Play proceeds in turns. First, you roll two six-sided dice. Compare the number you roll to the numbered chits on each hex any hex which contains a chit which matches the number you rolled produces resources on that turn, based on the type of hex it is. Trade and Negotiation. Trade with other players is based entirely on negotiation and is, in my mind, the core of the game's effectiveness and replay value because it adds the complexity of human interaction into the outcome.
Trade overseas is mechanical.
Anyone can trade four resources cards of one type for a resource card of any other type. Finally, resource cards are spent in specific combinations to build new settlements and roads, updating settlements to cities, or purchasing development cards. There's a specific set of mechanics governing the use of the Robber, but I won't go into them here. The Settlers of Catan was originally released in Germany in 1995, where it promptly won the Spiel des Jahres. When it was released by Mayfair in the United States in 1996 it followed up its performance by winning the Origins Award for Board Game of the Year.