
After a couple of games, you’ll be setting up games with blind eyes almost. It’s all pretty easy and straightforward. They do this in a predetermined order so as not to give anyone an advantage: player 1, player 2, player 3, player 4, player 4, player 3, player 2, and player 1. Players place two villages each, with one road next to it. Initial settlement placement, the most important decision of the game, happens next. As a general guideline 7 is a result with the highest probability and the further away from 7, the rarer the throw will be. This is determined by rolling two dice and the sum of the rolls is a number from 2 to 12. Number tokens represent the probability of a tile producing a resource in a turn. Again, there is a suggested pattern for numbers – or you can just go all out random.

Numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are represented twice, while numbers 2 and 12 are represented once – a total of 18 numbers. Next, it’s time to give resource tiles number tokens from 2 to 12 (excluding 7).
#CATAN BOARD GAME REVIEW MANUAL#
These can be arranged randomly, although there are suggestions in the game manual for a fixed arrangement that should give players equal opportunities. Game preparation begins with the laying of hexagonal terrain tiles (18 resource tiles + 1 desert tile) and surrounding water tiles. Its secret is, that the theme is well-thought-out and works brilliantly hand-in-hand with the concept. The goal of the game is to accumulate ten or more victory points – the first player to do so is the winner.Īt its core Settlers of Catan is an abstract strategy game with elements of set-collecting and resource management. Your settlements, roads, and armies count for victory points. These resources can then be traded and used to build additional settlements, and roads, or buy development cards. The players assume the roles of settlers, who are trying to settle on an island, which produces various resources. Playing time: 1 to 2 hours (depending on players)īordGameGeek page: link. For now, we will focus just on the base game. What Is A Gateway Board Game? + 10 ExamplesĪfter the original release, various extensions and expansion packs (together with reprints) have been released (and still are). It was one of the first eurogames that hit the global market and made its way into mainstream entertainment. The game became hugely successful and popular, got translated into multiple languages, and sold millions of copies worldwide. Is it worth playing after all these years? Introduction to CatanĬatan was designed by Klaus Teuber and was originally published in Germany back in 1995. Read this Settlers of Catan Review to find out whether it still holds its own. But, since then, many board games have surpassed it, both mechanically and commercially. It has achieved legendary status in the last 25 years.


I’m pretty sure everyone with a remote interest in board gaming has heard of Catan by now, if not played it.
