The Settlers of Catan (beware, some pics)

[Skybird]

I learned last week, that my most favourite social boardgame (which can also see emotions turn quite anti-social ), "Die Siedler von Catan", has been successfully translocated from the German-languaged European market to the United States as well. Over here, the voted "Best boardgame of 1995" is easily the most successful boardgame of the past 15 years. It saw several upgrade packages, a PC conversion in 2001, and is still so successful and asked for that two years ago they released again a completely new PC and Mac version of the game, with much improved AI and including the two most wanted upgrade sets as well, "The Seafarer" and "Cities & Knights".

http://www.catan.com/

You can choose the "Play Catan" tab and then choose to play the basic rules versions as a free browser game, to get an idea of what it is about. You can play it online, and you can try the trial version or buy the full PC version allowing to play the full package on your PC.

http://www.catan.com/gamerules.html

A brief summary of the game's principles can be found here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Settlers_of_Catan

Settlers was one of the first German-style board games to achieve popularity outside Europe, and has been called the killer app of the genre. Over 15 million games in the Catan series have been sold, and the game has been translated into thirty languages from the original German.

If you are looking for a social boardgame of extremly good gaming quality and 3-4 players 3-4 (with addon sets 3-6), try this one, no matter whether you go for the biardghame itself, or the PC version if that is for you. You can also try the free brwoser version against 2 virtual opponents , or chose to play online (their are tournament events for both online and boardgame versions).

There have been several addons and supplementations to Catan, and variations of the original theme. I always recommend to go for three: the Basic Game, Cities and Knights, and Seafarer. These three combined gives me the best Catan experience I could wish for.

Sometime ago I also saw a Catan interface done by a third party which is meant for network play between human players, and runs under the GNU licence project - it is all free. It's called "Sea3D".

http://www.chip.de/downloads/Sea3D_13014875.html

Finally there is this fella who started to build his own real 3D miniature world for Catan - nice!

http://www.siedeln.de/phpBB/ltopic,9109,0,asc,0.html









Let's settle down!

[PhantomLord]

There´s already a successor: Cities3D

http://www.chip.de/downloads/Cities3D_20228394.html

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by PhantomLord

There´s already a successor: Cities3D

http://www.chip.de/downloads/Cities3D_20228394.html

Ah! Okay.

Just FYI: this again is a GUI for server play between humans, there is no AI opposition.

[Sailor Steve]

A friend of mine owns a hobby shop, so I've been aware of the boardgame for several years. Never knew it was a computer game as well, though.

On the other hand, did you know that long before Sid Meier got his hands on the title, and even before gaming PCs, Civilization was a boardgame as well?
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/71/civilization

[Blacklight]

Settlers of Cataan has actually been HUGE over here among board gamers for the past several years. I know several board gamers who are addicted to that game. It really wasn't my cup of tea (most euro-games aren't), but it's a very well designed game.

It IS the only board game I know of where you can say "Wood for sheep" as part of the game play though.

[Skybird]

Less than a week ago, a new Catan PC program, "Catan Creator's Edition" has been released in Germany. It's a completely new developement. And you know what? As a boardgame conversion, it really is pretty mighty hefty damn good.

No Java, this one comes as a C++ game. Graphic is fully zoomable and can be turned and moved as you like. Rulesets include Knights&Cities, and Seefahrer again. There are options for and scenarios with foggy hexes, treasure chests and one or two more. The game owes to its predecessor in name-giving and visual desiogn of the AI characters, it includes the same scenarios, plus a few more, but to make this one clear: it is a massive improvement over the earlier Catan in all regards. Some rare rule options that most people do not use in table games, also are included as optional choices. It mjst not be said that the original playing rules apply, and all action and event cards are there, too.

There is a nice editor that allows easy creation of your own maps and scenarios, complete with randomization of fields and chips and all avalable rule options as you want to have it. Works wonderful, I tried it.

The AI can be set to low, normal and difficult. On difficult, I have lost most matches. The AI really plays nice, I have to admit it shows me my limits on not rare occasions. Ten AI characters, that have 1-5 star ratings in 3 categories: aggressiveness, expansionism, talent. The various characters really practice different playing styles. the apparently tame ones - are easy to underestimate. That they play differently does not mean they play weak. You've been warned.



I like Catan, it's one of the best boardgame designs I ever learned, I use to play it with the kids and parents where the mothers is an old girlfriend of mine whenever I visit them over extended weekends: then every evening is a Catan-evening. It is a very good boardgame, and the conversion I learned to appreciate the more the longer I have tested it now. With 18 Euros, it also is not expensive.

Only the documentations leaves to be desired, it would be good if you already know the rules of the boardgame, and then you can learn the functionality of the - well-designed - interface by trial and error in one or two test matches. However, there are some tutorials and an in-menu-almanach included. But no separate manual in printed or pdf format.

The game has a histogram display to keep track of the dice results, and allows dice throws basing on the Mersienne Twister algorithm or by using 1x or 5x dice-card staples. Criticism by some people that the game AI cheats or uses cheating randomization, I already found invalid and wrong with the predecessor. I refuse to take this criticism as valid with this new incarnation, too. By all my observations, the Ai plays fair and clean, the dice do not help it in any unfair manner. Of course, fortune sometimes plays in your favour - and sometimes against you as well. That's why they call it luck.

I definitely recommend this game for lovers of the original who occasionally want to play it but lack the people to fill a table round. The price is not only fair - it is extraordinarily cheap for what is delivered. I found no serious bugs or erratic functions. Some cosmetic things, but none of them that should worry the potentially interested - promised.

At German Amazon, some people really gave rants about the game, plowing it under. But I find most of their points unfair and for the most even rightout wrong. However, the game offers an alternative graphics mode, more like cartoon in 3D, and yes, that one looks terrible and is almost unplayable. Well. Leave it switched off then. Problem solved.

If you are a Catan player and would like to have a good PC adaptation, do not hesitate and try this one. It is very good, really. A fair-priced, welldone, good-looking, nicely designed and complete and round package with really good AI. A brilliant conversion, I would say. I love it.

[Red October1984]

I played this last Thanksgiving with my Uncle and some other family members.

It was pretty fun. I thought it was a little easy... I picked it up pretty quick and on my first time almost beat my Uncle.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

and on my first time almost beat my Uncle.

"almost"...? - You looser...!

While not matching the complexity of PC simulation games, the rule complexity of Catan varies, depending on what addons are being used. I always recommend to consider adding Knight&Cities to the base game. As a matter of fact I refuse to play without it. You must produce action cards by a short economic production cycle that increasingly improves the probability for you to be awarded with such cards, and you cannot directly buy them via ressource cards anymore. Also, you have knights that allow you some options that in some matches can turn out to draw all the game's attention at least for some time of the match: especially blocking the territorial expansion of the rivals. Very nice addon, to me: an essential one.

There are also scenarios with different starting maps in use, depending on the addons in use. It is by far not always the standard hexagon. There are scenarios with hidden hexes whose fields do not get revealed until they are being reached. Especially mean is any scenario where not all hexes have a number chip. When you reach a new, empty field, you must remove a chip from one of the existing hexes and then place it. That way, you really can turn your closest friend into a snapped enemy that does not talk to you for the rest of the weekend. .

Some of these rule alternatives bring big fun indeed, that is for sure.

There was an article on Catan recently in a German newspaper, just days ago. It is the most popular boardgame in Europe and also does very well in North America. It has left Monopoly behind both in sales numbers and popularity. It even gets used in manager seminaries. Really, no joke. It has also led to a huge raise in popularity of high quality boardgames in general, paving the way for some very nice releases in the past years. But so far nothing and nobody can compete with Catan. Over here, it is cult amongst boardgamers.

Ooohhh, I hate that game SO much...

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Nippelspanner

Ooohhh, I hate that game SO much...

I didn't hate the game....but I thought it was too simple and non-challenging.

I only played it the once with my family and it was easy. Don't have to play it again...but I probably would if I had people to play board games with.