How to Play SettleUp

Welcome to SettleUp!

Learn how to build your empire and dominate the island. This guide will walk you through the basics of the game so you can start playing with confidence.

1. The Board

The game is played on a hexagonal board with different terrain types. Each terrain produces a specific resource when its number is rolled. The board is randomly generated each game, so no two games are the same.

2. Resources

There are 5 resources you can collect:

• Ore — produced by Mountains (gray tiles)
• Wheat — produced by Fields (golden tiles)
• Sheep — produced by Pastures (light green tiles)
• Wood — produced by Forests (dark green tiles)
• Brick — produced by Hills (terracotta tiles)

3. Rolling Dice

Each turn starts with a dice roll. Two dice are rolled, and the sum determines which hexes produce resources. If the number matches a hex where you have a settlement or city, you collect resources from that hex. Numbers 6 and 8 are the most commonly rolled (shown in red on the board).

4. Building Settlements

Settlements are placed at the intersections of hex tiles. They cost 1 Wood, 1 Brick, 1 Wheat, and 1 Sheep. Each settlement collects 1 resource from adjacent hexes when their number is rolled. Settlements are worth 1 victory point. Important: settlements must be at least 2 road segments apart from each other.

5. Building Roads

Roads cost 1 Wood and 1 Brick. Build roads along hex edges to expand your network and reach new settlement locations. Having the longest continuous road of at least 5 segments earns you the Longest Road bonus — worth 2 victory points!

6. Upgrading to Cities

Cities cost 3 Ore and 2 Wheat. Upgrade an existing settlement to a city to collect double resources from adjacent hexes and earn 2 victory points instead of 1. Cities are the most efficient way to boost both your resource income and your score.

7. The Robber

When a 7 is rolled, the robber activates! First, any player with more than 7 resource cards must discard half (rounded down). Then the player who rolled moves the robber to any hex tile. The robber blocks that hex from producing resources and lets you steal one random card from a player with a settlement or city adjacent to it.

8. Trading

You can trade resources with other players at any ratio both parties agree on. You can also trade with the bank at a 4:1 rate (4 of one resource for 1 of any other). If you build a settlement on a port, you get better rates — 3:1 for generic ports or 2:1 for specialized resource ports.

9. Development Cards

Buy development cards for 1 Ore, 1 Wheat, and 1 Sheep. There are 5 types:

• Knight — Move the robber and steal a resource. Play 3+ knights for the Largest Army bonus (2 VP)
• Road Building — Place 2 free roads anywhere
• Year of Plenty — Take any 2 resources from the bank
• Monopoly — Name a resource and take all of that resource from every player
• Victory Point — Worth 1 VP (kept secret until you win)

10. Winning the Game

The first player to reach 10 victory points wins! Points come from:

• Settlements — 1 VP each
• Cities — 2 VP each
• Longest Road (5+ segments) — 2 VP
• Largest Army (3+ knights) — 2 VP
• Victory Point development cards — 1 VP each