardless of whether you have ships or not. The rulebook says that if you do not have ships then you skip the flight phase. Part of the flight phase is shaking the mothership indicating that without ships one does not shake. Knowing whether you do or do not shake without ships is important because shaking can cause encounters.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hey there, yeah, as it mentions here (kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKmudpurgtuXp8U), if you have no ships, you skip the flight phase, which means you wouldn't shake the mothership. Hope that helps!

[@andreys6459]

Hi Rodney, when a wear and tear encounter card is played, do the discarded encounter cards go back into the stack and all 32 cards are shuffled or only the remaining cards still in play are shuffled?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Yep, all the cards are reshuffled back into a new deck.

[@Moon920]

Excellent tutorial, bravo!! :D

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thank you very much!

[@atcjohn75]

Great video, thank you :)

[@WatchItPlayed]

You're very welcome John - have fun playing!

[@silverfang6668]

Looks like an awesome game but,....no 2-player variant???

[@DennepeerRelaxation]

There are fan made variants on boardgamegeek that are quite good.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Some exist online, but nothing officially - I don't think 2 player is what the designer had in mind.

[@thgenral]

Rodney, great job as usual. Having done productions I know what you are doing takes time. Besides assuring you understanding the game rules, placing it all in an understandable format is important…very IMPORTANT. I’d liked to ask, do you remember about how many hours it took to prepare for the Starfarers of Catan video including knowing the rules? I’m just curious. I’ve no intention in becoming your competitor. (I’m 70, retired, and playing games. I don’t need the hassle in my life! :) Or, in general, is there a set number of hours you need to produce an instructional video? That said and asked. Please keep up the good work. I’d love to game with you but I live in Florida which I doubt is your location.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for the kind words and interest. For this specific game, I shot it long enough ago to not remember exactly, but it typically takes 7-8 days to produce a tutorial video (from learning, to scripting, shooting and editing).

[@Andy457]

no box flip :( at least he snuck in a lid flip

[@stivm2392]

Thx buddy

[@WatchItPlayed]

You bet!

[@1337M347lolz]

Dang...how did you get the box lid to lay flush?!

[@WatchItPlayed]

I found it all fit back in pretty nicely, but I remember having trouble at first, because I didn't realize that the rockets snap down into their slots. (the middle portion of the back, doesn't sit on top of that ledge in the insert, but behind it). Hard to explain in text form :)

[@wishmeheaven]

Awesome!

[@jamespatrickperez8658]

yes

[@desgtoy]

I enjoyed the base game, but this adds a layer of complexity that I feel was needed. However, this also seems to add to the play time lol

[@WatchItPlayed]

Glad you enjoyed the added elements! Play time is a funny thing, because it is so heavily influenced by the play style of the players as well.

[@mat-ventures]

Any idea for a variante to play with only 2 players?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Sorry, no, I just cover what is in the rule book. Someone out there might have tried to come up with a 2 player variant, but I think it would be hard, as this game involves trading resources with players, and if you only had one person to trade with, it might not feel as dynamic.

[@mat-ventures]

@@WatchItPlayed oh you're right. Thanks anyway!

[@adamholt5395]

Are the rocket ship sounds included in each copy of the game?

[@WatchItPlayed]

They let you make your own!

[@adamholt5395]

@@WatchItPlayed boo. I guess I'll look for them in the expansion.

[@jasminehu1305]

Can I play expansion without the starter set?

[@WatchItPlayed]

I'm sorry, I'm having a bit of trouble understanding the question.

[@jasminehu1305]

@@WatchItPlayed I got extensions one. Do I need to get the original one to play with it? Thank you

[@WatchItPlayed]

@@jasminehu1305 If you only have the expansion, then you'd need this core box to play it.

[@jasminehu1305]

@@WatchItPlayed thank you for the answer!😊

[@y0tub]

What a champ

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thank you kindly!

[@maximilianberbechelov]

Whoooosh, whoooosh! :D

[@sergiobravo3747]

Hi, Rodney do you have a video on how to play original Catan?

[@WatchItPlayed]

I do not.

[@BekenBodon]

I'm from the future. He does now.

[@FrankMinogue]

Dang it!!!!! Are you SURE this is a three player game? I only have two players, and now that we are moving, my daughter and her boyfriend will be 6 1/2 hours away! That is a really great mother ship!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Yep, it's 3-4 player, though I have heard of people playing it 2 player (that's not what's on the box though, so that's why I don't mention it).

[@karinanderson2463]

I didn't understand how the friends are related to the planet systems

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hi Karin, I'm not quite sure I understand the question - or is this a question? If it is a question, do you have a time stamp to the section of the video you're asking about?

[@josiahstearns9615]

28:42...haha. smooth...

[@deefuze1151]

LOL @ 4:18 - 4:59 bahahaha! Classic....

[@smlegler]

Did you not do a Catan "how to play"

[@WatchItPlayed]

I did not!

[@keel1701]

When I clicked on this video I expected 30 minutes of Rodney flying the spaceship around

[@WatchItPlayed]

Sorry to disappoint! :)

[@bobby9323]

Whose here from South Park?😅

[@No0nions]

Wtf South Park gotta do with this

[@roastedturkeylegs185]

​@@No0nionsif I had to guess it's from the episode where Shelly plays Catan with the vegan kid, or the Board Girls episode