Geek Gear: Settlers of Catan Plush Robber Set

Catan Robber Set

This one kinda mystifies me. If you recall, awhile back a set of plush resource dolls was released for Settlers of Catan. Were they cute? Yes. Were they stupid? Yes. Did they have an actual in-game function that allowed you to play with them during the game and impacted how you played the game? Yes. So you ended up with a cute but stupid game accessory.

Which is why these robbers mystify me. I've tried to do research on them and as near as I can tell they have no in-game function. So what are they for? I mean, they don't even really qualify as cute in my opinion. So what you wind up with is are weird and stupid dolls that just happen to have the name Catan attached to them. I mean, there aren't even three robbers in the game - just one.

So, how could you use these dolls in game? Well, here's what I came up with. The dolls start nearby but not "in play." When someone rolls a 7 and moves the in-game robber (but not playing a solider card) they can claim a robber doll from the side until they are all claimed. Once all three robber plushes are claimed by players any further 7's would cause someone to be able to steal a robber plush in addition to stealing resources. The rules for this would be the same - you would have to move the robber onto a hex that that person is getting resources from. If, at any one time, someone has all three robber plushes he scores 2 points, the equivalent of longest road or largest army. He is declared the Thief Lord! As an opinion, you could make these points permanent and say that the robber plushes could no longer be stolen. As another option, you could say that a player could take resources equal to the number of thief plushes they have plus one. For example - if you had two thief plushes and roll a 7 and move the robber you would steal three resources from the players affected in any combination (2 from 1 player and 1 from another, 3 from one player, or 1 from 3 different players).

So while these dolls may not have come with a in-game play mechanic, you can see that you could easily grant them one should you choose to.