Page 1 of 2
The rolling 7's rule when players have 8 or more cards
Posted: 06 February 2026, 16:19
by Bruce Idaho
The rule that when a 7 is rolled and players have 8 or more resource cards is so stupid because 7's are rolled way more frequently than they should which slows down the game so much and literally it takes away much of the fun of the game. The last game that I played, a seven was rolled for times when I had 8 or more cards (twice I had 11 cards).
There is at least one easy option. Change the rule from a minimum of 8 cards to a minimum of 11 cards. Also, would there be a way to impose a limit of any player having this rule set at a maximum of 2 times per game? In this scenario for me, if I get hit one time is ok, two times is annoying, 3 times is very frustrating, 4 times in infuriating and I literally don't want to play the game anymore.
Re: The rolling 7's rule when players have 8 or more cards
Posted: 06 February 2026, 16:40
by Suoivax
Bruce Idaho wrote: ↑06 February 2026, 16:19
The rule that when a 7 is rolled and players have 8 or more resource cards is so stupid because 7's are rolled way more frequently than they should which slows down the game so much and literally it takes away much of the fun of the game. The last game that I played, a seven was rolled for times when I had 8 or more cards (twice I had 11 cards).
There is at least one easy option. Change the rule from a minimum of 8 cards to a minimum of 11 cards. Also, would there be a way to impose a limit of any player having this rule set at a maximum of 2 times per game? In this scenario for me, if I get hit one time is ok, two times is annoying, 3 times is very frustrating, 4 times in infuriating and I literally don't want to play the game anymore.
Or... you could stop hoarding cards.
Re: The rolling 7's rule when players have 8 or more cards
Posted: 06 February 2026, 17:33
by BarnardsStar
Also, the Catan forum is thataway
. This is the general forum for sitewide issues that do not pertain to any specific game.
Re: The rolling 7's rule when players have 8 or more cards
Posted: 06 February 2026, 18:48
by Jellby
And this absurd rule in chess that the king can only move one square, and the knight in this stupidly restricted L-pattern. It takes all the fun off the game. PLEASE CHANGE IT NOW!
Re: The rolling 7's rule when players have 8 or more cards
Posted: 06 February 2026, 19:34
by stillframe
Bruce Idaho wrote: ↑06 February 2026, 16:19
7's are rolled way more frequently than they should
Easy to say. Not so easy to back up with data.
Re: The rolling 7's rule when players have 8 or more cards
Posted: 06 February 2026, 21:00
by Arjuna92
Bruce Idaho wrote: ↑06 February 2026, 16:19
There is at least one easy option. Change the rule from a minimum of 8 cards to a minimum of 11 cards.
They did something like that. In Cities & Knights. Only costs 2 brick to build. Maybe something to try out?
Re: The rolling 7's rule when players have 8 or more cards
Posted: 07 February 2026, 10:45
by Ehronde
Bruce Idaho wrote: ↑06 February 2026, 16:19
There is at least one easy option. Change the rule from a minimum of 8 cards to a minimum of 11 cards. Also, would there be a way to impose a limit of any player having this rule set at a maximum of 2 times per game? In this scenario for me, if I get hit one time is ok, two times is annoying, 3 times is very frustrating, 4 times in infuriating and I literally don't want to play the game anymore.
The game is implemented as the rules are written. If you don't like the rules, don't play the game.
Re: The rolling 7's rule when players have 8 or more cards
Posted: 07 February 2026, 12:58
by yodamus
There are more than 1200 games to play. Maybe. Stop playing Catan. Your brain and stress levels will thank you
Re: The rolling 7's rule when players have 8 or more cards
Posted: 07 February 2026, 16:56
by BarnardsStar
Bruce Idaho wrote: ↑06 February 2026, 16:19
The last game that I played, a seven was rolled for times when I had 8 or more cards (twice I had 11 cards).
Here’s another way to look at it: across all your games of Catan your have been forced to discard an average of 3.6 resources per game. The average player discards 4.36 per game—and the average
winner 4.73! To me, this says you do better than average at this even if it doesn’t feel like it sometimes… but it also suggests to mw that winners take risks and it doesn’t always play out for them, but they do it and still win.
So learn to stop worrying and love the 7!
Re: The rolling 7's rule when players have 8 or more cards
Posted: 07 February 2026, 17:13
by FrankJones
Also, here's a weird fact: When 2 dice are rolled, 7 is the most likely outcome.
For any given dice roll of two dice, anything except a 7 was a less likely outcome than a 7.
Of course, if we bet on "the field", as they say in gambling, then the field will win 5 times out of 6, on average. So, seeing a bunch of 7s rolled is not cause for concern. 20 in a row? Yeah, that might indicate a flawed code.
We could use the binomial probability function to exactly calculate the probability of X sevens in Y rolls. Or just use the function in Excel.
