Settlers of Catan 4th Edition

Customer Reviews

Awesome fun Review by Melinda

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This game has well made pieces and great diversity. No game is the same. Even with excellent strategy the roll of the die can win or loose the game. I myself like this. There is an expansion option which replaces the die and reduces this element. With so many expansion packs and variations on the base Catan is a great game to play as an adult. (I have no kids, I don't know how that goes) (Posted on 5/14/12)

A classic gateway game Review by KR

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Like many people, Settlers of Catan was my gateway game into better, more complex games. A friend of mine made me play it one evening and I was instantly hooked. After so many years I am still always up for playing Settlers of Catan if it's requested.

In the game you're goal is to accumulate 10 victory points. This is accomplished by building settlements (worth 1 point each), upgrading your settlements to cities (worth an additional 1 point each making them worth 2 points) or gaining victory points through bonuses such as having the largest army or the longest roads.

The way the game flows is that in the first round you take turns picking two spots on the board to have your first settlements. These spots will be surrounded by either two or three tiles. These tiles have different resources on them such as wood, brick, wheat, sheep and ore. These tiles also have a number from 2-12 placed on them. During your turn you role the two dice and if the number rolled matches the number on any of your adjacent tiles you get that resource. You are than able to use your resources to build more settlements, roads, upgrade to cities or buy development cards (this is how you get army cards and other bonuses). You also have the ability to trade resources with other players.

Settlers of Catan is a very fun game that is very easy to teach and quick to learn, and I highly recommend the game to anyone that's looking for a good gateway game. (Posted on 4/4/12)

The Gateway into the wonderful world of boardgaming Review by Newson

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I was never really into board gaming. I would play it occasionally with family or friends but it never got me super excited and made me wanted to pull it out all the time.

After being introduced to the Settlers of Catan about half a year ago, this hobby started to blossom. I was listening to gaming podcasts and watching gaming reviews all the time.

This game provides simple easy to learn mechanics but a forever changing playing environment that you can apply the rules. Even without the expansions, this game has great replayablility. But other than the variety that this game gives players, it also involves a lot of player interaction through trading and building.

This game has quickly became a staple at the games night my friends and I have regularly now. This game has paved way to better social interaction and gathering between me and my friends at a time when life is starting to get busy. It is great a simple box of cardboard hexes, wooden pieces and a couple deck of cards can foster and nourish bonding. I would recommend this game to anyone who turned away from board games or called it lame. This game shows gaming can be fun and an enjoyable social event that everyone loves. (Posted on 3/18/12)

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)