Catan Histories: Settlers of America Trails to Rails

by MayFair Games

Product Features

• Standalone game, takes up to 2 hours to play
• For 3-4 players
• Contents include 120 railroad tracks, 48 cities, 8 train engines, 8 settlers wagon, 1 outlaw, 40 goods cubes and 40 gold coins
• Also 4 building cost overview charts, 1 map board, 2 dice, 12 number tokens, 95 resource cards, 24 development cards and 1 rulebook

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.9 x 11.6 x 11.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B003NX73F6
• Item model number: MFG3203
• Manufacturer recommended age: 10 - 14 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,888 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The 19th Century has arrived and America is heading west. Wagon trains form on the frontier. Settlers seeking fresh lives and opportunities strike out to tame wild lands and build new cities. These new cities rely on young railroads for vital goods. Trails become rails and create great wealth. While the crowded East still offers options, its resources dwindle. Look west to make your fortune. Smart money seeks rich, unclaimed land and hungry new markets. Finance your settlers as they head west to build capitals of tomorrow. Link these cities with rails of steel. Operate your railroad to supply the townsfolk with goods. Go west. Settle the wide, open land. Claim your destiny. Settlers of America, Trails to Rails utilizes the simple, fun Catan hex-tile grid to map the young United States. Collect and trade resources in order to purchase and move settlers, build cities, lay rails and acquire and move trains. Create rail links to acquire gold, which lets you buy resources and use opponents’ rails. Use trains to distribute goods to rival cities. But, as your settlers populate the West, they deplete the resources of the East. Still, your options always abound.

Product Description

The 19th Century has arrived and America is heading west. Settlers form wagon trains and create long trails as they leave the east behind. Their goal as they strike out towards the fertile land of the vast prairies is to grow crops and claim grazing lands for their hungry herds of cattle. As more people head west, new cities pop up. But the vast distances between them require a new form of transportation for vital goods...the railroads!

In Settlers of America: Trails to Rails, you'll experience the pioneer days of the old west! A large and beautiful map of the United States utilizes the simple yet fun Catan hex-tile system of play. Players collect and trade resources in order to purchase and move settlers, build cities, lay rails, and acquire and move trains. Rail links allow them to acquire gold, which allows them to buy resources and use other player's rails. Fulfill your manifest destiny by being the first to use your trains to deliver 8 goods to your opponent's cities and win the game!

Contents of Settlers of America: Trails to Rails:

• 120 Rails
• 48 Cities
• 8 Train Engines
• 8 Settler Wagons
• 1 Outlaw
• 40 Goods Cubes
• 40 Gold Coins
• 4 Building Costs Cards
• 1 Map Board
• 12 Number Tokens
• 95 Resource Cards
• 24 Development Cards
• 2 Dice
• 1 Rulebook

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Relive "Manifest Destiny" on your kitchen table, November 15, 2010

By 

Cameron Sybertz - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Catan Histories: Settlers of America Trails to Rails (Toy)

Settlers of America- Trails to Rails is a great variation on a great game. My family and friends have been playing Catan and its expansions for years, so when I saw this as a pre-order on another web site, it caught my attention. Using the trading, robber, and probability controlled resource production mechanics of Catan, Trails to Rails adds the element of money, covered wagons, railways, and locomotive driven deliveries which replaces the point system, cities, ports, and bonuses (like longest road or army). The resources are Wood, Grain, Ore, Steer, and Coal. The artwork is very attractive and done by the same artist who did the 4th version of Catan, and fits well with the theme of Manifest Destiny.

Other than the fact that I enjoy the theme, I also like that during the game it seems as if you can build or do at least one thing per turn; there is very little time waiting while there is a famine of 8s or 6s (if you have played Catan you will know what I mean), or the robber is on your only source of coal.

**For those that have not played Settlers of Catan** I would venture to guess that since the rules are very well written, no prior knowledge of Catan would be needed. Plus, there is a very good explanation of how to play on their web site, so check it out before purchasing. Give yourselves a few hours to play, have stimulating conversations, eat some ice cream, and for your wife to feed your 5 month old; playing a Catan game is more of an event than a quick diversion. The pieces are a very sturdy wood, and the board and box are hefty enough to last; but, the pieces are small, so, make sure to keep them away from little mouths (human or otherwise). In a world of fast paced do-dads and gadgets that tie us to work 24-7, Trails to Rails (and other Catan games) is a great diversion that allows for fellowship and fun.

Altogether, this game will keep its space on my shelf next to Agricola, Puerto Rico, Twilight Struggle, and Settlers of Catan for those days we want to relive the romanticized days of the Oregon Trail, Trans Continental Railroad, Robber Barons, and Little House on the Prairie (at least for my wife).


Pros:

- Great theme for anyone that is a fan of U.S. History and Settlers of Catan
- Appealing artwork; U.S.A. made out of Catan hexes looks better than expected
- Simple game mechanics that allow for solid strategic game play
- More balanced game play than a random map and numbers game of Catan
- Extraordinary building phase (can build on other persons turn)
- Rail system and a built in compulsion to move West (similar to Seafarers island scenarios)both historical and interesting

Cons:

- Not modular like the original Catan, so the game becomes less varied (only some of the numbers can be changed, others are printed on the game board, but this can be modified with a little help from other Catan number pieces)
- Some geographical historical inaccuracies (Las Vegas being a destination for early settlers for example)
- Although problematic in regards to being P.C. it would have been nice to see the Native Americans have a larger role in the game (in all fairness though, they are used on one card and mentioned in the history section of the rule book).
- Unlike the product features suggests, it does not have as near as much the replay value of Settlers of Catan and its expansions
- My wife does not like losing

*Why only four stars? Because next to Agricola, Puerto Rico, and the original Settlers of Catan, which are in the category of games that I would place Trails to Rails, this game, although very fun, is not quite at the level of these others so for the sake of differentiation I gave it a very well deserved four stars.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Catan Histories,Go West Young one!, September 22, 2010

By 

Eric Smith (Milford, CT United States) - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Catan Histories: Settlers of America Trails to Rails (Toy)

A great new game from Mayfair games. It uses the same mechanics as Settlers with railroads thrown in. I taught Settlers of Catan to my after school daycare group and they loved it and couldn't wait to get this new version. Using your resources you expand westward attempting to deliver cargo to your opponent's cities. This took some getting use to my my students love it! I highly recommend it. Fun,educational with great game pieces and board. It takes a while to play (about 2hrs) ,but is very challenging. A must have if you love Catan.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars all it is supposed to be, December 4, 2010

By 

bookman (saratoga ny) - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Catan Histories: Settlers of America Trails to Rails (Toy)

a great game for adults who have the time to play it. it is a great competitive game that requires skill, collaboration and some luck too. easy to learn, difficult to master no two games are the same so strategies must me modified every game. the basic game is not to long to play almost anytime, some of the games can be little bit longer (we have had 4 hour games). it is challanging and fun, and no single person will dominate winning so everyone likes to play. our circle of friends has expanded as we meet more people who play. we play on avergae once a week and enjoy it a lot.

we continue to like the basic Catan the best though, can't say enough good things about these games!