CATAN Compatibility Info - EN
We apologise for an error on our new CATAN materials. The packaging states that the new 2025 edition is fully compatible with older versions, but we've discovered that the card backs are different, which can affect gameplay. We sincerely regret this oversight and any frustration it may cause.
The Issue
Cards in our new 2025 Edition have a different back design than our older editions (pre-2025).
This difference becomes a problem when a game requires you to shuffle some of the cards into a single deck. The two main scenarios are:
- Old Base Game + New 5–6 Player Expansion (or vice versa): The resource card decks are meant to be combined.
- Old Base Game + New Cities & Knights (or vice versa): The new Commodity cards (Cloth, Coin, Paper) are designed to be shuffled in with the Resource cards.
Solutions for Fair Play:
We want to ensure you can continue to enjoy your game. Here are the current recommendations:
- Immediate Fix: To keep card draws random, have the player drawing from your hand call out a number (e.g., “the third card from the top”) instead of picking visually.
- Future Solution: We are creating Card Replacement Packs to fix this for good. Due to international production schedules, we expect these packs to be available in the third quarter of 2026.
- Best Experience: For now, the most seamless experience is to combine matching versions (a 2025 Base Game with 2025 expansions).
Thank you so much for your patience and understanding as we work to resolve this!
If you would like to be notified when Card Replacement Packs will be available, please leave your e-mail address.
If you have additional questions or need assistance, please contact our webstore support: info@brain-games.com
