<p>From the <a href="http://www.catan.com/gamerules.html">Settlers of Catan rulebook</a>, page 4, section 3a:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>A new road must always connect to 1 of your existing roads, settlements, or cities.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>If your opponent builds a settlement at the end of your road, you are no longer connecting your road to your existing road, you are connecting it to an <em>opponent’s</em> settlement, which is not legal.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-10T18:41:36.310Z
To be clear, connecting a road to an opponent's settlement is not illegal in itself.
djechlin
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-04-17T20:15:45.633Z
2012-04-17T20:15:45.633Z
ghoppe
<p>From the <a href="https://www.catan.com/faq/4624-roads-may-roads-i-build-go-through-other-players-settlements-and-cities" rel="noreferrer">official FAQ</a>: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Can the roads I build “go through” other players’ settlements
  and cities?</p>
  
  <p><em>Answer:</em> No. If you build a new road, it must always connect to one of
  your own roads, settlements, or cities.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The <a href="https://www.catan.com/faq/4608-longest-road-how-can-i-interrupt-opponents-longest-road" rel="noreferrer">inverse situation</a> is also interesting:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Longest Road - How can I interrupt the Longest Road of a game partner?</p>
  
  <p><em>Answer:</em> By building a settlement on an intersection within the Longest
  Road. Of course, you have to observe all building rules when doing
  this.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-04-18T17:46:53.993Z
Hmm, that's interesting. Wonder why; seems like an odd design choice to allow settlements to interrupt a road while disallowing "building through", which will end up with the same result on the board eventually.
VolcanoLotus
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-12-31T05:09:19.130Z
@VolcanoLotus: allowing "building through" would diminish the competition for space (and diminish the need to be efficient in action in the game). That ultimately _reduces_ the strategic choices in the game. On the other hand, allowing roads to be cut _increases_ such choices, both for the road builder (place a settlement now, or keep building a longer road?) and for the would-be-interrupter.
mattdm
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-12-31T13:57:01.833Z
So, although the end picture might be the same in either case, the impact on gameplay is not. And, both follow from the straightforward application of a simple rule based on _when the pieces are played_, not the eventual result.
mattdm
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-02T10:29:00.643Z
@VolcanoLotus - What? Why is it odd? It's completely consistent! Both rules are based on a settlement stopping a road on one side of it being connected to the road (or road space if not yet filled) on the other side of it.
AndyT
CC BY-SA 4.0
2012-04-17T20:10:03.117Z
2019-07-28T22:49:55.087Z
2019-07-28T22:49:55.087Z
ire_and_curses
<p>Player A: Wants to expand to resource-rich area of board. They build two roads and plan to build a settlement and continue their road to the resource-rich area.</p>

<p>Player B: Also wants same location as player A for their next settlement. They build two roads, ending at same hex intersection as player A.  Player B builds their settlement first.</p>

<p>Player A: Still wants resources further away, so places another road on the <strong>other</strong> side of player B's settlement.</p>

<p>Player A has a road going into the hex intersection, and argues that they can build a connecting road going out of the intersection, regardless of whether another player has a settlement there.</p>

<p>Is this really a legal move?  If not, where in the rules does it specify that this it is not allowed?</p>

<catan>
Can you build a road on the other side of another player's settlement?
Cory Klein
# Can you build a road on the other side of another player's settlement?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-04-17)

Player A: Wants to expand to resource-rich area of board. They build two roads and plan to build a settlement and continue their road to the resource-rich area.

Player B: Also wants same location as player A for their next settlement. They build two roads, ending at same hex intersection as player A. Player B builds their settlement first.

Player A: Still wants resources further away, so places another road on the **other** side of player B's settlement.

Player A has a road going into the hex intersection, and argues that they can build a connecting road going out of the intersection, regardless of whether another player has a settlement there.

Is this really a legal move? If not, where in the rules does it specify that this it is not allowed?

**Tags:** catan


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2012-04-17. Score: 36 | Accepted answer

From the [official FAQ](https://www.catan.com/faq/4624-roads-may-roads-i-build-go-through-other-players-settlements-and-cities):

> Can the roads I build “go through” other players’ settlements
> and cities?
>
> *Answer:* No. If you build a new road, it must always connect to one of
> your own roads, settlements, or cities.

The [inverse situation](https://www.catan.com/faq/4608-longest-road-how-can-i-interrupt-opponents-longest-road) is also interesting:

> Longest Road - How can I interrupt the Longest Road of a game partner?
>
> *Answer:* By building a settlement on an intersection within the Longest
> Road. Of course, you have to observe all building rules when doing
> this.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Hmm, that's interesting. Wonder why; seems like an odd design choice to allow settlements to interrupt a road while disallowing "building through", which will end up with the same result on the board eventually.  
> **username_5**: @username_4: allowing "building through" would diminish the competition for space (and diminish the need to be efficient in action in the game). That ultimately _reduces_ the strategic choices in the game. On the other hand, allowing roads to be cut _increases_ such choices, both for the road builder (place a settlement now, or keep building a longer road?) and for the would-be-interrupter.  
> **username_5**: So, although the end picture might be the same in either case, the impact on gameplay is not. And, both follow from the straightforward application of a simple rule based on _when the pieces are played_, not the eventual result.  
> **username_6**: @username_4 - What? Why is it odd? It's completely consistent! Both rules are based on a settlement stopping a road on one side of it being connected to the road (or road space if not yet filled) on the other side of it.  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2012-04-17. Score: 12

From the [Settlers of Catan rulebook](http://www.catan.com/gamerules.html), page 4, section 3a:

> A new road must always connect to 1 of your existing roads, settlements, or cities.

If your opponent builds a settlement at the end of your road, you are no longer connecting your road to your existing road, you are connecting it to an *opponent’s* settlement, which is not legal.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: To be clear, connecting a road to an opponent's settlement is not illegal in itself.  

---

