Catan creativity changed the way we play

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/01/2021 (2009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Roughly 25 years ago, I visited my family in Germany for Christmas. Some of my friends there arranged a board game evening, where they introduced me to a new game that had just hit the German market: Die Siedler von Catan, or as they say in English, The Settlers of Catan.

I was immediately impressed by the unusual mechanics of both the strategy and player interaction of the game, created by German game designer Klaus Teuber. The game was not available in North America at the time, so I purchased a copy and brought it back with me to Canada. I needed to translate some of the cards into English. My gaming friends in Winnipeg loved it, and that very copy, with lots of English scribbles on it, was well used over the next few months.

The next year, 1995, Settlers of Catan won the prestigious German Game of the Year award, and eventually an English edition hit the market. Millions of copies have been sold over the last 25 years; it is, without a doubt, the most significant new board game of the 21st century.

In 2015, the latest edition changed its name from The Settlers of Catan to simply Catan, as it is known today.

A quick overview: Three or four players are settling an island composed of randomly arranged hexagonally shaped tiles. Each tile has a number from 2-12 and a resource that it can produce on it (wood, wheat, brick, ore, or sheep). Each player starts with two settlements and roads that are placed on a corner between different tiles. Points are earned by gaining more settlements, cities, roads or victory point cards. On a player’s turn they roll two dice. Whatever number they rolled, that tile will produce resources (i.e.: if an eight is rolled, the tile(s) with the number eight will produce whatever resource is depicted on it). Any player who has either a settlement or city on the edge of that tile will receive one or two resource cards. Settlements will get one card; cities will get two. Players can use these cards to buy and/or build new items on their turn. After each dice roll, there is also trading phase, where the current player can trade cards with other players for whatever exchange rate they deem fair. For example, I might offer one wheat in exchange for two sheep, and so on. The game continues until someone reaches 10 points.

What makes Catan so special? For one, all the players are interacting even if it is not their turn. At the time Catan was first published, this was a unique concept in the board gaming world. Second, the game was simple to explain, yet it offered a tremendous depth of game play and many different paths towards victory. This created a longing to try a different strategies. Third, no two games were ever alike because the initial setup was random. Ore, for example, might be available in abundance in one game, and hard to get in another. A final thought is best expressed by Teuber’s son Benny: “The beauty of Catan is that, in the end, you still have constructed something. In a way, everybody wins.”

There are plenty of versions and expansions of Catan. Here are some of my favourites beyond the original:

CATAN 5-6 PLAYER EXTENSION

5-6 players, ages 8 and up

The original game was designed for only 3-4 players, but a 5-6 player expansion makes room for more. The only change in the rules is that there is a building round at the end of each turn in which any player can build. This extension requires the base game of Catan.

CATAN: SEAFARERS

3-4 players, ages 10 and up

In this expansion on the base game, players can build shipping lanes, which are very similar to roads. Additionally, the game comes with many different water-hex-heavy variant setups. Works best using the same publisher and edition as the original.

CATAN: CITIES & KNIGHTS

3-4 players, ages 12 and up

This expansion introduces several new aspects to the gameplay, but the two major ones are creating knights to protect the land from invading barbarians and building city improvements that confer benefits upon that city’s owner. Overall, this increases the tactical complexity to the game and game length. It adds three new resources, decks of development cards, and the ability to build knights on the island. It requires the base game.

RIVALS FOR CATAN

2 players, ages 10 and up

The original Catan can only be played with three or more players. This version is a great adaptation for two players. Players take the role of a prince or princess and decide the fate of their settlers. In addition to settlements, roads, and cities they also construct the buildings where their subject works, hire heroes that can make their opponent’s life as a gamer difficult, and build ships to boost their trade.

STARFARERS OF CATAN

3-4 players, ages 10 and up

The year is 2700 AD. Compete for the prestigious post of Ambassador to the Galactic Council. To attain this lofty position, players must leave Earth to explore and colonize the galaxy, while working to establish trade with alien cultures, encounter aliens, and defeat pirates. A very cool and beautiful variant of the original game that keeps the core mechanics while introducing the elements of discovery and conflict with pirates who will reward you based on the choices you make.

Olaf Pyttlik is a Winnipeg board-game enthusiast and co-owner of Across the Board Game Café. In a regular column, he looks at the renaissance of board games and shares games ideas for families and friends of all ages. Email him at olaf@acrosstheboardcafe.com.