Production cards is a term implemented in Catan: Cities & Knights to refer to two distinct categories of cards: Resource cards and Commodity cards. Resource cards come with the base game while Commodity cards come with Cities & Knights. In the Mayfair Games version of the game, Production cards have printed maps of Catan on the back of the cards, differentiating them from other types of cards (such as Development cards and Progress cards). Production cards are collected during the Production Phase when the dice are rolled. They are produced according to number chits placed on resource hexes.
Replacement cards for both types are available several places online.
Commodity cards[]
In Cities & Knights, three commodities are added to the game: paper, cloth, and coin. In most ways, Commodity cards are treated the same as Resource cards, but there are also some ways in which they differ:
- Commodities are produced only by cities, and only in specific tiles (the drawing of the following is mandatory):
- Forests produce one Lumber and one Paper
- Pastures produce one Wool and one Cloth
- Mountains produce one Ore and one Coin
- When produced, Commodity cards are added to your hand of Production cards. They count toward your card limit when a "7" is rolled. They may be stolen by the Robber, or lost as a discard.
- The symbols on the Commodity cards (paper, cloth, and coin) are surrounded with a colored circle corresponding to the type of developments it helps build on the City Calendar. Normal Resource cards have white circles around their symbols.
- Commodities may be traded in all the same ways as resources. You may trade them freely with other players. You may exchange 4 of the same Production card for 1 of any Production card you choose. If you have a settlement or a city on a 3:1 harbor, you may trade at a rate of 3:1 for any Production card. If you have a settlement or a city on a 2:! harbor, you may trade the specific resource at a rate of 2:1 for a Commodity card.
- Commodities are the only way to acquire city improvements.
- Some progress cards specifically mention "resources" or "commodities." These cards can only effect the type of Production card they specifically mention.
Optional Commodities (variant)[]
As opposed to the normal rules of the game, players may choose to collect from a city resource hex either one Resource card and one Commodity card or choose to collect two Resource cards (where appropriate). Players may not choose two Commodity cards.