Players have a chance of receiving resource cards upon each roll of the dice.
The game is won by earning 10 "victory" points. This can be reached by a combination of building and/or upgrading settlements, building roads, raising armies, and using development cards. Each activity requires spending a different combination of resource cards. Players have a chance of receiving resource cards upon each roll of the dice. Players may trade resource cards with the bank at ratios determined by settlement positions along the ocean, or may negotiate trade among each other. Numerous strategies may be employed determining where to place settlements, how to spend resources, and whether or not to trade with other players.