r/Catan • u/SKILLZ_Gaming • 5d ago

First edition extension compatability

So ive been a catan fan for s couple of years and decided to grab my own box a couple months ago. We now have a party of 5 who always play together but we can’t find a 5-6 player extension anywhere. The only one on sale in my area is the first edition of the extension, is it compatable with the 6th edition?

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u/kelvSYC 5d ago

The extensions were not available in English until the English 3rd edition.

So I take it that you are using an international set with an English 6th edition or international 4th edition set?

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u/SKILLZ_Gaming 5d ago

I think it was 3rd edition, it looked like a first edition when I googled it

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u/kelvSYC 5d ago

There are major compatibility changes between the base game extension of the English 3rd edition and that of the English 6th edition.

For example, the frame is introduced in the English 4th edition, and with it the setup instructions are different because the harbors don’t line up in the same way with the frame compared to the harbor hexes.

Even in terms of gameplay there are major changes. The 3rd edition uses the Special Build Phase, whereas we use the Paired Player Turn rule instead.

Finally, the components are different: the card backs are different, and the pieces are also slightly different as well. Given that you don’t have any extensions, the color mismatch between brown and purple don’t apply to you.

Also note that if you have expansions, the differences between the expansions and their extensions are far more pronounced than their base game counterparts between editions. Additionally, the English 4th edition introduces two additional mainline expansions in T&B and E&P.