Catan: Starfarers’ first rebooted expansion is out today, adds more players and faster turns

Last year’s rebooted Catan: Starfarers, the sci-fi spin-off from the classic board game of island settlement, has received its first similarly revamped expansion.

The Catan Starfarers 5-6 Player Extension does exactly what it says on the box, adding enough additional player pieces to increase the maximum player count by up to two.

The expansion also includes extra space sectors for more variety in Starfarers’ modular board, a new edition in the 2019 re-release of the 1999 game. A brand new alien faction, The Travelers, also join the game.

Also included in the box are rules for a new way of taking turns. The Pilot 1/Pilot 2 method allows a player - Pilot 2 - to perform some actions while the active player - Pilot 1 - is taking their own turn, shortening the time between turns, helping players to stay engaged and decreasing the overall length of the game. Starfarers typically takes an estimated two hours to play.

A 5-6 Player Extension was released for the original Starfarers of Catan in 2001, similarly adding additional player components and an alien civilisation. It was the game’s only expansion; Catan Studio is yet to announce any original expansions for the rebooted edition.

The revamped expansion includes refreshed artwork to match the new edition of the game, as well as newly sculpted player pieces.

Catan - Starfarers’ 5-6 Player Extension is out today, with a price tag of $49.