The Event Cards replace the dice in Settlers of Catan. The deck consists of 36 dice cards to represent the 36 different combinations that can be rolled with 2 dice. This means that number "rolls" are evenly distributed according to its probability.

Now, to add an element of randomness to the dice deck, a New Year card is added on top of the bottom 5 cards. When this card is flipped, the deck is immediately shuffled again - meaning that 5 cards will not be used.

What I like most about the event cards is the special events. I particularly like that a few cards send the robber back to the dessert, which means that the chance of the robber severely handicapping a player is limited.

My only concern for the Event Cards is that I think it may turn out to be too predicable after repeated plays. In my first game, I already found myself "counting" the Event Cards. This influenced which resources I chose when freebies were given as a result of a special event and where I placed the robber. The predictability of the game, however, may not be a bad thing either since you'll be able to strategize and plan more effectively. Only time will tell!

For a more random effect, I may try a game where the New Year card is shuffled randomly into the deck rather than placed near the bottom.

I will dearly miss one aspect of a luck-based, dice game of Catan though. There will be no more lucky streaks or hot numbers! The exhiliration of collecting big off a hot 3/4/10/11 just won't happen anymore. Some of the most enjoyable and memorable games is when this occurs. And it's always a 3 am hoot when you start that next game and strategize based on last game's luck. (Oh, put the robber on the 4 resource, that was hot last game! And for some silly reason, that 4 will still come up more often than it should.)