CATAN – On the Road
CATAN – On the Road condenses the familiar resource gathering, trading, and building of CATAN into a portable 120-card game. Harvest resources, negotiate with the table, expand your region, and race to seven victory points in a roughly 15-minute experience available through Midnight Oil's community game library.
Watch How to Play
Video source: Cardboard Crash Course · Runtime: shown in the player. Edition note: A complete tutorial for the 2026 CATAN – On the Road card game.
Quick facts
What is CATAN – On the Road?
CATAN – On the Road is a standalone card game rather than a miniature version of the classic board. Players draw resource cards, trade with the bank or one another, and purchase roads, settlements, cities, knights, and other developments from shared displays.
Trading receives extra emphasis: a player who completes a trade while it is not their turn draws a bonus resource. Buildings and awards create victory points, and the first player to reach seven wins.
How does it play?
- Prepare the shared market. Set out the resource deck, available building cards, metropolis cards, awards, and each player's starting settlement and road.
- Harvest resources. At the start of a turn, every player draws a resource card; the active player's developed cities and metropolises may provide additional cards.
- Trade for what you need. Negotiate with another player or use the bank according to the rules. A player who trades off-turn earns an extra resource card.
- Build from the display. Spend the required resources to add roads, settlements, cities, knights, upgrades, or other available developments to your region.
- Reach seven victory points. Count points from developments and awards such as the longest route or largest army. The first player to seven or more points wins.
Why you might like it
- It preserves the table talk and trading that make CATAN social while playing much faster.
- The card-only format is portable and requires far less setup space than the board game.
- Shared building choices and off-turn trade rewards keep everyone watching the action.
Who is it best for?
CATAN – On the Road is best for CATAN fans, families, travelers, and groups that enjoy negotiation but want a much shorter game. It still depends on three or four willing traders, so it is less suitable for two-player tables or groups that prefer quiet, solitary planning.
Play it with Midnight Oil
Library games are available to play free at select Midnight Oil community events. They are not currently available for take-home borrowing. Game availability and teaching assistance may vary by event, and visitors may contact us in advance to request a particular game.
Visit the Events page for Midnight Oil's upcoming community gatherings in Titusville. CATAN – On the Road is a practical way to introduce resource trading during a busy event without committing a table to a full hour-long game.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the CATAN board game?
No. CATAN – On the Road is a complete standalone card game.
Is it simply the full CATAN game in a smaller box?
No. It uses recognizable resources, trading, roads, settlements, and victory points, but the shared card market creates a distinct, streamlined game.
Can two people play?
The published player count is three to four. The trading incentives and shared market are designed around that group size.
Why would I trade when it is not my turn?
A player who completes an off-turn trade draws an additional resource card, giving everyone a reason to stay involved in negotiations.