Catan vs. Risk
Comparing 2 standards across 22 specifications. 22 key differences identified.
Catan (The Settlers of Catan) is an economic resource management board game designed by Klaus Teuber. Players roll two dice to harvest resources across 19 terrain hexes, building roads, settlements, and cities to reach 10 Victory Points. Rolling a 7 activates the Robber, forcing any player holding more than 7 resource cards to discard half (rounded down).
Risk is a global conquest strategy board game published by Hasbro where 2–6 players battle for control of 42 world territories across 6 continents. Official rules govern turn troop reinforcements (Territories ÷ 3, min 3 + continent bonuses), combat dice mechanics (Attacker max 3 red dice vs Defender max 2 white dice with ties favoring the Defender), and escalating Card Set turn-ins.
Specification Comparison Table
22 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Governing Publisher
|
Catan Studio / KOSMOS | Hasbro |
|
Base Game Player Count
|
3 to 4 players | — |
|
Victory Target
|
10 Victory Points (VP) | — |
|
Total Terrain Hexes
|
19 hexes (4 Forest, 4 Pasture, 4 Field, 3 Hill, 3 Mountain, 1 Desert) | — |
|
Settlements Per Player
|
5 wooden settlements (1 VP each) | — |
|
Cities Per Player
|
4 wooden cities (2 VP each) | — |
|
Roads Per Player
|
15 wooden roads | — |
|
Robber Discard Threshold
|
More than 7 cards (8+) lose half, rounded down | — |
|
Longest Road Threshold
|
5 continuous roads minimum awards 2 VP | — |
|
Largest Army Threshold
|
3 Knight cards minimum awards 2 VP | — |
|
Base Bank Trade Ratio
|
4:1 four identical resources for any one | — |
|
Total World Territories
|
— | 42 territories across 6 continents |
|
Total Continents
|
— | 6 Asia, North America, Europe, Africa, South America, Australia |
|
Asia Continent Bonus
|
— | 7 armies per turn (12 territories) |
|
North America Continent Bonus
|
— | 5 armies per turn (9 territories) |
|
Europe Continent Bonus
|
— | 5 armies per turn (7 territories) |
|
Africa Continent Bonus
|
— | 3 armies per turn (6 territories) |
|
South America Continent Bonus
|
— | 2 armies per turn (4 territories) |
|
Australia Continent Bonus
|
— | 2 armies per turn (4 territories) |
|
Minimum Turn Armies
|
— | 3 armies (Territories ÷ 3, rounded down) |
|
Combat Dice Advantage
|
— | Defender wins all ties highest matching die rolls |
|
Card Set Turn-In Scale
|
— | 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15 (+5 each subsequent) armies |