Cities And Knights is an official expansion to Catan that changes the focus of the game from simple expansion to managing development and defense. While the original game centers on collecting resources and building settlements, this version introduces new objectives through city upgrades and cooperative defense. Players must compete for territory and points and protect their cities from incoming barbarian attacks. The expansion increases the complexity of the base game, encouraging players to think beyond basic construction.
Upgrading Cities with Commodities
In Cities And Knights, cities are more than point generators—they become centers of progress. When a player builds a city next to specific terrains, they can receive standard resources and commodities: paper, cloth, and coin. These new items are required to invest in three development areas—science, trade, and politics. Each area includes levels of progress that unlock new abilities and grant progress cards. When a player reaches a certain level, they may claim a metropolis, which gives extra points and cannot be destroyed by barbarians.
The Role of Knights and Defense
A significant change in this expansion is the addition of knight units. Players place knights on the board to defend against barbarian invasions, which are triggered by rolling an event die. Knights must be activated using grain and can be promoted to increase their strength. When the barbarians attack, the game compares total knight power against the number of cities and metropolises. If defense is weak, one or more cities are removed from the board. This mechanic forces players to plan for both personal growth and group survival.
What the Expansion Adds to the Game
Cities And Knights includes new components and systems that alter the way the game unfolds:
- Commodities used for development upgrades
- Progress cards with actions linked to the three development areas
- Knights that must be managed and positioned on the board
- Barbarian ship that advances toward Catan on certain dice rolls
- Metropolises that increase a city’s point value and resist destruction
These elements create a layered structure that makes each turn more involved.
Adjusting to a More Complex Game
The expansion adds multiple strategic paths, requiring players to pay attention to more than just resource totals. Players must decide whether to focus on economic upgrades, invest in knight deployment, or aim for key bonuses like Largest Army or Metropolis control. The balance between working with others to stop barbarians and competing for points creates an environment where every move has long-term effects. Timing becomes important, especially when deciding when to upgrade or activate pieces on the board.
Cities And Knights turns Catan into a more tactical experience, where city growth, defense, and development progress are all essential to winning. It shifts the pace of the game while keeping familiar rules in place, allowing returning players to adapt quickly while exploring new layers of depth. The result is a version of Catan that rewards preparation, flexibility, and cooperation—without removing the competition that defines the original game.
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