The Settlers of Catan Review

The Settlers of Catan was released in 1995, and is widely recognised as a superb example of German-style game mechanics as well as a perfect game to bridge the gap between more mainstream fare such as Monopoly, and heavier German-style games such as Tigris & Euphrates. As many players’ first experience of the world outside ‘roll and move’ games, Settlers has more than likely been responsible for drawing more players into deviating from the well-worn path of Monopoly, Risk et al than any other game. Given that it has now been available for a decade, has time dulled its appeal?

Well, yes and no. While there are games that are deeper and more strategic than Catan, or games more suited for weaning people off the Monopoly-teat (sorry if that produced a bizarre mental image!), there’s no denying that The Settlers of Catan remains an exceptional game. For those of you unfamiliar with the game, it involves players settling on an island – the eponymous Catan – and building settlements, gathering resources and trading in order to become the Lord of Catan. Ten victory points must be attained for a player to win, and there are numerous paths to victory.

During each turn, players roll the dice for production. The island is comprised of hexes which produce different resources depending on their type – resource types are wood, wool, wheat, brick and ore. A number is displayed on each hex, and if this number is rolled, any player with a settlement bordering the relevant hex gathers the necessary resource (with bonus resources for extra settlements or upgraded settlements – known as cities). Once resources have been collected by all players, the active player may then initiate trading with other players or the bank. Once trading is completed, the active player may then spend resources in order to further develop their territory with roads, more settlements or cities, as well as buying development cards (which sometimes count as victory points but mostly have one off special effects). Victory points are given for each settlement or city that a player has, for having the longest road or largest army or for having victory points on development cards.

A slight complication arises with the addition of the robber. Starting on the only non-commodity producing hex on the island – the desert – the robber is moved if a seven is rolled by any player. Moving him onto a numbered hex stops the hex from producing resources for as long as he sits on it, and also allows the active player to steal a resource from a player who has a settlement or city bordering the hex it is moved to. Also, if a player has more than seven cards in their hand when a seven is rolled, half of these must be given back to the bank.

Rolling the die thus forms the main interaction that players have with the ‘board’, but trading is the real crux of the game. It is very enjoyable to strike deals with other players, trying desperately to turn a useless hand of resources into something that can be utilised to build what is needed in order to advance in the game. That is, unless you’re playing with one or more players who refuse to trade – Catan can be a long, drawn out and miserable experience if players decide that they are not interested in trading. This can happen when introducing new players to the game, but as long as it is stressed that trading is incredibly important if players want to get their ten points as quickly as possible, there should be no problems.

Another big problem with the game is that sometimes players can be stuck without any resources at all, with die rolls leaving them totally out of being able to trade at all. If this happens, the game becomes endlessly frustrating for the player affected – and even affects the game for other players, as all players options for trading become much more restricted. It must be said that it is rare for this to happen, though.

The robber can be pretty tough for new players too, not to mention frustrating for any player who is constantly targeted by the other players as a candidate for robbing.

This is sounding a bit negative, but these problems really don’t affect the enjoyment of the game too much, given that they don’t crop up too often. It is important to acknowledge them however, as they do come up from time to time – although the game’s detractors would have you believe that they happen during every game.

Where Catan excels is in the social interaction of the trading. It’s always fun to try and haggle your way to getting the exact resources you need, desperately trying to cling onto certain resources and trying just as desperately to get rid of the stuff you don’t need. Not only that, but Catan offers a fairly simple game that usually lasts for around 90 minutes, which is optimal for a game like this.

Catan’s status as the perfect gateway game isn’t necessarily the case any more – games such as Carcassonne and Ticket to Ride are, in my opinion anyway, much more suited to introducing players to German-style games – but it is still a fantastic game of resource management and territory building. Even though this is the case, The Settlers of Catan is still a great all-round game. With expansions available that add seafaring exploration (The Seafarers of Catan) and politics & warfare (The Cities & Knights of Catan), Catan is also a nicely expandable experience, which certainly adds value for players who may tire of the base game. Despite it’s age, The Settlers of Catan remains a compelling game – which is more than can be said for many decade-old games.

Summary

Presentation: An excellently produced game with lots of nice wooden components and sturdy hexes. The decks of cards provided even come in their own box, which is a nice touch. 9.3/10

Clarity of Rules: Tougher to learn than it should be (given a few strange rules), but the rulebook is comprehensive and an almanac is included to further assist with learning the game. 9.5/10

Game Length: Usually lasts around an hour and a half, which is just right. Games are always tense and usually very close at the end. 9.4/10

Value: The ability to randomise the setup as and when players desire is a big bonus, and the availability of excellent expansions ensures that Catan will be played for years to come. 9.2/10

Overall: Catan’s detractors always complain about the randomness of resource production and the nastiness that the robber can bring, but these aspects do not ruin what is a brilliantly simple and compelling trading game. A true classic. 9.5/10 (not an average)

Review by Jason M. Brown