Happy 10th Anniversary - The Settlers of Catan

Some years ago, I rekindled an old love of tabletop games that included classic board games such as Monopoly and Stratego, as well as some dice and card games. I think this nostalgia came about as my children approached the age where they became challenging opponents. Let's be honest, before age seven or so, they are merely fodder for a gamer dad, who enjoys winning a little too much.

I went looking for new board and card gaming experiences, and what I discovered was that there was so much more available than Payday or Bonkers. Sure, those games are fun, but serious gamers often require deeper, more meaningful gaming sessions, where the victories are sweeter. One game in particular, The Settlers of Catan, heralded the new age of tabletop experiences for both my friends and family.

At the core, The Settlers of Catan is a strategy game with some light empire building elements, specifically with resource production and management. Early on, players try to build a solid foundation and expand their fledgling society in order to gain the proper resources to sustain it. Towards the middle of a session, a war of territory advancement breaks out as existing avenues for expansion become slim. The endgame comes down to point scores, allowing for different ways to win, depending on the strategy used.

Catan's board consists of hex tiles that theoretically allow for a unique experience each session. The game comes with a suggested, default layout of a single island. Advanced player soon learn ways to create new layouts, especially when more tiles are purchased via expansion packages or add-ons (I'll talk about those later). Number tokens are placed on the hexes during game setup that represent dice roles. The number seven is given a special restriction due to its inherent odds of being rolled. The consequence can be unpleasant or a reason to rejoice depending on the roller's situation. Either way, a seven yields no resource production. Upon the intersection of the hex tiles, players plant settlements, roads and ships (with a special expansion). Settlements later become cities, and with yet another expansion, those cities can generate new resources called commodities that allow for new ways to earn points. The base game contains five resources to manage and all buildings, roads and military units require them to create.

The game is very addicting due to the ingenious design and simple game play. Sessions are unique and strategies can change from game to game. There is just the right amount of random events in the game to allow for luck but not too much to make the player feel that he or she has no control over their actions.

Two main expansions have released since the original Catan that directly alter the basic game. The Seafarers of Catan added many water hexes and a new resource hex called the mine, which is essentially a wildcard. Rolling a number on this hex lets the player pick a resource of their choice. The Cities and Knights of Catan added some of the best features yet. Instead of a city giving a player two resources (over a settlement's single resource production), a commodity is produced with the usual resource. These commodities are spent on upgrading cities to allow for special abilities later in the game. For example, a level three green upgrade allows for a structure called an aqueduct, which allows a player to draw a resource of their choice when a number is rolled that they currently do not gain production from. The role of the military (knights) are also increased which allows for some light espionage tactics.

There are many variations and spin-offs based on the Catan formula such as Starfarers of Catan, Stone Age of Catan and even a two-player card version of the original. For anyone starting out in the Catan franchise, the basic game is a must.

I recommend purchasing the physical game as it provides the best experience. The painted wooden pieces and excellent artwork of the tiles and cards are worth the price. However, a free, electronic version exists for those that wish to play with friends or virtual, artificial opponents. A European gaming service, Wannagame, hosts a few online games and provides ranking ladders for serious gamers. Registration is free and I haven't received any spam or junk e-mail from them. The service has been around for a few years and seems to be respectable. I've been using Wannagame since the previous Internet-able version of Catan (WanCatan) was available without any issues.

Celebrate Catan's tenth anniversary by checking out some of the resources on my Settlers of Catan directory.

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