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Settlers of Catan

This is a cult classic! Hard to find in any store, best found on the web.  In Settlers of Catan, players try to be the dominant force on the island of Catan by building settlements, cities, and roads. On each turn dice are rolled to determine the current production on the island. Players collect raw materials to build up their civilizations to gain enough victory points to win the game.

game time: 90 minutes

players: 3-4

I'll trade you 1 sheep for 1 wood!

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Settlers of Catan board
MSRP $35.00
Release date --
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Pros & Cons13
Reviews7
Details
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Competitors
Comments4
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
7 reviews
86
negative
mixed
positive
6 positive
1 mixed
0 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
•
Modular design makes for a new board each time, keeping game fresh
+7agreedisagree

•
Game design allows for wide variety in strategy and play ability
+5agreedisagree

•
Multiple paths to victory
+5agreedisagree

•
Ruleset has good checks and balances to make sure one player doesn't totally dominate too early
+5agreedisagree

•
Durable game pieces
+4agreedisagree

•
You'll do better when working with other allies
+2agreedisagree

•
More relaxed game than Risk
+2agreedisagree

•
You don't lose your game pieces once you've placed them on the board, so you're always moving up
+2agreedisagree

•
Robber piece can end friendships
0agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
•
End game state isn't fixed and may make the game drag.
+3agreedisagree

•
When players won't trade the game can get boring
-1agreedisagree

•
Less intense than Risk
-2agreedisagree

•
Winning can take the table by surprise which is unsatisfying
-2agreedisagree


7 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!
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Details

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This report was started January 22, 2007 at 12:47 pm by KD1964
with the last edit occurring Tuesday, 8:12 PM by SJBenoist
This page has been viewed 3824 times, with 74 edits by 11 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Settlers of Catan

• The Settlers of Catan

• The Settlers of Catan

UPC: 029877030613

EAN: 029877030613

MPN: 3061

Settlers of Catan | 5-6 player extension

• The Settlers of Catan 5-6 Player Extension

• The Settlers of Catan 5-6 Player Extension

UPC: 298770306204

EAN: 029877030620

MPN: 4102483

Settlers of Catan | Cities & Knights expansion

• Catan: Cities & Knights Expansion

• Catan: Cities & Knights

UPC: 029877030651

EAN: 029877030651

MPN: 0029877030651

Settlers of Catan | 10th Anniversary 3D Limited Edition

• The Settlers of Catan 3D 10th Anniversary Limited Edition

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Comments

6 taps
1.  avatar KD1964 said:

I played this game last night and had to teach three new players. I must say, the game is indeed fun, but there are a lot of explaining involved when playing the very first game. The players enjoyed it alot more after playing a second game.
Jan 29, 2007 9:16am
2.  avatar Special K said:

I've played this game a couple times at my friends house. It's an interesting idea with a game-board that is different with every play, making it a new challenge that won't quickly be boring or predictable. The first time I played it in German (Die Siedler von Catan), and knowing the language it's being played in makes it much easier to understand!! All in all, it's a game worth checking out.
Jan 30, 2007 3:12pm
3.  avatar Howlsthunder said:

I own Settlers of Catan and all of its expansions - it is by far my favorite game and remains a favorite among my friends as well. The rules seem daunting at first, true, but after one game new players tend to catch on quickly.

I think the modular aspect of the board is what makes Settlers so addictive and re-playable - it is never really the same twice. There are also several different ways to attain victory points so even if a player is hindered in one area, they may be able to excel in others.
Apr 16, 2008 8:10pm
4.  avatar Omar said:

I played this game last night for the first time, and with my group of friends it was only natural that the ONE game lasted 3 hours instead of the average 90 minutes. Since it was our first game our strategies were relatively simple, and we couldn't delve too much into the intricacies of the game board. That being said I found the game less intense, and more relaxing than Risk. Now, this is both a good and bad thing. You don't get the yelling and shouting and friendship-ending moments in Catan that was so common in our games of risk, but at the same time you don't get heart attacks either.

Also, relative to risk I missed the general feeling of seeing mass amount of armies and watching people's countries expand and contract as the game progressed. There's something about trading in a set of Risk cards, building up a huge army and making a major against another player to try and take them out. This kind of thing doesn't really happen in Catan.

What's good about that though is that you're never really OUT of the game. You always have some way to win by using the Development cards, or building the longest road, etc. There are a lot of rules that try to keep the game balanced and ensure that one player doesn't just totally run away with it from the beginning.
Mar 19, 2009 11:16am
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Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

Omar

avatar
March 19, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
73
negative
mixed
positive
8 pros
3 cons
trustedtrusted
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Modular design makes for a new board each time, keeping game fresh
  • Game design allows for wide variety in strategy and play ability
  • Multiple paths to victory
  • Ruleset has good checks and balances to make sure one player doesn't totally dominate too early
  • You'll do better when working with other allies
  • More relaxed game than Risk
  • You don't lose your game pieces once you've placed them on the board, so you're always moving up
  • Robber piece can end friendships

Cons

  • When players won't trade the game can get boring
  • Less intense than Risk
  • Winning can take the table by surprise which is unsatisfying

Comments

"I played this game last night for the first time, and with my group of friends it was only natural that the ONE game lasted 3 hours instead of the average 90 minutes. Since it was our first game our strategies were relatively simple, and we couldn't delve too much into the intricacies of the game board. That being said I found the game less intense, and more relaxing than Risk. Now, this is both a good and bad thing. You don't get the yelling and shouting and friendship-ending moments in Catan that was so common in our games of risk, but at the same time you don't get heart attacks either.

Also, relative to risk I missed the general feeling of seeing mass amount of armies and watching people's countries expand and contract as the game progressed. There's something about trading in a set of Risk cards, building up a huge army and making a major against another player to try and take them out. This kind of thing doesn't really happen in Catan.

What's good about that though is that you're never really OUT of the game. You always have some way to win by using the Development cards, or building the longest road, etc. There are a lot of rules that try to keep the game balanced and ensure that one player doesn't just totally run away with it from the beginning."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Howlsthunder

avatar
April 2, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
7 pros
0 cons
trustedtrusted
have ithave it
love itlove it
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Modular design makes for a new board each time, keeping game fresh
  • Game design allows for wide variety in strategy and play ability
  • Multiple paths to victory
  • Ruleset has good checks and balances to make sure one player doesn't totally dominate too early
  • Durable game pieces
  • More relaxed game than Risk
  • You don't lose your game pieces once you've placed them on the board, so you're always moving up

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Comments

"I own Settlers of Catan and all of its expansions - it is by far my favorite game and remains a favorite among my friends as well. The rules seem daunting at first, true, but after one game new players tend to catch on quickly.

I think the modular aspect of the board is what makes Settlers so addictive and re-playable - it is never really the same twice. There are also several different ways to attain victory points so even if a player is hindered in one area, they may be able to excel in others."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Lefty10

avatar
March 19, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
88
negative
mixed
positive
7 pros
1 con
trustedtrusted
love itlove it
have ithave it
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Modular design makes for a new board each time, keeping game fresh
  • Game design allows for wide variety in strategy and play ability
  • Multiple paths to victory
  • Ruleset has good checks and balances to make sure one player doesn't totally dominate too early
  • Durable game pieces
  • You'll do better when working with other allies
  • Robber piece can end friendships

Cons

  • End game state isn't fixed and may make the game drag.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

pmacdona

avatar
September 29, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
50
negative
mixed
positive
1 pro
1 con
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Modular design makes for a new board each time, keeping game fresh

Cons

  • End game state isn't fixed and may make the game drag.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

wiley

avatar
May 7, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
89
negative
mixed
positive
8 pros
1 con

Pros

  • Modular design makes for a new board each time, keeping game fresh
  • Game design allows for wide variety in strategy and play ability
  • Multiple paths to victory
  • Ruleset has good checks and balances to make sure one player doesn't totally dominate too early
  • Durable game pieces
  • You'll do better when working with other allies
  • More relaxed game than Risk
  • You don't lose your game pieces once you've placed them on the board, so you're always moving up

Cons

  • End game state isn't fixed and may make the game drag.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

SJBenoist

avatar
Tuesday, 8:12 PM
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
5 pros
0 cons

Pros

  • Modular design makes for a new board each time, keeping game fresh
  • Game design allows for wide variety in strategy and play ability
  • Multiple paths to victory
  • Ruleset has good checks and balances to make sure one player doesn't totally dominate too early
  • Durable game pieces

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

koalacuddles

avatar
December 24, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
1 pro
0 cons
have ithave it
love itlove it
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Modular design makes for a new board each time, keeping game fresh

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

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