The group I play Settlers with have modified the game somewhat. This page documents the rules we use to play a game.

The biggest changes are:

• we've added soldier and ship pieces that are placed on the board
  • ships can be used to gain resources and put opponent's harbors under blockade
  • soldiers can protect hexes from the robber and put opponent's habitations under siege
  • players can battle each other using their soldiers and ships
• we've added many new development cards
• we've added citadels, a step up from cities
• we play to at least 12 points
• we play with gold resources and hexes

Battle Rules

• Two ships or soldiers that share a hex can fight
• The player that starts the fight is the attacker
• Both players roll dice
  • The higher number wins
  • Ties go the defender
• The losing unit is removed from the board

Breaking Blockades and Sieges

• At the beginning of a player's turn, he gets a chance to break any sieges and blockades he's under
• To break a blockade or siege, roll two dice
  • if a one is rolled, 1 unit involved in the blockade or siege is removed from the board

Building Costs

• road
  • 1 wood, 1 brick
• settlement
  • 1 wood, 1 brick, 1 sheep, 1 wheat
• city
  • 2 wheat, 3 ore
• development cards
  • 1 sheep, 1 wheat, 1 ore
• soldier
  • 1 wood, 1 brick, 1 ore
• ship
  • 2 wood, 1 sheep, 1 ore
• citadel
  • 2 brick, 2 sheep, 2 wheat, 2 gold

Citadels

• A citadel is worth 3 points
• Citadels receive 2 resources per hex (like cities)
• A citadel has a chance of producing a soldier
  • a solider is produced if the player owning the citadel rolls a number near his habitation (even if the robber is on that hex)
  • the soldier must be placed near the citadel
• Citadels protect a player's gold resource cards from development cards and the robber
• Each player has a single citadel piece

Development Cards

• Soldier (20)
  • Build 1 soldier.
  • Move robber.
  • Steal 1 resource card from nearby opponent.
• Ship (10)
  • Build one ship. Place ship in a water hex next to one of your coastal habitations.
• Alchemy (3)
  • Instead of rolling the resource dice, specify the outcome (play at any time).
• Bonanza (3)
  • Choose any 3 different resource cards from the bank.
• Divine Intervention (3)
  • Switch two numbers on the map (not including 2's, 6's, 8's, and 12's).
• Improved Army (3)
  • Better Rifle
    • Add 1 to your soldiers' side in battles.
    • 1 victory point!
  • Better Tactics
    • Add 1 to your soldiers' side in battles.
    • 1 victory point!
  • Improved Training
    • Add 1 to your soldiers' side in battles.
    • 1 victory point!
• Improved Navy (3)
  • Better Armor
    • Add 1 to your ships' side in battles.
    • 1 victory point!
  • Faster Vessels
    • Add 1 to your ships' side in battles.
    • 1 victory point!
  • Improved Cannons
    • Add 1 to your ships' side in battles.
    • 1 victory point!
• Monopoly (3)
  • When you play this card, announce one type of resource. All other players must give you all their resource cards of that type.
• Mutiny (3)
  • Replace an opponent's ship with one of your own.
• Road Building (3)
  • Place 2 new roads.
• Treason (3)
  • Replace an opponent's soldier with one of your own.
• Year of Plenty (3)
  • Take any two resource cards from the bank.
• Zap (3)
  • Cancel the play of a development card as it is being played (play at any time).
• Days of Wonder (1)
  • Play more than 1 development card during your turn.
• Feast or Famine (1)
  • Roll two dice three times. If you get a total of 18 or more, choose three resources from the bank. Lose 3 if you get a total of 17 or less. (Play only when you have at least 3 resource cards.)
• Ghost Ship
  • Move one of your ships to anywhere on the board.
• High Times (1)
  • Draw 3 development cards from the deck.
• New Beginnings (1)
  • Place 1 settlement and 1 road anywhere on the board.
• The Plague (1)
  • Cause an opponent's city to become a settlement or an opponent's citadel to become a city.
• Road Deconstruction (1)
  • Remove two of an opponent's roads from the board (roads cannot be connected to a habitation).
• Switcharoo (1)
  • Switch resource cards with an opponent (must be played at the beginning of your turn, before you roll the resource dice).
• Thievery (1)
  • Take 5 resource cards from your opponents (nobody can lose more than 3 cards).

Gold

• we add two gold hexes to the map
  • these hexes are given a 2 and the 12
• gold can be used as a resource wildcard when making purchases
  • that is, players can use a gold resource card in the place of any other resource
• gold is required to build a citadel
• gold is protected by a citadel

Ships

• New ships are placed near one of your habitations on the coast
• Ships can be moved 2 hexes during your turn
• Ships cannot be moved the first turn they are on the board
• Ships can gain resources by pointing at coastal hexes
  • If a ship is pointing at a coastal hex when its number comes up, a resource card is produced
• Only one ship can point at each land hex from a single water hex
• Ships fight using battle rules
• More than one ship and more than one player's ships can be on the same hex
• A ship can place an opponent's harbor under blockade
  • Place the ship on a harbor's resource picture to put it under blockade
  • A harbor under blockade cannot be used to make trades
  • Players get a chance to break blockades at the start of their turn
• A player with the most ships (at least 3 ships) gets the largest navy card (worth 2 victory points)
  • Once a person gets the largest navy card, it can only be taken away if some other player has more ships

Soldiers

• New soldiers are placed near one of your habitations
• Soldiers can be moved 1 hex during your turn
• Soldiers cannot not be moved the first turn they are on the board
• 3 of one player's soldiers on a hex protect that hex from the robber
• 3 of one player's soldiers can put an opponent's habitation under siege
  • All land hexes near the habitation must contain at least one of the soldiers
  • A habitation under siege receives no resource cards
  • Players get a chance to break sieges at the start of their turn
• Soldiers fight using battle rules
• A player with the most soldiers alone (at least 3 soldiers) gets the largest army card (worth 2 victory points)
  • Once a person gets the largest army card, it can only be taken away if some other player has more soldiers