The Settlers of Catan | BoardGameGeek

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Re: Scenario maps handed out @ Origins 2009

hahnarama — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:20:41 +0000

sonicrogue wrote:
are you going to be at Gencon?

Yup. Checking in on Monday.

Heard rumors that they might have hand outs @ GC but that they will be different that the ones handed out @ Origins.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Re: Scenario maps handed out @ Origins 2009

sonicrogue — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:17:59 +0000

by sonicrogue

are you going to be at Gencon?

Thread: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Scenario maps handed out @ Origins 2009

hahnarama — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:28:38 +0000

by hahnarama

I was unable to make it this year and therefore missed out on the (2) scenario maps they were handing out for Catan. Does anyone have a spare set that they might be willing to part with?

Thanks in advance.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan - 5-6 Player Extension :: General:: Re: 4th edition frame extension: doesn't match w/ 4th edition base game? (no coast)

ViciousGame — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:19:19 +0000

by ViciousGame

I noticed this also after purchasing the 5-6 player extension. I emailed Mayfair about this and this was their reply:

"The pieces in the 5&6 player expansion were misprinted, all copies have two
frames without shore. We will be fixing this in future printings however at
this time there are no replacement frames for the extension available."

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: Catan for Nintendo DS

PrinceHamlet — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:05:32 +0000

by PrinceHamlet

The Nintendo DS (don't know about DSi) is region free, so it can play cartridges from anywhere in the world. I got the German version, as it was the only one I could find (my guess it is the only version made right now). The instructions and case are in German, but when I boot it up, it asks if I want to play in English or German. So it supports both. Same with Scotland Yard, which I bought as well.

Although, since there is no tutorial, you have to guess the controls (unless you can read the German booklet). Fortunately, it is almost all stylus driven with only the D-pad used for Zoom and the Start for the Options menu. (That's another issue I have -- there's almost no keypad shortcuts. For $35, it's surprising it doesn't have any for even basic yes/no commands.)

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: Catan for Nintendo DS

ScottE — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:17:50 +0000

by ScottE

Thanks for the info John. Sounds unlikely it will see a US release though an English version must of been made since my friend got the ROM files in English. Did you version support English or only German?

Sad more boardgame conversions don't appear in the US. I see that Blood Bowl is coming to DS though not sure if that will get released in the US or not. But I'd rather play that on the PC anyway. But always nice for travel. I mainly buy DS games for when I'm travelling and normally game on PC when I'm home.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: Catan for Nintendo DS

PrinceHamlet — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:09:44 +0000

by PrinceHamlet

ScottE wrote:
Cool, thanks Tom. At least I wasn't imagining it! Hopefully will get a US release. Though hope it supports muliple players without multiple copies like some of the games do.

I bought a copy from Amazon Germany (even Amazon UK didn't have it) and just received it today. It's not as nice as the Xbox version, but it'll do. Sadly, it needs a second full version of the game to play local wirelessly. Although, the plus side is that you can add AI and humans in any combination when playing wireless.

It has some annoying quirks to it, such as the lack of a tutorial. It actually tells you to read the manual to learn the game! No kidding. It has animated dice that should move faster -- you can tap them to dismiss them quickly. Also, it goes for colorful blurry graphics rather than an option for crisp iconic graphics or a map made for those that are colorblind (such as the Xbox keenly allows). So, it's a little hard on the eyes. The screenshots above are exactly what it looks like (with an option to zoom).

Still, not bad for a DS game. Although I liked Scotland Yard better as a DS port. And I'll keep playing a homebrew of Puerto Rico DS until an official version is released. Although if you're waiting for a USA release of Catan DS, I should mention that Scotland Yard has been out for a year and still isn't in the USA.

FYI -- Interestingly, they also have Keltis coming for the DS (coming in July, I believe). Amazon Deutschland sent an email to me about that.

New Image for Catan: Cities & Knights

jsper — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:42:18 +0000

by jsper

French edition, villes et chevaliers

]]>

New Image for The Settlers of Catan

AngstAK — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:41:39 +0000

by AngstAK

Gearing up to play a little Settlers in the middle of the Alaskan "nig...

]]>

File: Die Gilden von Ankh-Morpork:: Colons de Catane - Les guildes d'Ankh Morpork - French translation - v2

arthemix — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:15:55 +0000

by arthemix

Colons de Catane - Les guildes d'Ankh Morpork - French translation - v2 for Board Game: Die Gilden von Ankh-Morpork ]]>

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Rules:: Re: Setting up the initial settlements and cities. Do the number be revealed or can the be hidden?

ackmondual — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 04:03:38 +0000

by ackmondual

Agree here as well with Zimeon. I prefer to have the chits face up when doing the initial settlement placement. Now instead, people are gonna screwed b/c their first placement was on a 3, 3, and 2.

I feel things balance out overall. First player takes the best spot, there's typically 2 or 3 more, and then back around again, the ones closest towards player #1 (going in counter-clockwise order) get slimmer and slimmer pickings. The last player doesn't get the best spots, but does have the advantage of 2, turn-after-turn placements to link up missing spread of numbers, missing resource types, or to take advantage of ports.

What I end up doing when setting chits face up is to never just go "hog wild random". I follow what's suggested in the rulebook. Start from the outside, place the chits in alphabetical order, and if any 2 chits of 5 pips are next to each other, skip over one tile so they aren't. Ditto with the 1 pip chits and the desert. Ensure the 3 aren't next to each other.

Many people aren't hard core enough to deal with a single spot with three 5-pipped spots taken by someone else. The game has enough frustrations and joys without adding wider extremes when doing the inital sett placement.

Arex wrote:
Hello to all,

When starting the game, and after everything is setup, can you flip the numbers up until after all players have placed their initial settlement and city? We played this way and we have found it very good variant. It makes players think on their initial settlements based on the resources they may get and not influenced by th numbers. This way players would not where which numbers they might get, and will reduce the "because I'm the first player to set, I'm screwed at the turn around when I get to place my city cause all the good numbers have been taken" complain. ;). Has anyone played this way? Does anyone knows if this is an official rule variant?

Thanks in advance

Arex

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Rules:: Re: Setting up the initial settlements and cities. Do the number be revealed or can the be hidden?

Zimeon — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:01:53 +0000

by Zimeon

Never heard of it as an official rule. Personally, I think it is bad. Choosing between numbers and resources is what you do at the start, and by this, you're taking away one of the two things. Also, if you haven't turned up the numbers, it means you don't know how they're distributed. A totally random distribution of numbers can be pretty game-breaking, if one ends up with 8, 8, and 6 or 12, 2 and 11.

If you fix the random distribution, switch a couple of numbers so that you don't have those "amazingly sweet spots", you won't get the problem of the first player being screwed, as there will be more good places to choose from then.

Thread: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Rules:: Setting up the initial settlements and cities. Do the number be revealed or can the be hidden?

Arex — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:54:16 +0000

by Arex

Hello to all,

When starting the game, and after everything is setup, can you flip the numbers up until after all players have placed their initial settlement and city? We played this way and we have found it very good variant. It makes players think on their initial settlements based on the resources they may get and not influenced by th numbers. This way players would not where which numbers they might get, and will reduce the "because I'm the first player to set, I'm screwed at the turn around when I get to place my city cause all the good numbers have been taken" complain. . Has anyone played this way? Does anyone knows if this is an official rule variant?

Thanks in advance

Arex

New Image for The Settlers of Catan

Lil Red Head — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:54:56 +0000

by Lil Red Head

Settlers done in Hershey's Kisses

]]>

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Re: Catan on Nintendo DS

byronczimmer — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:57:01 +0000

by byronczimmer

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/420608

It even has the same title.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Re: Catan on Nintendo DS

Sidewynnder — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:53:21 +0000

by Sidewynnder

It was being ported by a video game company for the DS but the last news I heard of this was in Oct. of last year. I wouldn't hold your breath... It seems like much too long for a simple mobile phone port with a few upgraded features.

Thread: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Catan on Nintendo DS

Mofman — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:41:01 +0000

by Mofman

I've heard there is a great version of Catan for the Mobile phone, which has been to be converted to DS, does any one know if this is true?

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: Catan for Nintendo DS

ScottE — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:07:40 +0000

by ScottE

Cool, thanks Tom. At least I wasn't imagining it! Hopefully will get a US release. Though hope it supports muliple players without multiple copies like some of the games do.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: Catan for Nintendo DS

LordT — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:03:45 +0000

by LordT

I did some research and found following :

Wikipedia mentions following :
An official version of Catan has been released for the Nintendo DS, and was developed in collaboration with Klaus Teuber. The game can be played against computer opponents, and includes Nintendo WiFi online play.
Link : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Settlers_of_Catan

ROM :
I found and downloaded the ROM, but didn't have time to check it out yet. Will do so later today or tomorrow.
Don't feel like sharing the link for this, if you are interested in the link or the actual ROM, feel free to PM me.

Some screenshots :
]]>
]]>

Reply: Catan: Traders & Barbarians:: Variants:: Re: How do you play the Great River + Fishermen's combination?

trippinbill34 — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:36:13 +0000

by trippinbill34

We love the Great River the way it is... It forces you not to ignore the new rules...

I won Super Catan one time WITH the Poorest Settler AND the boot!

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: Catan for Nintendo DS

ilta — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:39:38 +0000

by ilta

There was news about this back in October, with an extreme shakycam version posted on youtube in Feb. Haven't been able to find anything since then though. Maybe it was released only in Germany? Seems unlikely.

I eagerly await news...

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: Catan for Nintendo DS

Blacktales — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:35:29 +0000

by Blacktales

Actually the Catan DS game will be released in Europe tomorrow (at least in Germany if amazon.de can be trusted). I could not find any date for North America unfortunately but it has been announced for a long time now from what a quick google search turned up and i guess we won't have to wait much longer.
So i guess your friend indeed downloaded the game rom from the net.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: Catan for Nintendo DS

ScottE — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:05:14 +0000

by ScottE

Hmm, he could of been mistaken. That game certainly has nothing to do with Catan. But there is an obscure reference to it on the Catan wiki page.

I suppose it could of been a cancelled game that got leaked.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: Catan for Nintendo DS

MrSkeletor — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:00:13 +0000

by MrSkeletor

You sure he didn't mean Settlers?

Thread: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Catan for Nintendo DS

ScottE — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:52:53 +0000

by ScottE

I met an old friend today that told me he got Catan for the DS. So I zoomed over to Gamestop to pick up a copy and they didn't have it or know anything about it. Then did some searching around and can't seem to find anyone that has it. Not even any searches on eBay show it available. Did this get released? Not sure where he got it, possible it was a pirate copy.

Reply: Catan: Traders & Barbarians:: Variants:: Re: How do you play the Great River + Fishermen's combination?

Ponton — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:48:10 +0000

by Ponton

On catan.com you can find my XXL variant combining scenarios/variants "Harbormaster", "Fishermen", "Great Rivers" and "Traders & Barbarians".

Reply: Catan: Traders & Barbarians:: Variants:: Re: How do you play the Great River + Fishermen's combination?

monteslu — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:33:08 +0000

by monteslu

trippinbill34 wrote:
In our Catan circle, we usually play what we like to call, "Super Catan" which is the Fisherman of Catan, The Volcano, The Jungle, The Great River, and the Harbormaster. Here's some twitpic links to see how we set it up...

http://twitpic.com/86alj
http://twitpic.com/836lf

The Great River introduces TWO deltas that don't produce anything. We see this as an opportunity to add the lake AND the Volcano. For the purposes of the Great River, we also count those two hexes as "River Hexes". We also honor the bridge placement areas from the original Great River. The Jungle (according to the Atlantis set) replaces the highest numbered Livestock hex that is not an 8 or a 6. So we build up the game normally and when we see which appropriate livestock hex to take out, we replace it with the Jungle.

This "Super Catan" is ridiculously fun because there's so much going on and it allows all players to have unlimited possibilities to win. For four players we play Super Catan to 12 VPs and for three players we play to 13. The Harbor Master adds 2, The Jungle makes it MUCH easier to get Development Cards (so we usually count that 3 or 4 Development VPs will be in play), plus the Great River has the potential to add another plus one.

When playing with three players and playing to 12, the game moved ridiculously fast and we felt that adding one more VP requirement made the game last a little bit longer and made the whole thing more enjoyable. We have had several winners of "Super Catan" who have also been hindered with the Poorest Settler -2 VP card (which means they had to come up with 14 or 13 to win)...

This version is a ton of fun and is totally doable WITH the lake.

Now if you don't have Das Buch (I recommend getting it) or Atlantis (don't bother) you could still play a pretty nifty game with The Great River, The Harbormaster, and the Fisherman...

I bought Atlantis first (not knowing that everything that's included is also included in Das Buch). That being said - the exact Jungle mechanics that I've been accustomed to playing in Sea3d is only reflected in the Atlantis rules. Das Buch only uses the Jungles in the Colonies scenario...

Anyway... Super Catan is awesome and we love to play it.

Very cool. We like the fihsermen, but found that the rivers didn't add much. I think I'd like to use the rivers and bridges without the coins & rich & poor cards. Would make our already huge 5&6 + seafarers maps even bigger :)

3 day weekend, hoping to get a massive game in and actually try the Traders & Barbarians scenario.

Reply: Catan: Traders & Barbarians:: Variants:: Re: How do you play the Great River + Fishermen's combination?

trippinbill34 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:40:52 +0000

by trippinbill34

In our Catan circle, we usually play what we like to call, "Super Catan" which is the Fisherman of Catan, The Volcano, The Jungle, The Great River, and the Harbormaster. Here's some twitpic links to see how we set it up...

http://twitpic.com/86alj
http://twitpic.com/836lf

The Great River introduces TWO deltas that don't produce anything. We see this as an opportunity to add the lake AND the Volcano. For the purposes of the Great River, we also count those two hexes as "River Hexes". We also honor the bridge placement areas from the original Great River. The Jungle (according to the Atlantis set) replaces the highest numbered Livestock hex that is not an 8 or a 6. So we build up the game normally and when we see which appropriate livestock hex to take out, we replace it with the Jungle.

This "Super Catan" is ridiculously fun because there's so much going on and it allows all players to have unlimited possibilities to win. For four players we play Super Catan to 12 VPs and for three players we play to 13. The Harbor Master adds 2, The Jungle makes it MUCH easier to get Development Cards (so we usually count that 3 or 4 Development VPs will be in play), plus the Great River has the potential to add another plus one.

When playing with three players and playing to 12, the game moved ridiculously fast and we felt that adding one more VP requirement made the game last a little bit longer and made the whole thing more enjoyable. We have had several winners of "Super Catan" who have also been hindered with the Poorest Settler -2 VP card (which means they had to come up with 14 or 13 to win)...

This version is a ton of fun and is totally doable WITH the lake.

Now if you don't have Das Buch (I recommend getting it) or Atlantis (don't bother) you could still play a pretty nifty game with The Great River, The Harbormaster, and the Fisherman...

I bought Atlantis first (not knowing that everything that's included is also included in Das Buch). That being said - the exact Jungle mechanics that I've been accustomed to playing in Sea3d is only reflected in the Atlantis rules. Das Buch only uses the Jungles in the Colonies scenario...

Anyway... Super Catan is awesome and we love to play it.

Thread: Die Siedler von Catan - Nordrhein-Westfalen edition:: News:: Mayfair releases an English version at Origins

The Iron Meeple — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:18:46 +0000

by The Iron Meeple

Mayfair released Catan North Rhine-Westphalia at Origins as a second level prize in the expanded Mayfair Ribbon Quest. As in past years, you could play five Mayfair games to collect the five Catan Resource ribbons to earn your "Knight of Catan" ribbon and get a Catan related prize. This year the new "Convention-only" reward was a "Settlers of Hesse" Catan scenario. The Ribbon Quest was expanded to a second level of rewards by allowing those who had become "Knights of Catan" to play three more games to earn second level commodities from Cities and Knights [paper, coins and cloth] and earn a "Defender of Catan" ribbon where the "Convention-only" reward was the "Catan North Rhine-Westphalia" scenario. Pic uploaded.

New Image for Die Siedler von Catan - Nordrhein-Westfalen edition

The Iron Meeple — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:26:36 +0000

by The Iron Meeple

Mayfair's English version: Catan North Rhine-Westphalia

]]>

Reply: Die Siedler von Hessen:: News:: Re: Mayfair releases an English version @Origins

Great Dane — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:18:31 +0000

by Great Dane

Tim Synge wrote:
I never thought when I discovered Eurogames that games like Traders of Genoa, Princes of Florence or Ave Caesar would ever be reissued/reprinted.

When exactly did you discover Eurogames?
Ave Caesar was reissued as Ausgebremst in 1993.

Reply: Die Siedler von Hessen:: News:: Re: Mayfair releases an English version @Origins

The Iron Meeple — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:07:32 +0000

by The Iron Meeple

It was a "Convention-only" prize you had to earn by collecting all of the Catan ribbons [which you got by playing Mayfair games].

It will be available at GenCon via the same method. If past History holds true, it should be available via retail a little bit after GenCon.

Note: Mayfair also released a second English translation scenario @Origins: Catan North Rhine-Westphalia aka Die Siedler von Catan - Nordrhein-Westfalen edition. http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/39093

New Image for Catan: Cities & Knights

fangorrn — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:37:37 +0000

by fangorrn

German 1st ed. closeup

]]>

New Image for Catan: Cities & Knights

fangorrn — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:36:03 +0000

by fangorrn

"Oh noes!" The ship is near. (German 1st ed.)

]]>

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Victory Point cards

Daniel Wilson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:07:36 +0000

by Daniel Wilson

Scherzo wrote:
Hi, the "1 PV" cards scores for all the other players or only for the one that wins the game?

For example (3 players):

* Player A: 2 PV cards hidden
* Player B: 1 PV card hidden
* Player C: no cards

Player B builds a city and scores a point to reach 9 PV, and with the 1 PV card, he wins the game.
Player A have 4 points.
Player C have 5 points.

Player A can score his 2 PV cards to let him to get 6 points and therefore be in second place?, or only Player B (the winner) can score the PV cards and Player A finishes in third place?

Thanks!

PD: excuse my english.

I've played in the Mayfair Settlers of Catan World/North American Championship Qualifiers the last few years running at Origins, and this situation has occurred multiple times in the games I've been in.

The way this situation was officially scored is exactly the way you described. The points are there and still count, whether revealed or not.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Victory Point cards

Scherzo — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:02:31 +0000

by Scherzo

Hi, thanks for the replies. In my last game we played in the way that only the winner can use the "1 PV" cards, and only in the turn he can win the game with these cards, all other players don't and lost them.

In next games maybe we will agree before start the way that these cards should be used.

Saludos

Reply: Die Siedler von Hessen:: News:: Re: Mayfair releases an English version @Origins

gheintze — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:51:32 +0000

by gheintze

Are they going to be selling it or is it a convention giveaway?

Geoff

Reply: Die Siedler von Hessen:: News:: Re: Mayfair releases an English version @Origins

mill1 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:46:24 +0000

by mill1

The Iron Meeple wrote:
Mayfair released an English version @Origins. I'll upload a pic.

Is it this one?

New Image for The Settlers of Catan

padlocksj — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:31:44 +0000

by padlocksj

a Settlers crocheted blanket.

]]>

Reply: Die Siedler von Hessen:: News:: Re: Mayfair releases an English version @Origins

Tim Synge — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:43:37 +0000

by Tim Synge

Oh! I picked up a copy of this at Spiel 2007. It was one of those little "extras" that I assumed would *never* be released in an English version. It really didn't even cross my mind that Mayfair might publish it.

The game publishing scene has really changed, though, and I guess that production costs must have fallen over the years. I never thought when I discovered Eurogames that games like Traders of Genoa, Princes of Florence or Ave Caesar would ever be reissued/reprinted.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Re: Reroll 7s for the first three turns: how common is this variant?

fluffyevil — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:54:46 +0000

by fluffyevil

Take one card of each resource, shuffle them and put them face down in a pile. The first time a '7' is rolled, the roller takes a card from this deck instead of another player. When the last card is taken operate the thief as normal. Players still lose half their cards (rounded down) if they have 8 or more in their hand.

New Image for Catan: Cities & Knights

mill1 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:14:45 +0000

by mill1

Pink Shirt assorted to the knights :-)

]]>

New Image for Die Siedler von Hessen

The Iron Meeple — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:00:52 +0000

by The Iron Meeple

Mayfair's English edition

]]>

Thread: Die Siedler von Hessen:: News:: Mayfair releases an English version @Origins

The Iron Meeple — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:41:04 +0000

by The Iron Meeple

Mayfair released an English version @Origins. I'll upload a pic.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Re: My 2 player variant has been updated

Paul65 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:31:22 +0000

by Paul65

OK - thanks Nick.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Re: My 2 player variant has been updated

NickB — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:24:01 +0000

by NickB

Paul65 wrote:
On the final suggestion of limiting how long the robber can stay on any given hex, what are your thoughts on that?
With only 2 players, does leaving the robber in place have the capacity to unbalance a player who's having an unlucky game?

I've never noticed this to be a problem. In fact, quite the opposite, as 7 is the highest probability roll. The no-double-robber rule should take care of any unfair robber application I think.

When it comes down to it, there are a lot of ways you can end up on an "unlucky" streak, no matter what you do. If you need to water down the game enough that nobody ever suffers from bad luck, then I suggest you do what has been suggested in this forum before (with full tongue in cheek): just declare the outcome of the roll before your turn and throw away the dice altogether.

Nick

New Image for Catan: Cities & Knights

Imploded — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:31:42 +0000

by Imploded

Grandma tries to make use of development cards

]]>

Paul65 — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:03:34 +0000

by Paul65

Thanks for that Nick.

On the final suggestion of limiting how long the robber can stay on any given hex, what are your thoughts on that?
With only 2 players, does leaving the robber in place have the capacity to unbalance a player who's having an unlucky game?

When I read the suggestion of limiting the time a robber could stay on a hex to 5-6 rounds, I immediately thought of replacing the robber token with a 6 sided dice (black would be nice), with the 5-6 side up. Each round, the number is changed down & then the dice is removed from the board when the countdown is done.

Anyway, I'd be interested in your thoughts.

Thanks,

Paul

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Victory Points

manchuwok — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:15:26 +0000

by manchuwok

Voxen wrote:
Settlers' limited VPs generate excitement so well I find it surprising that more games don't copy that aspect.

I have always found this surprising as well. This is exactly the reason that I find Settlers so enjoyable and is probably one of the main reasons it is so popular.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Re: My 2 player variant has been updated

NickB — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:29:42 +0000

by NickB

Yep, there have been a lot of suggestions here, and I personally go with my suggestions I noted here:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/808934#808934

which I believe amounts to points 2, 4 and 5 in the first section of your list above. I believe they are the minimal set of changes required to balance the game more for 2 players while still retaining the core Catan play.

Number 5 is especially important, since many people noted and have suggested various ways of eliminating the problem of the "unfair placement advantage" or the "runaway leader." That's what the latter 2 sections of rules alterations all seem to be addressing; however, I don't think any of them are necessary of you just observe the rule where a harbor doesn't touch a production hex of the same type.

In my opinion changing the resource hex distribution, adding harbors, or changing the production numbers alters the original math of the game, making it less strategic and more helter skelter. It might make some difficult board layouts "easier" to play, but you actually end up with more board combinations that are unbalanced. Since you alternate settlement placement, I'm not sure how one player can take all of the best spots on the board, all things being equal. There might be 3 good spots and one player is going to get 2 of them, but the first placement has choice of the "best" spot. A poor choice of starting settlements can lose you the game just as assuredly in a 3-4 player game as a 2 player one. And all can be lost by poor dice rolling.

There has been the suggestion to start with more resource cards, but starting with the hand limit doesn't seem like a good idea. If the game isn't moving fast enough for you, then shut up, roll the dice, take your cards, and pass to the next player :) I promise you, it only takes 2-3 rounds of rolling dice to get over the hand limit in this version. In a 3-4 player game some unlucky player inevitably ends up doing this at some point in the game.

And, while it's possible to simulate the trading mechanic (as in the "official" 2 player variant from Klaus), I don't think you could ever truly recreate the wheel and deal aspect of the original game with 2 players. However, feel free to try to recapture that in way you feel is fun. I just prefer to throw it out.

Hope that helps. Call me a purist, but my goal was to create a playable 2 player experience that is as close as possible to the original game (less the trading, obviously). But the game is yours to have fun with, so if you have fun making it easier to get resources, getting 2:1 trades, etc. then by all means do whatever makes it fun for you.

Nick

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Coastal Settlements Question

fitzyfitz — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:50:22 +0000

by fitzyfitz

6) It's the only place you're allowed to build due to the proximity rule

7) to prevent someone else from building on an adjacent spot (if you can't build the extra road to steal that spot yourself)

8) you have too many resource cards - hold onto them and lose some to the robber, or use them for another VP and resources

9) it's a good number or scarce resource

So lots of reasons.

Anyone else? :p

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Re: Catan for 2 or even 1??

bombcar — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:55:24 +0000

by bombcar

meepleeater wrote:
I often have trouble finding more than 1 opponant, and have found that catan works pretty well for 2 without any rule changes, but I'm sure that others would disagree...

We've found that by giving both players an extra settlement and an extra road, you get a moderately quick game that's quite playable.

New Image for The Settlers of Catan

Toynan — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:36:42 +0000

by Toynan

German promo card

]]>

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Coastal Settlements Question

Gruumsh — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:12:49 +0000

by Gruumsh

Yes, you can build a settlement on ANY coastal hex, even if you're on only ONE land hex.

The question is, why would you want to? Unless of course...

1) There is a nice harbor attached, especially if it's a 2:1 for a resource that you're getting in abundance.

2) It's the last victory point you need to win the game.

3) You're using it to break up somebody else's longest road.

4) You're playing with Catan: Seafarers and will use the settlement to start a shipping lane to another more lucrative island nearby.

5) You're playing with the Harbormaster card and/or Fishermen from Catan: Traders & Barbarians

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Re: My 2 player variant has been updated

Paul65 — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:23:08 +0000

by Paul65

Nick,

I've looked though this post & here are the proposed alterations I can see.

Alterations
1. Allow trading between players.
2. Players have a hand limit of 6.
3. The roober is not used until both players have 3 VP's.
4. If a player, in two sequential turns, roll 7s, the robber is removed from the board on the second 7.
5. 2:1 harbours are not placed next to hexes of the same type.

Additional Alterations
1. Players start with 6 resource cards. Using both starter towns to determine the resources.
2. Play with 3 Forest, 3 Brick, 3 Wheat, 3 Ore and 2 Sheep hexes. Also play with 7 ports, 3 - 3:1 ports, and 4 of the other ports leaving out the Sheep port.
3. v/s 1 of each port type is used.

Additional, Additional Alterations
1. Shift the ports by one spot in order to keep them off the 6 and the 8 hexes.
2. Make the following substitution with the numbers: Remove "K=8" and replace with "Q=3".
During set-up, instead of: C,M,O,I,B/H,L,J,D,N,G,A,K,E,F.
This now becomes: A,M,O,I,B/H,L,J,D,N,G,Q,C,E,F.
3. The robber only stays on any hex for a max of 5-6 turns.

I haven't tried this yet, so my question is, which of these alteration to your 2 player rules, would you personally take on?

New Image for Catan: Cities & Knights

ludopoly — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:17:04 +0000

by ludopoly

Catan with Cities & Knights and Seafarers expansions.

]]>

New Image for The Settlers of Catan

oklahomageek — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:14:28 +0000

by oklahomageek

Wood for my sheep...I don't get it.

]]>

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: News:: Re: Viking themed wooden bits

mill1 — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 07:56:15 +0000

by mill1

I have put some pictures of the new wooden pieces on my HP

http://catan.firwaat.net/site/index.php?option=com_content&t...

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Coastal Settlements Question

mill1 — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 07:50:22 +0000

by mill1

the important are the harbours, not the land-hexes

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Coastal Settlements Question

jefftang — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:21:08 +0000

by jefftang

Yes you can.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Coastal Settlements Question

Harrelson — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:20:37 +0000

by Harrelson

Yes, you may build a settlement on the corner of a land hex - a corner that borders only ocean.

Thread: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Coastal Settlements Question

Fading Captain — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:08:36 +0000

by Fading Captain

In terms of coastal settlements, can you only build them where two land hexes intersect or can you build them on the corner of a land hex that touches no other land hex--only ocean. Cannot find clarification in the rule book on this one.

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Rules:: Re: Does AQUEDUCT Special Ability Supersede the Robber?

peapicker — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:41:13 +0000

by peapicker

Yes. Whenever a roll that is not a seven occurs, and you get no resources, even if that is because the robber steals them, then you get a free resource from the Aqueduct.

See also:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/360587

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/90063

To sum up, and quote an earlier reply of my own:

In case you are wondering on the authority of the answer, it is the official answer from the faq at siedeln.de (although that is in german):

http://www.siedeln.de/faq/254_325_de.html

loosely translated with help from Google Translate:

If I have the aqueduct and then my resource number comes up, if I am blockaded by the robber then do I receive a resource from the aqueduct?

I have, for example, a settlement on Wool with a 4 and this field is blocked by the robber. I've already reached the aqueduct. The 4 is rolled. In this case, will I get any commodity of my choice?"

Short answer for pragmatists:
Yes.

Long answer for adepts:
Only when the "7" is rolled, do nothing. If you are blocked by a robber and receive no resources, you may take an aqueduct produced commodity.

Thread: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Rules:: Does AQUEDUCT Special Ability Supersede the Robber?

liquorbox — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:06:24 +0000

by liquorbox

The Aqueduct gives owner ability to take 1 resource of their choice from bank whenever a number other than the 7 is rolled that does not produce resources for them.

If I have the aqueduct special ability and have a settlement on the 12 hex which also has the robber on it when the 12 is rolled, do I get to take a resource of my choice from the bank?

Thanks
steve

Reply: The Settlers of Catan - 5-6 Player Extension :: Variants:: Re: Alternative to extra building phase rule in 5,6 player game.

bombcar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:51:13 +0000

by bombcar

I like increasing the hand size to 8 for 5 players and 9 for six, and then having no additional building.

With additional building, the robber becomes useful only for stealing cards.

New Image for The Settlers of Catan

uhhsam — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:03:34 +0000

by uhhsam

My Ceramicatan Board

]]>

New Image for The Settlers of Catan

otakugirly — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:20:06 +0000

by otakugirly

In place of a birthday cake this year, a Settlers board made out of bi...

]]>

Session: The Settlers of Catan - 5-6 Player Extension :: 19 & 1 game night - 5 player Settlers of Catan

scottmc94 — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:08:44 +0000

by scottmc94

Attendance: Chuck, Dan, Greg, Mark, Scott Mc

The first game of the night was Settlers of Catan. Since we had 5 people Chuck pulled out the 5-6 Player Extension for Settlers of Catan. The board felt unusually tight even though we have played 5-6 player Catan games before. I guess we just had some goofy tile placements that made different sections of the board less attractive than normal.

The first part of the game was Greg and Dan charging ahead. Greg and Dan had a nice spread of resources and were able to continually build or provide needed resources to other players to move forward. Everyone else was dependent upon trades to succeed.

At the mid game Greg became the sheep master and started pulling ahead of Dan. Greg was able to build a settlement on a 2:1 sheep port and continually trade sheep to get the Longest Road. Dan was able to keep close to him, but everyone else was still trailing behind by at least few points.

At the end of the game Greg was able to get the Largest Army which put him at 9 points. It was going to be up to Dan to find a way to beat Greg on his last move, but alas Greg was able to get his final settlement build and win the game. Scott was able to pull into second place by having 2 Victory point development cards.

Final Scores:

10 - Greg
9 - Scott
8 - Dan
6 - Chuck
6 - Mark

19 & 1
Village Commons Suites
2070 E 54th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46220

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Reviews:: Re: Seriously? We need another Settlers review?

jedimusic — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:22:44 +0000

by jedimusic

Heck, you could probably even argue that Settlers was one of those games that gave the entire board gaming sub-hobby the kick in the ass it needed to really get cranked up.

I am not familiar with this "Settlers" game of which you speak. Tell me - is it anything like Monopoly or Risk?

jk-nice review

Reply: Catan: Seafarers:: Rules:: Re: Closed Shipping Lane Question

galvatorix — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:10:24 +0000

by galvatorix

This is the response I received after e-mailing the rules guru at catan.com

The question has been already solved in the German FAQ. It states that a shipping lane is closed forever. It cannot be broken under any circumstances. It stays closed even if an opponent builds a settlement in between this closed lane. The lane is considered broken for "Longest Road" only, but it remains a closed lane, so a ship cannot be removed from either side of an opponent's settlement. (This is true for settlements as well, if playing with Cities & Knights, where roads can be removed.)

You may claim that this is not purely logical. But the shipping lanes represent established trade routes between settlements. So, which intention should sailor A (the one that established the first trade route) have, to abandon his known ways, just because sailor B has established another route between the same settlements? The same logic is true for broken shipping lanes / streets. Just because somebody built a settlement in the middle of your road, this doesn't mean, the road can no longer be used - it is just no longer counted for "Longest Road".

This has been ruled in this way to keep the rules as easy and without special rulings for different cases as possible. (In fact, the real problems can arise with the combination of Seafarers and Cities & Cities & Knights, where questions about open roads/ships are asked frequently.)

Reply: De Kolonisten van Catan: De Diamanten:: Rules:: Re: Please, rules in english?

alang — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:09:10 +0000

by alang

The rules are the same as Cloths For Catan from the 4th edition Seafarers

Reply: Catan: Traders & Barbarians:: Variants:: Re: How do you play the Great River + Fishermen's combination?

MasterDinadan — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:46:53 +0000

by MasterDinadan

catan.com has some ideas for combining different scenarios. For Fishermen + River, it does indeed recommend simply removing the lake tile.

Fishermen + Rivers + C&K should work. It isn't listed on the site, but if you combine the rules from all 3 (Fish+CK, Fish+River, River+CK) you should be alright. None of them contradict each other.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Reviews:: Re: Seriously? We need another Settlers review?

MisterG — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:55:07 +0000

by MisterG

For me and my crew, Catan and its various mutant offspring were a fine introduction back into the world of boardgaming, but now that we've moved on to more challenging games, I doubt we'll ever go back. There's simply far too much luck involved.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Reviews:: Re: Seriously? We need another Settlers review?

unixrevolution — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:30:07 +0000

by unixrevolution

VixenTorGames wrote:
I'll take the low-hanging fruit every time.

Please allow me to take this out of context. Thank you.

Very interesting review. I agree with others; it's very interacty for a euro. It's just not the shoot-stuff interaction I guess you're more accustomed to :)

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: 3rd Edition Adapter Compatible with 4th Expansions?

MoreGrease — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:30:17 +0000

by MoreGrease

Ah! No I hadn't, thanks a lot.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Reviews:: Re: Seriously? We need another Settlers review?

VixenTorGames — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:48:11 +0000

by VixenTorGames

That's totally fair. I like games where people die, so the interaction in Catan is a little weak compared to something like Age of Conan or Risk 2210. But the trading in Settlers, plus the robber and the road contests, does tend to be more interactive than many Euro games.

And like I said, I haven't played a bazillilon times. I concede that we may have seen less of the runaway leader than we would if we played the crap out of Settlers. Some of that is probably skill level, and some is just us getting lucky.

And maybe getting lucky is why I don't play as many games of Settlers of Catan.

(I'm not suggesting I have more sex than your average gamer. It was right there, so I ran with it. I'm lazy - I'll take the low-hanging fruit every time.)

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Can this settlement be built?

ackmondual — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:34:29 +0000

by ackmondual

DKahnt wrote:
trippercook wrote:
I didn't mean for AB&C to be settlements they were just there so I could explain which roads I was talking about.

Then yes, you may certainly build at ?

-DK

Agreed then.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Reviews:: Re: Seriously? We need another Settlers review?

Zimeon — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:32:51 +0000

by Zimeon

I've played innumerable amounts of Catan. I wouldn't say it's horrible with the runaway leader, but it happens, and it is a constant threat: It's an accelerating scale: The more you build, the more resources you get so you can build more, and the more you build… etcetera.

The robber is very necessary to level this out, but sometimes those 7s just don't come up… and the other players can't afford to buy development cards just for the case of getting the robber on the leaders' hex… not when a simple roll of 7 will move it again.

So runaway leader is what I see as one of the weakest spots with Catan, a constant threat that needs to be taken care of.

And yes, I was a bit surprised that trading wasn't mentioned when you wrote about interaction. Building roads to block or using the robber is much less part of the interaction than the constant trading and bantering, which I see as the most essential part of Catan.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Can this settlement be built?

DKahnt — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:25:19 +0000

by DKahnt

trippercook wrote:
I didn't mean for AB&C to be settlements they were just there so I could explain which roads I was talking about.

Then yes, you may certainly build at ?

-DK

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Reviews:: Re: Seriously? We need another Settlers review?

trippercook — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:20:56 +0000

by trippercook

I didn't mean to be rude. It was a legitimate question since you didn't mention it when talking about player interaction.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Reviews:: Re: Seriously? We need another Settlers review?

VixenTorGames — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:16:06 +0000

by VixenTorGames

trippercook wrote:
VixenTorGames wrote:
Player interaction is not really all that high in Settlers...

Are you skipping the trade phase?

No. Are you skipping the rest of the paragraph?

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Reviews:: Re: Seriously? We need another Settlers review?

VixenTorGames — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:13:58 +0000

by VixenTorGames

Every time I've played, when one player started edging out, he wound up with the robber every time it happened. It's not a huge nut-kick, but it holds you back when other players keep stealing your stuff, and you can't get resources.

But then, I've played it maybe six or seven times. Maybe if I played it a lot more, I would see it different.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Can this settlement be built?

trippercook — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:09:44 +0000

by trippercook

I didn't mean for AB&C to be settlements they were just there so I could explain which roads I was talking about.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Can this settlement be built?

ackmondual — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:07:07 +0000

by ackmondual

trippercook wrote:
original diagram
[c]
A

? - - - - - - C
/
/
/
B[/c]

.

[c]with color
A

? - - - - - - C
/
/
/
B
[/c]

If Red owns the roads from "A" to "B" and Blue owns the road from "C" to "?": Can Blue build a settlement at "?"? If so, is Red's road continuous still?

p.s. the diagram was a nice triangular intersection before I posted it. Then it flattened out :(

To answer your question, "NO". Reason is blue, nor red can build at the '?' spot b/c they would be violating the distance rule which says all settlements (and all building really) must be at least 2 spots away from all other buildings, including those of your own color.

[c]counter example
A

X
/
/
/
C - - - -?

X
/
/
/
B
[/c]
However, if THIS were the case, then blue can build on the '?' spot. Blue would then disrupt longest road for that segment of roads, so instead of having length of 4, it'd only be 2.

BTW, if you want to retain the space formatting, use the code tag. Click on "QuickQuote" to see what I mean. You can then add colors if you'd like, but it sure does take much longer when you add in color though via html tags, so I hardly ever do it.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Can this settlement be built?

DKahnt — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:47:23 +0000

by DKahnt

Grildensnork wrote:
Yes, blue can build at "?" and it will indeed break the long road into two fragments. Looks like a good play for blue, taking the longest road card.

EDIT: beaten to the punch!

Right, but it depends if each '/' is a road or if all of them together are a road... in terms of the diagram.

-DK

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Can this settlement be built?

trippercook — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:46:37 +0000

by trippercook

Cool...thanks!

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Can this settlement be built?

Grildensnork — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:46:03 +0000

by Grildensnork

Yes, blue can build at "?" and it will indeed break the long road into two fragments. Looks like a good play for blue, taking the longest road card.

EDIT: beaten to the punch!

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Can this settlement be built?

DKahnt — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:44:30 +0000

by DKahnt

Yup, very legal.

In fact blue would cancel out red's longest route as well.*

Usually in games where I can see something like this coming down the road (if I'm red, that is) I will build a settlement at ? or a space over so the other player (blue) can't build there.

*Edit - wait... you still have to follow the proximity rule... no two settlements can be built next to each other, they have to be two roads apart... so technically no. Blue may not play there.

-DK

Thread: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Can this settlement be built?

trippercook — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:39:30 +0000

by trippercook

A

? - - - - - - C
/
/
/
B

If Red owns the roads from "A" to "B" and Blue owns the road from "C" to "?": Can Blue build a settlement at "?"? If so, is Red's road continuous still?

p.s. the diagram was a nice triangular intersection before I posted it. Then it flattened out

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: Number chips lost

Young David — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:07:47 +0000

by Young David

Thank you both, I'll be making some nice new chips now :)

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Reviews:: Re: Seriously? We need another Settlers review?

baba44713 — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:31:57 +0000

by baba44713

trippercook wrote:
VixenTorGames wrote:
Player interaction is not really all that high in Settlers...

Are you skipping the traid phase?

Seconded. If anything, Settlers is a prime example of a highly interactive Euro.

Unless of course by "interaction" you meant the "BGG staple test of of interaction", i.e. "whether the game has ways of attacking, hurting, killing and generally causing mayhem and grief towards other players".

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: 3rd Edition Adapter Compatible with 4th Expansions?

mevans444 — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:59:47 +0000

by mevans444

Have you seen this FAQ on the Mayfair site yet?

http://www.mayfairgames.com/shop/FAQ_catan4e.htm

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Reviews:: Re: Seriously? We need another Settlers review?

trippercook — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:29:23 +0000

by trippercook

VixenTorGames wrote:
Player interaction is not really all that high in Settlers...

Are you skipping the trade phase?

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Reviews:: Re: Seriously? We need another Settlers review?

Zimeon — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:13:50 +0000

by Zimeon

VixenTorGames wrote:
You'll rarely see a runaway leader

What? Part of my problem with Catan is that once in three games, you get this runaway leader who starts up lucky with the dice long enough to build so that he doesn't HAVE to be lucky with the dice, or this stay-behind loser, who is unlucky with the dice and ends up a position that on his best roll he gets 1 ore and 1 wood, whereas all the other players gets 3 sheep, 2 wood and 2 reeds.

I still like the game, though. But I've never seen randomness as a detracting factor in games. If it has that "something else" in it, I can stand a large part of randomness. And Catan has that "Something else".

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Reviews:: Re: Seriously? We need another Settlers review?

ChrisBinSEA — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:16:58 +0000

by ChrisBinSEA

edmeadows wrote:
VixenTorGames wrote:
Cons:
A little dry
You can't shoot anyone

I don't know. There have been a few times when I've been awful tempted to shoot someone in a game of Settlers! ;)

Great review, though. I enjoyed the read...

During some of the longer games that turned in to Catan Death Marches, I've wanted to turn the gun on myself! :D

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Reviews:: Re: Seriously? We need another Settlers review?

e9martin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:07:23 +0000

by e9martin

Interesting pros.... I would call 'unpredictable luck' a real detractor of this game. And it makes the strategy that much more frustrating and often nonexistent. And for me, every game I've played ends up having a runaway leader who we all know will win but it always drags out for at least a half an hour. Maybe I've just had bad experiences with this game.

With such great balanced games around now, I can't ever seem to recommend this steaming turd anymore. But hey, to each his own. (And it still seems to be in my collection...)

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Reviews:: Re: Seriously? We need another Settlers review?

edmeadows — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:03:39 +0000

by edmeadows

VixenTorGames wrote:
Cons:
A little dry
You can't shoot anyone

I don't know. There have been a few times when I've been awful tempted to shoot someone in a game of Settlers! ;)

Great review, though. I enjoyed the read...

Review: The Settlers of Catan:: Reviews:: Seriously? We need another Settlers review?

VixenTorGames — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:48:15 +0000

by VixenTorGames

It seems nearly inconceivable to me that there's a real hardcore board gamer who hasn't played at least one game of Settlers of Catan. It's like saying you like frozen treats, so you might as well give this 'ice cream' thing a shot, since you've heard good things about it. Heck, you could probably even argue that Settlers was one of those games that gave the entire board gaming sub-hobby the kick in the ass it needed to really get cranked up.

I could go on about games we had before 1995 and games we had after, or the dramatic rise of the Eurogames, or a lot of other crap that would be half history lesson and half conjecture. But I'm not going to, because really, I'm just a game reviewer. I write about games - not the history of games, or the phenomenon of games, or other highbrow, pseudo-academic horse pucky. I had a reader ask me if I would review Settlers of Catan, so here we go.

In Settlers of Catan, each player is trying to build up an empire on a teeny little island. It's not easy, either, because the island is small and resources are scarce. Plus there's this bastich of a thief who keeps running around and swiping your crap. But you'll manage to build settlements and roads, raise an army, and try to rule the world. Well, you'll try to rule a tiny little island. OK, you'll try to carve out a little corner of it that's a bigger corner than anyone else has.

There's virtually no reason I can think of to recite the rules to you. For one thing, 90% of you probably already know the rules. For those of you who don't know the rules, you can go to BGG and download the rules. Or you can read a really boring review by someone who will tell you the rules in exhaustive detail. Or you can just stop nearly any gamer in any game store in any part of the country, and if they play board games, they can probably tell you the rules. So we'll skip right to the part where I tell you why I don't play Settlers very often, but still haven't sold my copy.

There's a fairly retarded amount of luck in Settlers of Catan, which is kind of funny, given its status as the kingpin of Euro games, and Euro games tend to be sort of short on luck. If you need to roll mountains, you'll probably get everything but mountains. If you spend your sheep and rocks to buy a development card and need a soldier, you'll probably pull a library. The luck can really bite you, but the real key to being good at Settlers of Catan is knowing how to play the hand you're dealt, so the luck tends to separate the boys from the men, unless you're actually playing with women, in which case it will separate the women from the other women.

On top of the luck, there's a lot of strategy and tactical maneuvering. You have to develop long-term plans that are flexible, and then you have to know how to position your roads and developments to maximize your potential for success. If you are trying to have the biggest army, you could be wasting your efforts if you get in a pissing match for the longest road. Dump all your resources into a city, and you might get the victory-point bump, but you might also break your bank and wind up with no way to trade some barley for a couple bricks when you need them.

Player interaction is not really all that high in Settlers, not compared to a lot of the games I love to play. Sure, you can block your opponents with well-placed roads, and steal their cards with the robber, but it's not like you're going to march on their capitals and ride off on their women. I'm OK with that relatively weak interaction, but it's not my favorite. On the other hand, it does limit the revenge player - you know, that one guy who had one territory way off in the boondocks, and you needed it so you took it, and then he spends the rest of the game attacking you, even though it means he loses. So now he can rob you a couple times, but it's not like he's going to take you out of the game.

I don't even play Settlers of Catan once a year. I keep it, though, because while it's not at the top of my list of games, it is a remarkably good game. It's a little on the dry side, but there's stuff to do even when it's not your turn, and you can finish in an hour or two. There's no body count, but you don't need violent deaths to make a good game (though it helps). It's very intelligent, not too tough to teach, and rewards the skilled player over the rookie, while giving the rookie enough of a chance to at least hold his own.

I don't guess I would recommend Settlers of Catan to everyone I know. If you can only have fun when your team of space marines is chasing aliens down starship corridors, or you really only like games that you can play while you're all sitting in the living room with a cold beverage, Settlers is going to bore your face clean off (and let me tell you, if you've ever lost your face to a boring game, it's no picnic. You'll need Jagermeister and Red Bull to get it back). But if you like to really think about what you're playing, and you can get behind a theme with no bloodshed, you ought to at least give it a try.

Just ask any gamer who preaches for the Church of Knizia - they probably have a copy of Settlers. And they might even play it with you, if you agree to play a Reiner game afterward.

Summary

Pros:
Deep strategy mixes with unpredictable luck
Downtime is limited - you're always in the game
You'll rarely see a runaway leader

Cons:
A little dry
You can't shoot anyone

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: Number chips lost

WooperJeff — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:49:44 +0000

by WooperJeff

In the 5-6 player expansion you get all the numbers again plus one more of each number. The letters are shown in this picture:
]]>

The Seafarer's expansion gives just one of each number. The dots (of course) are the same, but there are no letters printed on them.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: Number chips lost

droberts441 — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:12:15 +0000

by droberts441

This for the Base Game

4) Eighteen (18) Circular Number Tokens (Chits).

The tokens are as follows ("Number" (Letter: Pips)):

One x "2" (B:*).
Two x "3" (D, Q:**).
Two x "4" (J, N:***).
Two x "5" (A, O:****).
Two x "6" (C, P:*****).
Two x "8" (E, K:*****).
Two x "9" (G, M:****).
Two x "10" (F, L:***).
Two x "11" (I, R:**).
One x "12" (H:*).

]]>

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/324667

Thread: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Number chips lost

Young David — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:41:06 +0000

by Young David

Hi,

Somehow, I don't know how, I've lost the number chips for all my Catan stuff. That includes the Base Game, the 5-6 player Exp and Seafarers. Does someone has a list of the ratio of the numbers (and wich letter is on the back) so that I can make some new ones?

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: Storing Catan game board pieces

EasyESV — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:02:31 +0000

by EasyESV

There are 67 hexes immediately available...and you can flip the card trays over to get additional hexes, not to mention that you can put two boards side by side to make a board with 143 hexes!

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Sessions:: Re: The Polity of Catan: a (J)Settlers postgame report

chaosbreaker — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:37:46 +0000

chardir — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:42:44 +0000

by chardir

peapicker wrote:
Actually, the 3rd edition almanac explicitly recommends combining the phases trade/build for all but new players to the game. Not so much a variant as they explicitly recommend always doing it for experienced players.

I always think this is odd. Why is separating trade and build simpler for newbies? "Sorry, you've already built a road so you can't trade your four sheep for a wheat to build a settlement. You'll have to wait for your next turn."

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Variants:: Re: Attacking Knights?

diceman56 — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:42:04 +0000

by diceman56

Any way of getting extra resourses can be welcome
and I think that you may be onto something here.
Although technically they do of course go into
battle when the barbarian attacks and they defend
the city, but I do see what you are trying to say,
that we have all these knights and they just seem
to stand there waiting for some action from the
barbarian. Something to think about though, as
I think your idea does have some potential. Mine is
already set up, as I'm playing this with seafarers,
so I'll see how it looks in practice. Good one to think
about!

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: Storing Catan game board pieces

metzgerism — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:06:19 +0000

by metzgerism

the case looks fantastic, but the game-board side doesn't look big enough for some of the games of Seafarers that we've made up - I often take all the tiles we have (5-6 up to Seafarers, minus the expansion tiles because we bought that 3rd edition at half price) and make a 61-hex board, 5x5x5 - admittedly, we usually play sans outside border (I just flip it to the water side), but I can see how we'd play 5-6 with something that large.

That's quite an accessory though.

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Sessions:: Re: Long game, time for Seafarers or plain Catan again?

GFireflyE — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:22:19 +0000

by GFireflyE

I've never had a game of Cities and Knights last longer than 2 hrs.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: Re: Storing Catan game board pieces

EasyESV — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:12:09 +0000

by EasyESV

Here's what you are looking for...

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Catan's victory points.

ackmondual — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:54:52 +0000

by ackmondual

Zelif wrote:
While I agree, largely, we have often used 12 for standard 4-player games, especially if using Cities and Knights.

The reason being was that too often a "cornering" or a series of lucky rolls would work so feverishly to one person's advantage that the consistent application of a strategy or long-term plan was for naught. And we didn't want that.

So, quite often, we will substitute in a gold field tile for the desert, (adding another producing hex) and extend the game a little by going to twelve points. The robber starts off ON the gold field (or off the board, if we have newbies) and it works nicely, without adding too much time onto the regular game.

:)

As mentioned, C&K you play to 13 VP. If you're substituting a gold tile for the desert AND increasing the VP to win to 12, they may be fine. However, hopefully this variant is balanced in not giving the players who have access to that tile too much of a lead on resources. (lower pips on the chit.... I'm assuming 1 gold = any resource of your choice to be traded immediately).

Otherwise, I would leave Sett at 10VP to win. Some games are already too long playing to 10 VP, so at 12, it'll drag on even further. Possibly another hour. The map and game features are designed for 12 after all.

Thread: The Settlers of Catan:: General:: 3rd Edition Adapter Compatible with 4th Expansions?

MoreGrease — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 22:57:42 +0000

by MoreGrease

I recently got back into Catan with a 3rd edition board that I'm rather fond of, as was looking to purchase the 4th edition adapter set that Mayfair advertises. However, everywhere that sells it offers the same product description, which states that this set makes the 3rd edition board "compatible with 4th edition Seafarers of Catan" or something to that effect.

I was wondering if that means that I will be able to buy 4th edition versions of the 5-6 player expansions and C&K as well, or if some issue with the tile size or style of cards of something will require me to get a new base set if I want to play those other expansions.

Thanks in advance for any information you can provide!

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Catan's victory points.

dcclark — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:39:11 +0000

by dcclark

Zelif wrote:
While I agree, largely, we have often used 12 for standard 4-player games, especially if using Cities and Knights.

You do know that Cities and Knights calls for the game to end at 13 points, right? (And if you add Seafarers to the mix, 2 points above the Seafarers scenario's VP conditions.) Playing C&K with a 10 point limit would probably be a sure way to hand victory to one lucky player.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Mayfair 3rd vs 4th (rules differences?)

droberts441 — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:35:54 +0000

by droberts441

peapicker wrote:
droberts441 wrote:
4th Edition: You can move the Robber back to the Desert.

In 4th Edition, the Trade and Build Phase can be combined into one Trade/Build Phase (IE: Trade then Build, then trade some more, build, etc.). It is presented as a separate phases for new players, but then can be combined for expeirienced players.

I believe combining the phases is a variant in 3rd edition.

Actually, the 3rd edition almanac explicitly recommends combining the phases trade/build for all but new players to the game. Not so much a variant as they explicitly recommend always doing it for experienced players.

Thanks! I have Settlers of Catan - Travel Edition, which has third edition rules, and I have 4th edition. Settlers of Catan - Travel Edition lists the combined build/trade phase in the almanac (and stated as you said), and not in the rule section, but I wasn't sure if it was stated the same way in the actual 3rd edition (I know from playing it recently at my gamegroup it didn't have the combine rule in the main rules, but didn't remember the wording in the almanac).

But it sounds like my Settlers of Catan - Travel Edition does have the 3rd Edition rules exactly.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Re: Catan for 2 or even 1??

aboveriver — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:10:48 +0000

by aboveriver

The three main games - in order of increasing fun - for Catan for me are:

Cities and Knights

Seafarer's

Das Buch

:p

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Mayfair 3rd vs 4th (rules differences?)

peapicker — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:07:21 +0000

by peapicker

droberts441 wrote:
4th Edition: You can move the Robber back to the Desert.

In 4th Edition, the Trade and Build Phase can be combined into one Trade/Build Phase (IE: Trade then Build, then trade some more, build, etc.). It is presented as a separate phases for new players, but then can be combined for expeirienced players.

I believe combining the phases is a variant in 3rd edition.

Actually, the 3rd edition almanac explicitly recommends combining the phases trade/build for all but new players to the game. Not so much a variant as they explicitly recommend always doing it for experienced players.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Re: Catan for 2 or even 1??

meepleeater — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 05:08:18 +0000

by meepleeater

I often have trouble finding more than 1 opponant, and have found that catan works pretty well for 2 without any rule changes, but I'm sure that others would disagree...

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Catan's victory points.

gamesgrandpa — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 04:15:33 +0000

by gamesgrandpa

In the last two games we played, my son-in-law won by scoring three points in his last turn (a settlement or city and stealing the Longest Road or Largest Army). Both times, we were all caught by surprise, because 7 points seems a long ways from 10 in that game. We were playing with six players both times.

In another game, he won by spending the last of his resources to buy a development card and getting a VP, winning at the last moment of his turn.

I think the VP approach in Settlers is great.

When we expanded the game for seven players, we modified the rules to end the game with 7 VP, since the board gets overcrowded relatively quickly, with no place to build. Ten VP was too many to require, as everyone was buying all the developement cards to get the last few easy points available.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Catan's victory points.

Zelif — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:58:47 +0000

by Zelif

While I agree, largely, we have often used 12 for standard 4-player games, especially if using Cities and Knights.

The reason being was that too often a "cornering" or a series of lucky rolls would work so feverishly to one person's advantage that the consistent application of a strategy or long-term plan was for naught. And we didn't want that.

So, quite often, we will substitute in a gold field tile for the desert, (adding another producing hex) and extend the game a little by going to twelve points. The robber starts off ON the gold field (or off the board, if we have newbies) and it works nicely, without adding too much time onto the regular game.

:)

Thread: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Catan's victory points.

Voxen — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:28:31 +0000

by Voxen

Victory points are an great mechanic. The scores serve as an abstract model of the dramatic tension of the game, getting higher and higher as the game nears its end. Not only that, every victory point you earn is an exciting, tangible milestone on the road to victory.

In my optinion, the fact that Catan ends at 10 victory points is one of the game's strongest aspects. In many other games, scores are much higher, possibly in the hundreds, which deflates the value of a victory point. When your opponent scores a few points, you think "Oh, it's no big deal, I can make those up later." Whereas, in Catan, even one point changes the face of the game somewhat, and the effect of stealing Longest Road/Largest Army from another player can be simply devastating.

Settlers' limited VPs generate excitement so well I find it surprising that more games don't copy that aspect.

Now with regard to other games, victory points are more generally totalled at game end, and the player with the most wins. Since a game of Catan ends at a prescribed number of points, should they be considered a different mechanic than "most points wins" VPs?

Thoughts, discussion?

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Re: Catan for 2 or even 1??

Darth Headbutt — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:11:49 +0000

by Darth Headbutt

Check out the two player rules included in Catan: Traders & Barbarians. I've tried this plus other house rules to try to make two player interesting. Catan is simply meant for a minimum of three, and I've never played a 2 player variant that lived up to it.

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Sessions:: Re: Different paths to almost victory

Darth Headbutt — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:07:44 +0000

by Darth Headbutt

Let us know how the house rule works out. My first instinct is that players choosing resources would always be at a disadvantage from those getting commodities. They lose out on progress cards, level three city improvement bonuses like the Aqueduct, and the 2 VPs from the metropolis. Who knows, maybe the house rule adds legitimate decision making depth.

I personally like the vindictive nature of the progress cards. It's what takes a quaint euro and makes it suitable to this ameritrasher's tastes.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Mayfair 3rd vs 4th (rules differences?)

droberts441 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 18:26:28 +0000

by droberts441

4th Edition: You can move the Robber back to the Desert.

In 4th Edition, the Trade and Build Phase can be combined into one Trade/Build Phase (IE: Trade then Build, then trade some more, build, etc.). It is presented as a separate phases for new players, but then can be combined for expeirienced players.

I believe combining the phases is a variant in 3rd edition.

Reply: Catan: Seafarers:: Variants:: Re: Catan for 2 or even 1??

metzgerism — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:37:43 +0000

by metzgerism

Have you actually played this? Maybe I'm confused, but it sounds like you're just giving out gold to both players indiscriminately on their own turn, unbalancing the game very badly. There are better gold-based variations (the foodstamp variant is something we use), and honestly, better 2-player variants.

Sorry to be so short with you, but you really don't explain the whole thing in depth (and it's kinda hard to understand what you're saying when you've pressed the paragraph button every few words).

Thread: Catan: Seafarers:: Variants:: Catan for 2 or even 1??

diceman56 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:13:41 +0000

by diceman56

I've been looking at the three main catan games
i.e. Settlers of Catan, Seafarers and Cities
and Knights. This could work for 2 and even 1
person. I know it's not ideal to play anything
on your own, but anyway......
When you throw the dice to see what materials
you get, you also get some gold coins from the dice
throw in order to purchase future materials. This is half
the total of the dice for that segment rounded down.
i.e. if you throw 9 then you get 4 gold.
Now I use plastic gold coins from the Talisman
game, but any will do. Kiddies coins or such.
When you want to purchase any cards, they cost
1 gold coin each, so most of the time it will be
2 coins for say brick and wood to be able to
place the road. Of course, if it isn't your go
then you just have the materials on offer from
the segment of land. Following normal rules.
I've had a go with this, and it seems quite a good
way of doing it. 2 player exchanges just don't work.
This is much better and keeps the game flowing.
Of course the 4:1 3:1 etc from the bank should still
be done, as per the rules. For the rest though,
if you have the gold then you also buy from
the bank directly.
What does anyone else think of this. I like it,
possibly needs refining, but this is just to
start the ball rolling.

Thread: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Catan for 2 or even 1??

diceman56 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:10:00 +0000

by diceman56

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Mayfair 3rd vs 4th (rules differences?)

laxnbakpakr — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:58:18 +0000

by laxnbakpakr

The biggest difference i've noticed is in the rules of some of the C&K progress cards.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Mayfair 3rd vs 4th (rules differences?)

ilta — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:46:55 +0000

by ilta

Don't have the rules right in front of me, but I think that there are two "levels" proposed in the fourth edition: one with first trading, then building (3rd edition style), and one with the two combined (xbox style). There's a note that it might make the game easier to teach if you separate them, but at some point it won't be necessary.

I don't think you can move the robber back to the desert, even in 4th, but like I said I'm not sitting with the rules in front of me.

New Image for The Settlers of Catan

pete belli — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:10:26 +0000

by pete belli

1995 "Die Siedler Von Catan" with unpunched tiles

]]>

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Sessions:: Re: Different paths to almost victory

BlackRook — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:55:57 +0000

by BlackRook

Oh, I see, in the chart there. I'm more of a words guy, and I never even saw that chart. Well, we may just add a house rule that allows cities to produce two of either or one of both, because it takes away a rule (and fewer rules is a good goal) and accomplishes two things: allows another strategy toward winning, and provides a path of play that is not so vindictive with the progress card play. Of course, it would shorten game play to play according to the rules as there would be no decision involved when collecting city production. Thanks for the direction.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Mayfair 3rd vs 4th (rules differences?)

DKahnt — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:46:59 +0000

by DKahnt

wwscrispin wrote:
Are there any rules differences between the rules of the two editions?

From reading the posts here I've only seen one difference. I believe in 4th edition you are allowed to move the robber back to the desert hex from whence he started.

(also I know on the XBox you can trade and build interchangeably... in 3rd edition this isn't allow, first trade then build. No idea about the 4th edition though.)

-DK

Thread: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Mayfair 3rd vs 4th (rules differences?)

wwscrispin — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:18:34 +0000

by wwscrispin

Are there any rules differences between the rules of the two editions?

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Variants:: Re: Attacking Knights?

Adonai_80 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:58:51 +0000

by Adonai_80

True, this would favor the stronger player. Hmm.
and as far as my example: two 'x's make up one side of a tile the 'RR' is one road, and the S is a settlement, and the K are of course knights. the bottom left knight can attack the top/right knight or something.
[c]
RR
xx K
R x x R
R x x R
K xx S
[/c]

Maybe this just isn't a good idea at all =] I was just thinking it'd be more 'themeatic' if the knights could joust or attack each others citys instead of just moving a robber around.

thanks for the reply!

edit: gah! bgg didn't keep my spaces. [c][/c]

New Image for Die Siedler von Luxemburg

mill1 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:40:22 +0000

by mill1

The very first version of the customs-house - with roads used as count...

]]>

New Image for Die Siedler von Luxemburg

mill1 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:36:56 +0000

by mill1

This was the first 'board' in Nov. 2007 for testing

]]>

Reply: Catan: Seafarers:: Reviews:: Re: [Video Review] Catan: Seafarers

diceman56 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:45:03 +0000

by diceman56

I've been wondering if cities and Knights
can be used with seafarers, and then I noticed
on the flip calendars for improvements that it
has the material requirements for making
ships, so that tells me that it should all
fit nicely together.
At the moment I've got seafarers set up on
my table, with settlers of catan and cities at the ready.
Just trying to work them out in practice. Certainly
I would like to hear any one else with a view on these
games. I very rarely have anyone to play them, so a
really good tried and tested idea for the solo
player would be very welcome. As a solo game
there would have to be something to get round
the trading with others. This maybe could be
in the form of coins or the like, and maybe getting
rewards for things which would bring in the coins
for future buying.
I certainly think that they should be able
to fit together well.
I will just try getting into the seafarers first, and
gently add Knights etc.

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Variants:: Re: Attacking Knights?

mevans444 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 04:55:56 +0000

by mevans444

Adonai_80 wrote:

Simple, but adds a little more direct conflict. Any thoughts?

My first thought is that this would tend to favour the player(s) who are already ahead in the game, since they would have the stronger knights.

However, I'm confused about your requirements for a legal Knight-attack.

Adonai_80 wrote:
...they can now 'attack' a player who has a city/settlement on the tile they are adjacent to

Are you saying here that the Knight only has to be adjacent to the defending player's city/settlement, and can then pick any opposing knight to defend against it's attack?

Or do the two Knights also have to be on adjacent intersections, or adjacent to the same tile? (To each other, not the settlement/city).

As far as my first objection above is concerned, I would suggest that you allow weaker knights to attack stronger knights. Instead of getting a card it would cause the stronger knight to be de-activated. A pre-emptive strike if you will. Just to restore the play-balance somewhat.

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Sessions:: Re: Long game, time for Seafarers or plain Catan again?

Bigtop305 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 03:53:39 +0000

by Bigtop305

My first TWO player game of C&K with my wife, we have been playing for about five years now so we are definitely experienced, was just a little under 1.5 hrs, I took the win, she usually trumps me solidly in reg catan. We pretty much split in seafarers, and again this was our first game of this. I can see it taking a long time with more players, and I wouldn't sit it in front of Catan Newbs myself, but I too think this is the most fun variation so far, and though it will not take the place of my playing the other two (sometimes Vanilla just plain old ROCKS) it will be seeing more time very soon!

Thread: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Variants:: Attacking Knights?

Adonai_80 — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 03:01:41 +0000

by Adonai_80

Knights have a 4th option along with the normal three (displace, move, remove robber) where they can now 'attack' a player who has a city/settlement on the tile they are adjacent to?

It would work like so:

If the attacking knight had a higher strength than the defending knight and the defending knight was active, the attacking player simply deactivates their knight and takes one resource/commodity from the attacked player.

Simple, but adds a little more direct conflict. Any thoughts?

Thread: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Unofficial Scenario: Barbarian Islands

meepleeater — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:05:25 +0000

by meepleeater

Another unofficial expansion/ scenario I have made.

Requires Seafarers and 12 Barbarians (preferably those from T&B but any 12 counters will do).

In this scenario you attempt to drive barbarians of the islands near Catan in order to settle these islands, but the barbarians are fighting back, preventing ships, and later on even roads from being built.

Rules, diagrams and tips are found at: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/filepage/43848

Also of mention, I have created a special Amalgam hex that can produce specific resources depending upon which corner of the hex a city/ settlement is on.

Check it out at: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/filepage/43438

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Sessions:: Re: Australian Championships 2009 - six games plus commentary

Im Always Blue — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:41:39 +0000

by Im Always Blue

Another good report John! My turn to beat you next year! ;)

PS. I was the 17th player who had the board knocked over me...

Ric

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: News:: Re: Settlers of Catan Gen Con Masters Tournament

TMJJS — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:59:20 +0000

by TMJJS

rkuehl wrote:
So where do you find out about these tournament events where you can earn eligibility for this Gen Con tournament? I would love to participate in actual Catan tournaments besides the silly ones my and my friends have with each other.

There aren't very many qualifiers, but you can find them on the Mayfair website at: http://www.mayfairgames.com/

Good luck!

File: The Settlers of Catan:: Unofficial Catan Scenario- Barbarian Islands

meepleeater — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:48:13 +0000

by meepleeater

Unofficial Catan Scenario- Barbarian Islands for Board Game: The Settlers of Catan ]]>

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Road Blockage

ackmondual — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:11:25 +0000

by ackmondual

my 3rd edition Mayfair rules also state you cannot build past an opponent's settlement. The online versions of this game that I've played only include Sea3d, but that's based off of Kosmos 3rd edition.

If ya ask me, University Of Catan needs to update the fact that you cannot indeed build past an opponent's settlement.

Rancemeister wrote:
Sorry to resurrect an old thread but this exact issue came up in a game recently...
I've been playing Settlers for a few years now, since I picked up a copy of 3rd edition about a month before they announced 4th. I've never had the problem about building a road past someone else settlement come up before but playing a game with an old school Settlers-head recently I got trapped against the coast and tried to escape along a sea road past one of his harbour settlements only to be told I couldn't build a road on the other side of it... As this pretty much screwed me for the rest of the game I argued that I'd never heard of this rule. He showed me an old, battered set of 3rd edition rules with an explicit example and diagram and that was that for that game... AFterwards, I got out my newer 3rd edition rules and poured through them for nearly an hour but could find no reference to this restriction. Then I downloaded the latest rules and faqs I could find and could also find no reference to it. It was only after going back through posts here and finding links to the FAQ at the University of Catan that I found more info on it...
So, I guess my question is, since later rulesets (not just 4th but my 3rd edition ones) don't refer to this restriction, is it actually an obsolete rule, no longer in effect and should online FAQs like the University of Catan be updated to reflect that?

Thread: The Settlers of Catan:: Variants:: Islands of Catan Scenario

chardir — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:18:39 +0000

by chardir

I was just looking through the annotated rules document and found the Islands of Catan scenario from 2nd edition. (Sea and land hexes are randomized and bridges can be built.) I've never come across this before. It sounds interesting but has anyone played this and is it a worthwhile and playable variant?

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Road Blockage

Rancemeister — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:24:45 +0000

by Rancemeister

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but this exact issue came up in a game recently...
I've been playing Settlers for a few years now, since I picked up a copy of 3rd edition about a month before they announced 4th. I've never had the problem about building a road past someone else settlement come up before but playing a game with an old school Settlers-head recently I got trapped against the coast and tried to escape along a sea road past one of his harbour settlements only to be told I couldn't build a road on the other side of it... As this pretty much screwed me for the rest of the game I argued that I'd never heard of this rule. He showed me an old, battered set of 3rd edition rules with an explicit example and diagram and that was that for that game... AFterwards, I got out my newer 3rd edition rules and poured through them for nearly an hour but could find no reference to this restriction. Then I downloaded the latest rules and faqs I could find and could also find no reference to it. It was only after going back through posts here and finding links to the FAQ at the University of Catan that I found more info on it...
So, I guess my question is, since later rulesets (not just 4th but my 3rd edition ones) don't refer to this restriction, is it actually an obsolete rule, no longer in effect and should online FAQs like the University of Catan be updated to reflect that?

Reply: Settlers of Catan - Event Cards:: Rules:: Re: Event Card: Earthquakes and Seafarers

TaleSpinner — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:04:05 +0000

by TaleSpinner

We, on the other hand, played that the Earthquake does affect Ships as well as Roads. We ruled that because we felt that it fell in line with what the Game Designer had in mind, which was to inhibit expansion. And thematically, it meant that the broken Road stopped resources from travelling to the ports which in turn delayed shipping. Weak, I know, but still plausible ;-)

New Image for The Settlers of Catan

wmcduff — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:36:13 +0000

by wmcduff

My friend Kayleigh did these. Simply awesome in my book...

]]>

New Image for The Settlers of Catan

wmcduff — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:16:31 +0000

by wmcduff

More cupcakes of Catan!

]]>

Reply: The Settlers of Catan - 5-6 Player Extension :: Reviews:: Re: [Video Review] 5-6 Player Expansions for Settlers, Seafarers, and Cities and Knights

Whaleyland — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:44:00 +0000

by Whaleyland

I agree to all of it except for not buying C&K 5-6 player, mostly because I play Green and dislike not having it.

Concerning the Special Build Phase, I despise it but see the necessity. The English 2nd edition rules allowed for players to hold up to 10 cards in their hand (instead of 7), and didn't have the Special Building Phase. I suggest this as an alternative to the interruption.

Reply: Catan: Seafarers:: Rules:: Re: Closed Shipping Lane Question

Whaleyland — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:29:14 +0000

by Whaleyland

It is definitely rare when this happens, but when it happens, I believe that it would close both routes, even though there are alternate routes. Since the rules don't state otherwise, I'd assume that you in all conditions where ships are connected on both ends by settlements/cities, those routes are considered closed. I'd suggest checking the FAQ pages on Catan.com under Seafarers of Catan as well as emailing their help line if there is nothing on the website. Please post an official response here so I can include them in my FAQs in my annotated rules. Thanks!

New Image for The Settlers of Catan

settlerdave — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:31:40 +0000

by settlerdave

Recreation of a brutal starting board for a Catan game that I recently...

]]>

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: News:: Re: Settlers of Catan Gen Con Masters Tournament

rkuehl — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:35:28 +0000

by rkuehl

So where do you find out about these tournament events where you can earn eligibility for this Gen Con tournament? I would love to participate in actual Catan tournaments besides the silly ones my and my friends have with each other.

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Sessions:: Re: Long game, time for Seafarers or plain Catan again?

ackmondual — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:57:35 +0000

by ackmondual

Learn to play quickly is what it all boils to. Also, have other players hand out cards. Too much time wasted reaching across the table for some.

Someone claims they have 3p C&K games as short as 1 hour.

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Sessions:: Re: Long game, time for Seafarers or plain Catan again?

laxnbakpakr — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:50:01 +0000

by laxnbakpakr

With all the new options presented in cities and knights the first game often takes a while. I'm sure the second time you all play it you'll be able to complete a game far more quickly. In my experience, with my group of players who have played C&Ks alot an average game is not much more than 75 minutes while our normal games are often done in 60. Now when we play online that time goes way down.

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Sessions:: Re: Long game, time for Seafarers or plain Catan again?

jepp — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:37:47 +0000

by jepp

Wow 3 hours 45 minutes is WAY to long for Settlers... I've always felt this game gets a bit too long, but I'm sure it's never dragged out that far...

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Sessions:: Re: Long game, time for Seafarers or plain Catan again?

Voxen — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:33:31 +0000

by Voxen

That's too bad, I really like Cities & Knights and think it's the best way to play Catan. I hope that after your respite you can give it another chance and have better luck.

Session: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Sessions:: Long game, time for Seafarers or plain Catan again?

BlackRook — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:30:25 +0000

by BlackRook

My second session report for Settlers of Catan: Cities and Knights, because it is different enough from my first session report. This time we had four players: myself, my eldest son Joshua, middle son Caleb, and friend Matthew who has played a couple of times with us before. We are all getting to be experienced players. Joshua won the last two times, and has a slight edge over me in total points won in all the C&K games we've played. Caleb has improved the points he's earned every single game, and Matthew too, with this game being no exception.

I started out with the first lead, getting a road from my settlement to my city and then out a little towards the sea, getting Longest Road. I always go for Longest Road, a rut in my playing I guess. Joshua builds a settlement and is the lead defender as we beat the Barbarians, giving him 5 points to my 5. Joshua eventually steals my longest road and is lead defender again, going up to 9 points, having also upgraded to a city. Matthew upgrades to Cathedral and gets a Metropolis. At this point the score is:
Dan: 4; Matthew: 6; Joshua: 9; Caleb 5

It definitely seems Joshua has the corner on the strategy of this game. I manage to build my road longer, up to 9, and Joshua defends the island again. Caleb gets another Progress Card victory point and builds a settlement on an island (which gives him an extra point). Eventually, the score is:
Dan: 6; Matthew: 6; Joshua: 9; Caleb 8

By the way, the game greatly dragged on. Sometimes the players did not concentrate on their turns and, as always, this takes away from the game. I was hoping to get this game accomplished in two hours, but we were past that mark by now. But it seemed Joshua was getting closer to winning.

Joshua again leads in the defeat of the island, builds a settlement and also steals longest road from me again, poising him on the edge with 12 points! This shows how quickly the game can end. But we other players quickly capitalized on his near-victory and tried not to trade with him and placed the robber on his hexes, etc. I managed to build longest road again, but Joshua ties me in one round and takes it again in another round. Now its:
Dan: 7; Matthew: 7; Joshua: 12; Caleb: 9

I finally lengthen my road to 15, and then 17, sealing the longest road for myself. Amazingly, we play for three more rounds before Joshua finally upgrades to a city and wins. In one round Matthew upgrades to a city and is lead defender; I manage to build a settlement and upgrade to a city, and then Joshua finally upgrades to a city, with the final score:
Dan: 12; Matthew: 9; Joshua: 13; Caleb 10

So after 3 hours and 45 minutes of play, I felt better with the ending being so close and more based on strategy. I still get the feeling that I was way behind in the beginning because the rolls didn't go my way. Then, the “take that” aspect of the progress cards can be annoying, especially since, once again, I didn't get many. Maybe with faster players this game would be fun again. I think I'm ready for some Seafarers or even just plain Catan again.

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Sessions:: Re: Different paths to almost victory

Darth Headbutt — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:43:38 +0000

by Darth Headbutt

In the Mayfair 3rd edition rules, page 5:

Production for a city bordering a producing hex depends on the type of terrain that is rolled.
Pasture = 1 wool & 1 cloth
Mountains = 1 ore & 1 coin
Forest = 1 lumber & 1 paper

Thread: The Settlers of Catan:: News:: Settlers of Catan Gen Con Masters Tournament

AlexYeager — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:46:40 +0000

by AlexYeager

Due to a last-minute cancellation, Mayfair Games is adding a Settlers of Catan Masters Tournament to our Gen Con event lineup on Thursday. This is a FREE event, open to anyone who has made a Catan semi-final (or is a past prequalification tournament winner) at either Origins or Gen Con. The winner will receive an invitation to play in the North American Catan Championship, to be held at Gen Con on Saturday.

One of the benefits for the North American Catan Tournament winner is a pass to the Catan World Championship in 2010, to be held in Germany. Contact gencon@mayfairgames.com if you qualify and wish to request a slot in the Masters Tournament!

Alex Yeager
Mayfair Games

Reply: Catan: Seafarers:: Rules:: Re: Closed Shipping Lane Question

ackmondual — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:46:14 +0000

by ackmondual

Good question. I don't think this has ever came up in my online plays nor in real life.

My vote would be..... I don't know. I would actually get a consensus from my group about this. Well, if I had to make a judgement call, I'd say both shipping lanes are considered closed. Having a "fall back" shipping lane to keep the rule from being broken (where 2 setts must always be connected by a shpping lane) isn't an legit reason to break it.

galvatorix wrote:
I posted this in the Settlers Forum and they told me I would be better off asking the question here.

If I have a closed shipping lane and I build a second shipping lane that connects the same settlements together. Can I move ships off of the original shipping lane? Or is it: Once the shipping lane is closed, it's closed forever or until your opponent breaks it.

The rules don't specifically address this concern. They just state that a shipping lane becomes closed once it has connected at least two settlements together. But one might logically assume that if a second shipping lane connects all of the settlements of the first shipping lane; you may be able to then [open] move the ships of the original or second shipping lane. Just as long as there is a shipping lane connecting the settlements and it is never broken.

Maybe I'm way off, but that is why I'm asking this question.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Sessions:: Re: 5 player session of Catan

gopher37 — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:27:58 +0000

by gopher37

fbeukema wrote:
Interesting -- I haven't thought to keep track of dice rolls in Catan before. I recently picked up the Catan Event cards, designed in part to force a bell-curve distribution of rolls. I should try keeping track with the dice in the meantime.

Nice report!

Thanks!

I wouldn't say that I write down each dice roll, but I just mentally keep track of what numbers come up the most and the least, it is interesting to see what numbers come up each game...

Reply: Catan: Cities & Knights:: Sessions:: Re: Different paths to almost victory

]]>

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Closed Shipping Lane Question

ilta — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:51:09 +0000

by ilta

That would be my reading, too. You should really post this on the Seafarers board though.

Reply: The Settlers of Catan:: Rules:: Re: Closed Shipping Lane Question

peapicker — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:12:21 +0000

by peapicker

I understand it to mean that if a settlement is on each end, it is closed.

So both routes you describe are closed, and cannot be modified.

However, you can always play that as a house rule.