Your spouse will become a tricky, sneaky person you hardly recognize.” Watching youtube videos to improve your game, bribing your children. You'll find yourself begging strangers to come over to play. Here’s one of the game’s 14,000+ Amazon reviews: “Beware! Don't try this unless you plan on getting addicted. We’re not the only ones who can’t get enough, either. I introduced it to my close group of friends, and it’s become a ritual for us to play every time we get together. There are many ways to earn points in Catan, including by building the longest road.Ĭatan might not sound groundbreaking, but I promise you that it’s extremely fun and quite addicting. I absolutely love this game-and you will, too There are lots of other rules that I won’t get into-for instance, there’s a “robber” who can be used to block resource collection, as well as docks that give you better trade deals-and while it may sound confusing, it usually only takes two or three turns for new players to figure out the gameplay. 8 comes up significantly more often than 12).Īfter resources are given out, the active player can then build settlements or roads, buy development cards, and even trade resources with other players, if desired. Everyone who has a settlement on a tile with the number rolled is awarded the resource depicted by the tile.įor this reason, it’s important to place your settlements strategically-you’ll want to be on tiles with varied resources, as you’ll need all five types to progress, but it’s also beneficial to build on numbers that have a higher probability of being rolled (ie. How do you get resources, exactly? Every tile of the board has a number on it, and at the beginning of every turn, the player rolls the dice. This fancy resource card holder isn't included with the game, but you can buy one for cheap on Amazon.Īs you might have figured out by now, resources are the key to winning Catan-the more resources you have, the more you can build and/or buy. Finally, you have the option to purchase “development cards,” which may also award you victory points. Second, you can earn accomplishments such as the “Longest Road” and “Biggest Army,” but these accolades change hands throughout the game if someone overtakes your record. First, you can build settlements and/or cities on the board, but you have to collect the necessary resources to do so. There are three ways to earn victory points in Catan. As you build your settlement and unlock achievements, you’ll earn victory points, and the first player to reach 10 victory points is the winner. The basic premise of the game is that you’re settlers on the island of Catan, and you’re competing against each other to see who can build their civilization the fastest. (I’m not kidding when I say I’ve taught the game to dozens of people, so I kind of have the speech down pat-not to brag, or anything.) To give you an idea of how Catan works, I’m going to give you the same spiel that I use to teach new players. It’s the perfect excuse to crack a beer and crack a lot of jokes, until it’s time to pack it back up…some swearing vengeance the following Sunday.During the game, players race to build a settlement on the board. But a board game habit is good for the heart, too. People who regularly play board games are more likely to score well on thinking and memory tests later in life. We know solving puzzles is good for the brain. Pick your buzzy wellness epithet: Catan is a cognitive-boosting, cortisol-lowering mindfulness cocktail, where the stakes feel high but couldn’t be lower. Very few media are capable of making us feel challenged and connected at the same time. It isn’t particularly surprising that as pandemic pods formed in the spring of 2020, people latched onto board games - and a game like Catan, in particular. One of Teuber’s peers, named Richard Dansky, once wrote of Catan: “It’s a hardcore game and a light social pastime and everything in between, a laboratory where I can test a hundred different play styles and a genuine reason to invite friends over.” Opposing players can barter, they can acquiesce, they can tease. What do you have? I’ll trade you two sheep for some wood. Players (three to four to a game with the classic edition) can talk constantly throughout the 45 minutes or so that it takes to complete a game. But there’s a critical social component, too.
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