About

A small tool, made for game nights

This is a free, browser-based generator for Catan-style hex board layouts, built and maintained by Henrik Mølmer in Copenhagen. It supports the classic 3–4 player base game, the 5–6 player expansion, Seafarers (3–4 and 5–6), Cities & Knights (3–4 and 5–6), and Traders & Barbarians (3–4 and 5–6). The goal is simple: give game groups a quick way to start with a balanced, fair, shareable board — on a phone, in 10 seconds, without an account.

What we believe

Fairness by default. The official red-number rule is on out of the box. You can loosen it, but you don't have to.
Mobile is the default. Most game-night decisions happen on a phone. This site is built for that first.
No accounts, no friction. Boards live in URLs, not databases. A couple of subtle AdSense slots keep the lights on; that's it.
Original visuals. CATAN® is a trademark of CATAN GmbH. The site uses original placeholder visuals and neutral wording (wood, brick, wheat, sheep, ore) so nothing is copied.
Show the math. Every probability claim and balance constraint on the site is derived from first principles and published. See the probability reference for the underlying numbers.

Editorial standards

Catan rules are not folklore. The site treats them as a body of published reference material — the official rulebooks for the base game and each supported expansion are the source of truth, and every claim on the rules and FAQ pages is cross-checked against those rulebooks before publication. Strategy content is editorial: it reflects one player's accumulated experience, openly attributed, and is not presented as the only correct view. Math is derivable; when probability numbers appear on the site, the underlying calculation is shown rather than asserted.

The full editorial process — sourcing, fact-check workflow, correction policy, conflict-of-interest disclosure — is published on the editorial policy page.

How to support us

If you enjoy the tool, share it with your group — that's the best support we can ask for. If you spot a bug, a rule misstatement, or want a feature, drop us a note via the contact page.

Frequently asked questions about this project

Who built this Catan board generator?

Henrik Mølmer — a single Copenhagen-based Catan player who spent fifteen years frustrated by unfair shuffles and eventually built the generator he wanted. The site is independently operated, not affiliated with CATAN GmbH or any other publisher. Henrik writes the Cartographer's Almanac blog, maintains the generator code, and answers contact-form messages personally.

How is the project funded?

A small number of Google AdSense slots — one per generator page, two on shareable board pages — and nothing else. There are no paid plans, no premium tiers, no affiliate links, no email list, no sponsored content, and no data sold. Ad revenue covers hosting and lets the tool stay free for game-night use. If AdSense ever stops being viable, the model will change but the tool will remain free.

How is the editorial content researched?

Rules and probabilities are verified against the official Catan rulebooks (base game 5th edition, plus the official expansion rulebooks for the 5–6 player extension, Seafarers, Cities & Knights, and Traders & Barbarians). Strategy content reflects fifteen years of personal play plus cross-checks against established competitive sources. Where mathematics is involved — dice probabilities, pip distributions, expected-roll counts — the numbers are derived from first principles, not copied. The full process is documented on the editorial policy page.

How are corrections handled?

If a rule is misstated or a probability calculation is off, send a note via the contact form and the page will be corrected within a few days. Substantive corrections are noted at the bottom of the affected page with the change and date. Minor copy fixes are applied silently. Nothing here is so authoritative that it can't be improved by a reader who spots an error — please do.

How do I report a bug or request a feature?

Use the contact form. Bug reports are most useful with a share URL (the seed link reproduces the exact board) and the steps that led to the issue. Feature requests are queued and prioritised by how many people ask for the same thing.

Why "Cartographer's Almanac"?

Catan is fundamentally about settling and mapping islands, and a generator that produces those maps deserved a name that honoured the cartographic theme. The visual identity — parchment surfaces, compass-rose marks, copper kicker labels, italic Fraunces serifs — follows the same idea.

What about Cities & Knights, Traders & Barbarians, Seafarers?

All four major Catan expansions are supported. The Cities & Knights and Traders & Barbarians generators use the standard 19-hex base board with variant-specific balance considerations. Seafarers has its own layout (main island plus discovery islands and gold-fields), and every expansion is also available in a 5–6 player version.

Is this affiliated with CATAN GmbH?

No. CATAN® is a registered trademark of CATAN GmbH. This site is an independent fan project. The visuals are original (parchment textures, custom number-token treatments, neutral resource icons for wood, brick, wheat, sheep, and ore). Nothing is copied from official artwork. If CATAN GmbH ever finds something on the site that crosses a line, the contact form is the fastest way to flag it.