Customer Reviews

Mayfair The Settlers of Catan Board Game

5 star:		(194)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a game which was originally published in Germany as Die Siedler von Catan, where it has sold several million units and has many expansions and variants available. In fact, I am told that this game is the (worldwide) 3rd best selling game of the last decade. It's really a shame it hasn't quite reached the American mass market.

It's a game about building and trade. Each player builds settlements that can produce some of the 5 resources - Ore, Wheat, Wool, Wood, and Bricks - which can then be used to build roads and more settlements to expand your kingdom or upgrade your settlements to cities to increase their production. The thing that really makes the game is that there is always a hot commodities market, with players trading to trade resources they don't need in exchange for those that are more useful for their game strategy; each resource is useful in different combinations for building different things.

This is a pretty simple game that even younger kids should be able to handle. Anybody who can play Monopoly can play this game, and believe me, they'll have a much better time with the Settlers of Catan (you can even buy an expansion to handle up to 6 players).

A lot of people I know are somewhat daunted by this game because even though it's very straightforward, it's a bit different from your average American game. I speculate that the reason for this is that the Germans have a thriving mass game market, with a number of competing companies, while the US mass board game market is essentially monopolized by a single company, Hasbro. So while we are busy playing various Monopoly knock-offs, the Germans have benefitted from tremendous development. In terms of family entertainment, the rather small amount of effort it will take to embrace the Settlers of Catan will be well spent. And if you like it, it's just the tip of the iceberg. There are literally hundreds of extrememly high-quality family games coming out of Germany and Europe these days (although admittedly Settlers of Catan is among the best).

Settlers of Catan is a very unique game. It is very easy to learn but hard to master the subtleties of the game. It has several things that make this game unique. The main thing that makes this game unique is that the board can be different each time you play the game. The five land types that each produce a different resource are shuffled each time you play the game. So the board ends up being different each time the game is played.

Another variable is the numbers that you lay down on the land types. The numbers are also shuffled each time. When you roll the dice, what ever number comes up, the land or lands with that number on it produce their resource - regardless of who's turn it is. So you opponents can actually help you on their turn.

A third variable is ports. If you have a settlement on a port you can trade two of one type of resource you have for one you need with the bank. Normally you have to trade four of one resource, to get the one resource you want if none of the other players are willing to make a trade with you.

The fourth variable is the thief. Anytime someone rolls a seven on the dice, they get to move the thief off off the property that he is on, and move it to any other piece of property and to take away one card at random from the hand of any players that have a settlement on that property. The thief automaticly steals what ever is produced on that piece of land for as long as he is there. This denys your opponents precious recources that they need to build roads,settlements, citys, and buy development cards.

Development cards are soldier cards that you can buy to chase off the thief off your property and on to one of your opponents properties. Another type of development card is a victory point card that gives you one point toward the ten point total that you need to win.

Settlers of Catan is designed for 3 to 4 players but you can have up to 8 players with the expansion pack.

This is an excellent social game--far more superior than Risk for several reasons: it does not last forever (one game may last up to 1 hour); the trading element encourages bantering, which makes the game really fun; it does not have to be antagonistic at all--it is just as fun and enjoyable as a cooperative game.

But it can get competitive, which may lead to one player being targeted in order for others to advance. Thus I have two suggestions to add to all the other reviews: One may want to put restrictions on the placement of the Robber, for example, the Robber cannot return to the previous hex (or he cannot return within 3 moves). And, when a 7 is rolled, the roller must take a card from someone OTHER THAN the player on whose hex he places the Robber. According to the game rule, when a 7 is rolled, the Robber must be moved. The player on whose hex the Robber stands gets no resources from the hex, AND he will also have to yield one card to the player who rolls the 7. If the Robber gets moved exclusively between two tiles (say two players decided it is in their best interest to put the squeeze on the third player), the person owning those tiles will get seriously handicapped. Even though it is only a game and mostly adults play it, when a couple of players gang up on another player, it definately adds a bit of unpleasant taste to this otherwise fun and sociable game. Surely in real life people do get screwed, but why do so in a game, with friends, in an evening meant to be fun?

All in all, though, this is a fun game with lots of depth. One can explore and discover all sorts of strategies game after game.

Are you tired of unbalanced games such as Monopoly, where one person always runs away with the lead half-way through the game? You struggle to stay alive, knowing it's only a matter of time before you lose. Or how about "The Game of Life"? Spin, move, spin, move, Zzzzz....

Settlers of Catan will show you what a good game really is. It is viewed by many as the gateway into better games. No one will be eliminated, it is simple to learn yet has many strategies which even young kids will pick up. Truly one of the great games of all time.

Don't believe me? Well, don't take my word for it. It is the #3 rated board game of all time ... Put it this way, neither Monopoly or the Game of Life rank even there in the Top 1000 games, yes, not even in the top thousand! It may seem expensive, but trust me on this, it's worth every penny. And remember, kids can play it but it's not ONLY a kids game, adults may have even MORE fun with this than kids. Buy it...

This is probably the most popular game in the world from a highly respected German designer. It's really fun to play, and turns come around quickly. The rules are hard to learn from scratch, but not so hard to explain once you've played through. It plays differently with three versus four players. With three, the board is wide open, and the game is a little more mellow. With four, it's possible to get walled in, and there is much more tension to the game. I always use this game as an introduction to gaming for people who haven't played many games, and they love it. It's different every time because the board is set up randomly. There are several expansion sets that add different elements to the game. The best is Cities and Knights of Catan, although it makes for a longer, more involved game. You cannot go wrong with this purchase.

One of the best games invented in the past 10 years. Easy to learn, easy to play. The game involves fairly equal amounts of luck and strategy, and involves a game board that changes with each new game to keep things fresh.

One excellent aspect of the game is its emphasis on strategic planning. Devising a strategy for winning and for future moves is fairly easy - but if you strive too hard for short-term gains, your long-term goals will often suffer (or your opponents will take advantage of your narrow vision).

Another excellent aspect is the balance between cooperation and competition. It is nearly impossible to advance beyond your beginning position without cooperating with other players through mutually beneficial trades. At the same time, your trading and cooperation can help keep a powerful rival in check until you can catch up. But you never lose sight of the fact that only one player can win the game.

The board pieces are thick cardboard and quite sturdy, and the artwork is good (although nothing spectacular, they do set the tone and environment of the game). Player tokens are painted wood (the best material for games). Cards are well made and have proven to be fairly durable. The game comes with ziploc bags for storing pieces and cards, ensuring that you don't open the box to an utter mess every time you play.

... said lovingly in the Simpsons "Comic Book Guy" voice.

If you like strategy, BUY THIS GAME.

If you have kids growing toward teenagdom who are getting too old for Sorry!, bored with Battleship, and just plain sick of Monopoly (seriously... how many Monopoly versions do we really need?), BUY THIS GAME.

Simply put, this is a resource management game. Collect various raw materials to build roads, settlements and cities in order to get enough points to win. Sounds simple? It is, but it isn't. The game board literally changes every time you play and the strategy is extremely layered. I'm sure others here will do a better job explaining the mechanics, but I just had to add how much fun this is for all ages from pre-teens to adults.

Also, it's non-violent and non-confrontational in nature (if that is important for your family), requires cunning strategy, diplomacy and even player cooperation at times.

It really is the perfect strategy game.

It may not sound like much.

The board - map - is a hexagon of 19 (I think) smaller hexagons dealt out in a new, completely different pattern each game. There are five colors, each representing and producing a different resource: brown gives wood, grey stone, yellow wheat, green sheep and red clay. Each hexagon is assigned a number chit between 1 and 12. Excepting that no seven chit is assigned.

A single aberrant void hexagon, the desert, is also dealt. It produces nothing and is assigned no number. The robber, explained below, is initially placed here.

Each player initially places two towns in strategic junctions to control resources. A turn consists of a player rolling two six sided dice. All hexagons that bear the number rolled produce resources for any player who has built a town on it. A player that has a city on a die roll fecund hexagon receives two resources.

Different combinations and quantities of resources can purchase roads, new towns, upgrade your towns to cities, or buy cards, or be traded freely to other players.

Each town is worth a point, each city two. The cards will provide you with a point or a soldier (who can move the robber when played- again, see below.) The player with the largest army (most soldiers played) and longest road each get a point. First player to ten points (or some other agreed upon number) wins.

As mentioned, the robber begins in the desert, and is moved whenever a seven is rolled. Anyone rolling a seven gets to place the robber on a resource hex and take a card from a player with a town or city on that hex. That hex will produce no resource until the robber is moved by a soldier, or when the seven is rolled again.

And that's it, I think.

Sound simple? I hope so, because it is. Deceptively simple, because in practice it's a blast to play. It is utterly strategic. Where you place your towns is critical. And since every map is different, no game is ever the same.

Me, my brothers and cousin are all in our thirties. Every few months, we set aside a weekend. Poker, and Settlers of Catan. Both what I like to refer to as pure games. Untrammeled, archtypic, Platonic in their perfection.

And very fun. A five year old could play this game, it is so simple. But it's not a kid's game. Try it, and you'll be hooked.

My husband and I love to play this game. Generally, I play two colors (orange and white) and he plays red and blue. We go every other turn. We figured that only having two colors out there would limit some of the resource protection necessary for having a realistic game. That is, with only two players (two colors) the board would be wide open for expansion and maybe the game would be a bit too easy.
We have developed house rules regarding this. We can't trade with "ourselves" even if it's the other color. We aren't supposed to favor one color to the detriment of the other (hard to do anyways; chance factors in this game).
We really enjoy playing this game. We have two boys under three, so it can be rather hard to get together without one of those happy little hands reaching up and requisitioning one of the villages, cities, or even the ocean!
We are both past thirty. We recommend this game to people who want a chance to reconnect with their spouses, play a game that only takes about two hours, and enjoy a little bit of healthy race-for-it competition.
The game is quite clever in forcing you to make decisions (spend this resource now for a lesser thing or save it and risk getting robbed?). The board layout is different than most board games; this one being hexagonal squares with different resources represented on them. It's a very clever idea with a non-I'm-shooting-you-now path to success.

I love this game. I was first introduced to this game about 4 years ago, when my husband and I got engaged. My brother invited us over to play games, and we played Settlers. It didn't take long to understand the concept, and it is very fun. It also has an expansion that can make it more challenging, once you are accustomed to playing. They have a few different rules, so that you can play a longer game, or a shorter game. We have recommended this game to many people because we love it so much. We play it at all of the family functions, and have bought a copy ourselves, so that we can play it with our other friends and family. If you have small children though, this game does include small pieces, that a child could swallow, or choke on, so be cautious!