The Great River of Catan

3-4 players
45-90 minutes
Shipping Weight: 2 Pounds

Settlers of Catan is the winner of the prestigious 1995 Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year)award.

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This the newest release of the Settlers of Catan board game, developed by Klaus Tueber.

The Settlers of Catan is one of the most influential games of the last several decades, as well as the first really big hit board game in Germany. It won the German Game of the Year in 1995. In 1996, it won the US Board Game of the Year. This game introduced the US to the “euro” game.

Did you know that this game is the single most searched for and reviewed toy or game on Amazon.com? It's true - believe it or not!

This game is truly a landmark game and belongs on every board game fan’s shelf. This game works very well as a gateway game for new gamers.

At its core, it is a simple game with a high replay level.

After being around for over a decade, it still holds up as a great game. No, this game is not as well known as Monopoly, but it is becoming so. There have literally been hundreds of thousands of these board games sold around the world. Microsoft has even picked it up for online play and it is incorporated into the Xbox Live Arcade. This is not a game you want to miss out on.

It’s a great feeling to hold a party with several friends or family members looking for a unique gaming experience. Everyone’s sitting around the table wondering what game to play and you pull out your new Settlers of Catan game. Everyone looks at you inquisitively because they have never heard of this game. You explain how to play it and suggest they give it a try. Within 15 minutes, you are up and running. The board is set up and the game is in high gear. Next thing you know, your friends are plotting how to get more sheep or wood and everyone is having a great time playing a game nobody had heard of before you introduced it to them.

So, what is Settlers of Catan all about?

Players are recent immigrants to the newly populated island of Catan. Expand your colony through the building of settlements, roads, and villages by harvesting commodities from the land around you. Trade sheep, lumber, bricks and grain for a settlement, bricks and wood for a road, or try to complete other combinations for more advanced buildings, services and specials. There is no money or violence in this game. The currency of Catan is resources, and the layout of these resources can be different for every game. Your ability to sabotage your neighbor comes in the form of the robber – he stops production of certain quantities of resources other players need and allows you to steal a resource from them.

Trade with other players or at local seaports to get resources you might lack. The first player to achieve 10 points from a combination of roads, settlements, and special cards wins.

The magic of Settlers of Catan is in the player interaction, which occurs on every turn. It is gratifying to see your cities and roads laid out before you on the board, but is more exciting to negotiate a great barter with your fellow players.

One of the nice things about this game is that all the players’ pieces and the robber are made of painted wood, not plastic. All the cards are fairly sturdy and shuffle well. As a bonus, the artwork is very nice. A nice extra included with Settlers of Catan is several Ziploc bags, so you can organize your pieces for easy use.

The bottom line here is that Settlers of Catan is a great game. If you like board games,you should own this game. You will be glad you do!

You can enhance your Settlers of Catan experience with these expansions:

• Catan: Seafarers
• Catan: Cities & Knights
• Catan: Traders & Barbarians

Settlers of Catan Quickstart

Learn to Play Settlers of Catan

Check out our Settlers of Catan photos on Flickr