Overview

The Fishies of Catan is a simple and cheap expansion to The Settlers of Catan. It was primarily a giveaway through a few venues, particularly in Games Quarterly magazine, Spring 2007, Issue 12. I was able to snag it at my local game shop alone for 3$.

The additional rules for the expansion are simple. Set up the fish tokens on top of sea hexes. Each one has a number, and it will produce fish for you when that number is rolled. When you produce fish, you randomly draw a tile that has either 1, 2, or 3 fish on it. During your turn, you can trade in fish to do the following:

2 fish: Move the robber back to the desert.
3 fish: Steal a random card from an opponent.
4 fish: Take any resource card from the bank.
5 fish: Place a free road.
7 fish: Draw a free development card.


# of Players: No impact on number of players or optimal number of players.
Play time: Doesn't make a noticeable difference in total play time. Your game length will probably remain what your group has been averaging.


Theme

Well, the theme is that the Catanian settlers along the coast are sick and tired of only having 2 resource hexes available to them so they have begun exploiting their oceanic environment. In some ways, the theme doesn't make total sense. For instance, you can trade 5 fish for a road. I'm not familiar with any streets that were successfully made out of seafood (although it does sound like cat heaven - where the streets are paved with fish). Overall, the fishies has little to no impact on the overall theme of Catan.

And, I'm sorry to say, if you're a big fishing fan and you're hoping this expansion will beautifully merge your fishing and board game hobbies, this probably isn't what you're looking for.

Components

Well, let's just say for 3$ you get your money's worth. It's nothing spectacular. The artwork isn't particularly notable. Everything is functional. On the positive side, it's a very small expansion and that you should have no trouble at all storing it in the same box as Settlers.

Game play and Mechanics

What fisheries adds to the game is another path to victory. If you're playing basic settlers, another path to victory is welcome. If you're playing Catan: Cities & Knights, an extra path to victory mixes well to the already plentiful options. In Settlers you have otherwise useless sea hexes. The fishies makes those hexes actually useful. Having a settlement on a fish hex is almost as good as having it on a resource producing hex. Having a city on fish (a city will give you 2 fish tiles every time its number is rolled) is as good or better than a resource hex. When you're city produces 2 fish tiles, chances are you'll be able to turn it in for any resource you want. This makes the sea hexes not suck. If you're stuck on the coast, you're not going to be at a disadvantage in resources. That is not to say that going for the coast will become a guaranteed victory, either. The fish are very well balanced. In and of themselves the fish are not necessary to win. Nor will they give you an unfair advantage if you have them.

The other nice thing about the fish is that it adds to the decisions you can make on your turn. Whatever you're aiming to build, the fish gives you more options to build it. You can also trade the fish to other players, as well. Being able to trade 4 fish for any card really opens up the options you can do with your hand. Thus, introducing more decisions, more strategy, and therefore (to me at least) more fun.

Another nice benefit of playing with fishies is that it eliminates some negative play experiences. For one, players stuck on the coast due to cruel blocking are not disadvantaged from winning the game. They now have a different option to choose. Having the sea hexes produce fish expands the number of competitive options on the table. It gives players more elbow room while at the same time keeping the same level of tension and conflict the same.

Another negative play experience that the fish help with is being able to send the robber back to the desert using 2 fish. 2 fish is an immediate, cheap, and reliable way to expel the robber as opposed to playing a soldier card or deactivating your knight (depending on your flavor of Catan). Doing this sends the robber only to the desert without stealing any cards and without blocking any production, thus less negative play experiences.

The fisheries also helps against the runaway leader syndrome (which I've found to not be too severe in Catan, although it can happen). One of the fish tiles is not a fish at all, but a boot. The player with the boot is required to have one more victory point in order to win. So the player with the boot will need 11 points to win vanilla Catan. The boot is also like the village bicycle - everyone will get a ride. On your turn you can give the boot to another player with the same or more victory points. So, it's easy to pass the boot along and get rid of it before you score your winning points, but, it will get stuck with someone who is a runaway leader.

Overall

The fundamental question is, is this expansion worth your hard earned money? Well, for 3$, heck yes! Most of my fellow settlers players I've introduced this to has enjoyed it. It doesn't radically change the game, it just adds a nice twist. It's worth getting and worth trying. Even if the fish doesn't necessarily do it for you, alternating the fish in your games occasionally will add some nice variety. At the same time, though, although the fish are nice, they are not necessary. You can go the rest of your Catan life without trying them and you're Catan experiences will be none the poorer.

How's that for a strong endorsement?


Rating: 7.5