Settlers of Catan 4th Edition

Customer Reviews

Good gateway game, better with Seafarers Review by David

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Settlers of Catan is a great game. Yes, a lot of more serious gamers scoff at it because there's so much dice rolling involved, but for most people it's a great experience that feels both strategic and simple enough to play without too much thought. And it offers good player interaction.

I personally find the board a bit cramped with 4 players, and sometimes that means one person--especially someone new to the game--falls behind and gets frustrated. This is why I recommend the Seafarers expansion. It opens things up and provides more paths to victory while still retaining most of the simplicity and feel of the original.

That said, I like the original game, and I've used it to introduce people to the world of board games before. It serves that purpose well--and I always have fun playing. If you've never played Settlers before, get it! (Posted on 2/1/12)

Great game for Everyone Review by Marc-A

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I love catan and it is a great game to play. It is easy to learn but it can be very hard to win. A game of Catan is about 1 or 2 hours long but with the expansion it is much longer. The only thing that I dislike about this game is the cardboard map. It is thin and not very tough and does not fit very well. Finally, I recommended it to everyone. I had a lot of fun with this game ! (Posted on 1/31/12)

A good game overall Review by Marc

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Well thought out game system of resources, trade and building. Part of the fun is also what turned me away after 50 games: there is a lot of luck involved at the end game phase.Nice accessible game for all, but hardcore strategists may find this a good occasional game. (Posted on 1/13/12)

amazing Review by mitch

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Of all the games in my collection, we continue to come back and play this game more than any other. Not very rules intensive and a great combination of strategy, trading and luck. The necessary interaction with the other players makes this game great and the hex design which leads to a completely different game board every time we play is fantastic. (Posted on 11/6/11)

Outstanding game that can be played again and again, Review by Marg

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We really love this game. What I like best about it is that even if it is not your turn, you are involved in the play - when the dice is rolled, you may or may not get some resource cards, or perhaps the robber will be placed in one of the areas that affects you.

This game is total involvement, and lots of fun. Even if somebody is taking a bit too much time on their turn - it is OK because you are thinking about your own turn and your strategy.

A really terrific game and lots of fun. (Posted on 8/24/11)

Fan-diddly-tastic Review by Tylorio

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What a great game! I resisted trying this the first few times my friends pulled it out (fool that I am) because they have the old version and the box artwork made it look like a creepy, 1970s religous board game. Played it once and was hooked, I picked it up right away and haven't looked back!

As the board is made by putting the tiles together randomly, it's always a little different and I love seeing how differently the game plays out if one resource happens to end up being scarcer than the others.

If you're thinking of getting this, pick up the 5-6 player expansion with it, you're going to want to get more of your friends together and 4 players can be limiting in that respect. My wife and I have started playing the 5-6 player board even with three or four players because it gives everyone a bit of breathing room (though it's pretty fun choking people off on the smaller board).

I can't say enough good things about Catan- even my friends who hate board games love playing this one and we often end up playing "just one more game" until three or four in the morning. (Posted on 7/12/11)

Excellent Game, Fun for Everyone Review by Jacques

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This game is loads of fun and is easy to learn while still allowing lots of opportunity to plan a strategy. With random tile placement the game is new every time. The little roads, towns, cities, and playing cards are all good quality and the game will survive many plays. Note that this game is for 3 or 4 players. My wife and I have tried playing it with only 2 a number of times and it is not as much fun. In the end it becomes a battle for the longest road with two players, and the robber gets really really annoying.

One of the annoying parts of Settlers is that you have to buy an expansion to play with 5 or six players, and then if you buy one of the major expansions you will have to buy another expansion for 5 or 6 players that matches it. Once you've spent all that money on 4 expansions to play one game two ways, you then have four boxes to store.

That said, I still recommend it. The original is a lot of fun by itself and the expansions allow you to mix it up a bit. If you don't have this and you like boardgames you should get this one. (Posted on 6/22/11)

A classic game of interaction Review by Fong Chun

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Settlers of Catan was the first board game that I picked up outside of the mass-stream games (ie. Monopoly, Risk) and it started my love for boardgames!

Conceptually it is a simple game where you just need to build more roads and settlements/cities to expand your tribe. The greatest aspect in Settlers is the interaction through trading with other players. Trading is the most critical part of Settlers as players have to find ways to gather resources to expand their tribe. Certain resources each game tend to become rare and players holding these resources can create monopolies demanding high prices for them. While certain players can strategically place their settlements in ports which allow for them to trade with the bank for cheaper. Toss in a robber who can steal resources and this leads to a whole lot interesting interactions!

The simple learning curve and visual game board makes this game easy to pick up. The downfalls to this game are that with 6 players can take a very long time. I've had games where they've lasted like 3 hours. Also in pretty much all games where luck is involved, Settlers is no exception to this rule. Despite the dice always being physically consistent, each game seems to produce a few numbers that are consistently rolled which can lead to a lot of frustration when trying to collection resources. And the game itself can take awhile to setup and take down especially when you have 6 players and playing with the other expansions.

Overall, this is a fantastic game to play and own. A must-buy! (Posted on 12/16/10)

Completely Addictive, Worth Every Penny! Review by Nakia

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This is a game that takes only a few minutes to learn but brings you back time after time to play. Every time you start with a fresh game board that makes every experience different. It is easy enough for anyone to play but involves strategy that keeps you thinking. Definitely get this game for your whole family, or bring for a fun game night! (Posted on 7/13/10)

Excellent Game for Strategy Game Beginners Review by Rick

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The Settlers of Catan is an excellent game for those that are beginners to the strategy board game arena. It does not take long to learn the game and thus anyone can play it.

The mechanics are quite simple and there are just a few key rules that must be learnt. The dice provides exciting/nervous moments as the robber can wipe out half your resources or a 9 could give you the resources to complete your victory!

The game does not get old too quickly either because the board changes for every new game played. Along with the order of turns and changing boards, new strategies must be developed each game. Because of its replay value, this game is money well spent as it has become a staple for board game night. (Posted on 7/11/10)