Review Details

Settlers of Catan 4th Edition

Product Rating:

Product Review (submitted on December 5, 2008):

The first time I was introduced to Settlers of Catan, I was in university. The Sci-Fi club I was in met once a week at a pub and Settlers was a popular game to pass the time. It did not take me long to get hooked on the game – 5 minutes in, about as long as it took to learn it.

Since then, I’ve spent a lot of time playing Settlers and its various expansions (the best being the Cities & Knights of Catan) including one memorable marathon from Christmas through New Years. Game after game, interposed with food and bad movies while discussing ancient history, politics, religion and why Nigel was a whore (One sheep? No, two sheep!).

A fun game that changes every time as the board changes, it requires just enough tactical consideration of where to go while not requiring deep, considering thought like chess. It is a game that can be played while listening to cheesy dialogue and taunting your friends with the wood that you will not trade. And as simple as it is, it requires little time to learn before a newbie can be thrown in.

Probably one of the best games around, the expansion packs just make it a game that you can keep hauling out. The only real complaint is that it is not a game that works well with two people – you really need a larger number to make things really interesting.

Settlers of Catan has been thoroughly analysed by players around the world. The following strategies are my personal favourites though. Concentrate on getting either wood or brick (my favourite is wood) in the initial placements if at all possible. If the tile or number placements are bad, then focus on getting the most of any one single resource. Resource hogging with the addition of a port or by trading with players or the bank will allow you to control the game quite often.

As there are only two dice rolled in Settlers of Catan, the numbers closer to 7 are always going to turn up more often. Probability tables indicate that 2’s and 12’s will turn up one in 36 throws which is rather horrible. So keep that in mind when you’re looking at the board – you don’t want to find yourself having to circle a 2 or 12 to just finish the game.

My personal focus has always been to build roads and settlements, but some players I’ve known love the cards. They certainly can be useful and it is a matter of play style I feel (and resources available obviously).

Lastly, don’t annoy your other players too much. After all, you’ll need to talk to them after the game too!