19
  • I have - - - - - o (a settlement at the end of my road).
  • Now an opponent builds -- x ---o (a settlement along my road).
  • Can I do o - - x - - - - o (build a second settlement at the other end), or do I lose my road once it is cut off from my original settlement?
1
  • Shouldn't that be - - - - -o and - -x- - -o and o- -x- - -o? :-)
    – corsiKa
    Mar 28, 2013 at 19:34

3 Answers 3

25

To build a settlement, you just need to obey the relevant rules for building a settlement, which are:

You may only build a settlement at an intersection if all 3 of the adjacent intersections are vacant (i.e., none are occupied by any settlements or cities—even yours).

Each of your settlements must connect to at least 1 of your own roads.

Assuming that the site you want to build at isn't adjacent to another settlement or city, then all you need to worry about is that you have a connecting road. And in this instance you do: there's no reason to suppose a road ceases to be yours just because someone has interrupted its length.

17

Yes.

The roads remain yours, and you can continue to expand them and settle on them.

There are two weird related rules, though:

  1. An opponent's settlement at the end of your road prevents you from expanding through that settlement.

    o - - -x [cannot place more roads here]
    
    o - - -x- [can place more roads/settlements here]
    

    This is illustrated on the official website.

  2. Even though you can keep building, your road is considered to be cut in half for the purposes of Longest Road.

    Longest Road length = 6
    o - - - - - -
    
    Longest Road length = 4
    o - - - -x- -
    
4
  • Are you sure that you cannot place roads past another players settlement? Do you have a source for this rule? I can't see it in the rule book for the base game.
    – Justin
    Apr 2, 2013 at 10:08
  • @Justin Page 4 of the rulebook says "A new road must always connect to 1 of your existing roads, settlements or cities." Clearly if could play a road at X in this example, you are not connecting it to your road, you are connecting it to an opponent's city. This is not allowed. If you were to play a road at your O, it would be connecting to your city, but your own cities do not interrupt the length of your road for the purposes of the "Longest Road" card.
    – ghoppe
    Apr 2, 2013 at 18:57
  • The website also says (in the FAQ) "You can add individual road pieces as long as you have a settlement or city to connect them to." (catan.com/faq/…) It would seem that in this case, the road is no longer connected to a settlement or city. Dec 26, 2014 at 5:53
  • Later, it says you may "build a settlement adjacent to an interrupted continuous road...as long as you have an own road adjacent to which you can build." (catan.com/faq/…) So it appears that you cannot continue the road without first building a settlement--assuming that building a settlement is possible. Dec 26, 2014 at 5:53
4

Yes -- the only requirement to build a settlement or road is that it be connected to an existing single road. That road doesn't need to be connected to anything else.

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