Balanced Board Generator for Catan
Generate a fair, random hex map in one click. No 6s and 8s side by side, resources spread out, harbors included. Share it with a link or print it.
How to use the board generator
- Choose 3-4 or 5-6 players.
- Pick your fairness rules (the defaults suit most groups).
- Click Generate board until you like it, then copy the link or download the PNG.
- Lay out your physical tiles to match, or play from the screen.
Under the board you’ll see each resource’s total pips, so you can tell at a glance whether ore or wheat is scarce this game.
What the generator checks
| Rule | Default | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| No adjacent 6 & 8 | On | Stops one intersection from getting ~28% of all rolls |
| No same numbers touching | On | Spreads duplicate numbers across players |
| No 2 & 12 touching | Off | Avoids dead corners |
| Balanced resources | On | No clusters; pip share per resource within 7% |
Then every board is scored 0-100 and the six best opening spots are marked so you can see at a glance whether the table gets a fair start. See the dice probability chart for the maths.
Why use a random balanced map?
The beginner setup gets stale quickly, and a fully random shuffle often stacks 6s and 8s together or leaves one resource almost unreachable. This generator re-rolls behind the scenes until every rule you picked holds, then picks the highest-scoring of 30 candidates, so each map is fresh and fair.
Frequently asked questions
Is this an official Catan board generator?
No. HexBoardGen is an independent, free fan tool. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Catan GmbH or Catan Studio. CATAN is a trademark of Catan GmbH.
What makes a board balanced?
A balanced board keeps the high-probability numbers 6 and 8 apart, avoids identical numbers touching, spreads each resource so no type clusters, and gives each resource a fair share of total pips (the dots under each number that show how often it rolls).
Can I generate a board for 5-6 players?
Yes. Switch to 5-6 players to get a 30-hex board with 2 deserts, 28 number tokens and 11 harbors, matching the extension layout.
How do I share a board with friends?
Every board has a seed. Click “Copy share link” and anyone opening the URL sees exactly the same board.
Can I print the board or save it?
Use Download PNG to save an image or Print for a clean printable version without the page controls.
What is the balance score?
Every board gets a 0-100 score: points are deducted for touching red numbers (6/8), same-resource neighbours, skewed pip share per resource, and a big gap between the best and sixth-best starting spots. 85+ is excellent for competitive play.
What are the numbered best start spots?
The white numbered circles mark the six highest-producing intersections (sum of pips of the three touching hexes). Use them to check that strong openings exist for every player, or hide them for a blind setup.
Does it support Seafarers or Cities & Knights?
Cities & Knights uses the standard base or 5-6 board, so this generator works as-is. For island maps see our seafaring ideas page.
What are pips?
Pips are the dots on number tokens. They count how many of the 36 dice combinations roll that number: 6 and 8 have 5 pips, 2 and 12 have just 1.