Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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329 of 334 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Greatest family game of the 90s, August 3, 2000
Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars
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).
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105 of 110 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A game with endless varations - most variables of any game!, December 9, 2000
Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars
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.
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54 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent social game, September 14, 2003
Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars
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.
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