The first step was to review the original ruleset for Settlers of Catan (SC). The immediate observation was the amount of information players need to remember at one time. Younger players need more time to build a mental map of a game, or the rules need to be reduced. Time is another consideration, as younger children may not have as much patience compared to a pre-teen or teenager. 

In short - reduce the game components, simplify some of the rules, and shorten game time. 

It is also worth noting that their education level should be taken into account. Older players will likely have a better understanding of probabilities and can adjust their moves so they have a better chance of obtaining resources. Catan Junior (CJ) adjusts the game from rolling two 6 sided dice to a single 6 sided die. While both games have an element of chance, this change shifts it one step closer to chance. This is more helpful for younger players who prefer the excitement of randomness as opposed to deeper strategy. 

Games that have interconnected elements or ‘parts’ make some of the most engaging games. SC is no exception. Building settlements and cities allow you to earn resources. This in turn allows you to build roads, cities or settlements, or purchase development cards. All of which can help you earn victory points. This is a very simple yet engaging loop. However, changing one thing has a cascading effect on the rest of the game

If we reduce the hexagonal board from 19 tiles down to 14, this would help speed up play and reduce the number of items players need to track without affecting this loop. However, this would require us to change the amount of number disks. These items are responsible for determining which hex yields resources and are placed randomly at the beginning of the game. For example, a hex grid with a number disk of 4 would yield resources to any player with a settlement or city when someone rolls a 4. If we increase a specific number of disks, then resources might be given too freely, or not often enough. 

To fix this, we can eliminate the 1 and 12 number disks and create a “doubles” rule where players get to pick 1 resource of their choice from the stock. Additionally, we can reduce the quantity of the 3 and 11 number disks to 1 each. When rolling a 7, the player picks a hex tile and all players with a settlement or city on that tile gain one of that resource.  Altogether this would help make it easier to gain resources, speed up play, and add in a fun rule. The ports would also need to be reconfigured slightly, but it would not have a dramatic effect on the overall game.

CT junior followed this same line of thinking by keeping the same number of resources, but lowering the cost of purchasing ships, hideouts, and their development cards (called Coco tiles).

Something else that came up was the use of Victory Point development cards. Younger players typically work with what is in front of them and these cards can be played later in the game for a surprise victory. I was afraid the verbiage and usage of these cards might confuse younger players and I initially tried to find different ways of awarding victory points. This was actually more difficult than expected as the other elements of the game are already tied together with earning victory points. For example, if a rule was created to award additional points for the most settlements touching wheat tiles, this would simply provide those with the means to build settlements further opportunity to score points. I also considered removing these cards but the opportunities they provide for additional points is too great.

In the end a simpler solution would be to change the text so the cards are played right away. It does remove the secrecy element, but makes it easier to track points and text that may confuse younger players. This is also reflected in CJ where the coco tiles which are played right away to gain resources, move the “ghost captain”, or build a ship or naval base for free.