When is there no going back on a trade?

Question

In Settlers of Catan, what are the precise rules for when a trade is completed and there is no going back? For example, if player 1 asks if anyone is looking to trade a resource for another resource and player 2 agrees, is player 1 bound to that trade or do both parties have to then agree on an exact trade before continuing?

In other words, is offering a trade to all players an implicit agreement to a specific trade with a particular player? If not, is there any way to agree on trades that does not result in showing what's in your hand?

Answer 1

Trading

The type of rule you are asking for is similar to the Chess rule that says...

Once the hand is taken off a piece after moving it, the move cannot be retracted (unless the move is illegal)."

Catan rules aren't that specific, unfortunately. There is no rule in Catan that covers when a trade is complete with this level of detail. Therefore, it is up to you and your play group. If I were in your play group, I would argue that a trade is complete when the cards have physically changed hands. That is how goods exchanges work in real life - I give you money, you give me goods.

If you allow trades to be taken back after cards have exchanged hands, then you have to remember what cards you traded. More importantly, you have to still have the cards, and not have spent them.

If you don't allow trades to be taken back before cards have exchanged hands, then what happens if I don't have the cards I said I would trade? Maybe I wanted to bluff that I had a card for trade just so the other guy would get a worse deal.

Bluffing

Bluffing is generally an acceptable practice in any game that involves hidden information. But, the difference between lying and bluffing is not always clear. In Catan, you just have to know it when you see it. For example, saying "I have wheat." when I really don't is a bluff by any reasonable definition of the word, but saying "I have seven cards." when I really have eight is just a lie. If your group is not okay with bluffing, then your play group may need to create a house rule that prohibits it. Otherwise, it's fair game.

Answer 2

Trades are done when cards change hands, not before, not after. Another player isn't allowed to take cards that are in my hand, I can only give them. If I propose a trade and then change my mind, the other player has no recourse for obtaining the card I offered, unless I consent to the trade. Similarly, once the cards have changed hands, I have no way of forcing my opponent to give it back if I change my mind. In Catan, possession is ten tenths of the law.

Proposing a trade to the table as a whole is usually just a shortcut for proposing it to one player at a time. Even if the leading opponent is the first to speak up about a trade, I would much prefer to trade with someone who isn't winning. Again, even if he's the first to "accept" the trade, he has no way of forcing me to carry it out.

Answer 3

The rules don't explicitly declare it as "locked in and done" at any one point. Catan isn't MTG; the rules aren't that specific. It's a social game, so the first rule is don't be an asshole. That said, you can say you have an open call to trade wheat for bricks, but that is just a matter of you letting the other players know what you want. Exposing the cards in your hand isn't required, AFAIK. That means that in regards to your specific example, you could put out an open trade agreement on your own turn, then if another player wants to trade with you on their turn and offers it to you you can take it up. However, you are never obligated to make a trade.

As far as take-backs, etc goes, generally the trade is considered done when both people have exchanged cards. But the specific timing of that is up to your group. I would not allow trade-backs once any other action (negotiation, card usage, rolls, etc) has taken place.

Answer 4

Bluffing

I have very important addition to this part of Rainbolt's answer. Catan is game without hidden information. By the rules and how it is implemented in Catan Universe online version, every move in terms of resources is open to everyone. When you gather resources from first settlement, when you roll the dice, when you trade (both people and bank), when you buy, every person have to see what you get and what you give out. Hence, you can remember all resources that every player has. As I see trade, you can't offer resource that you don't have.

Trading

Proposing a trade to the table as a whole is usually just a shortcut for proposing it to one player at a time.

If you have several options to trade, e.g. two or three players agree to trade, you select the one that is good for you. If you don't want to trade with specific player (who have 9 points or you just don't like that guy) you can decline trade request.