Fantasia The Settlers of Catan

I admit I hadn't played a board game in years before Settlers of Catan. My initial doubts about this game were swept away during the game. It's incredibly engaging. both strikingly complex and simple, it is a game that can be enjoyed by many different types.

I enjoy a good strategy game. But usually at a certain point, especially in games such as Risk and Monopoly, everyone knows who will end up on top and it is just a slow grind. With Settlers of Catan, it is never entirely certain who will win or lose throughout the entire game. There is a heightened sense of anticipation and excitement, which means no one throws in the towel and walks away from the board. The game board is made of hexagonal tiles and changes every game which makes it difficult to have a surefire preplanned strategy to win.

This is a wonderful game to have. You can play with your friends and drink a lot of cocktails, shouting about sheep and ore and bricks. You can play with your parents, your children or your cousins. You could use it in a classroom, both to entertain students and to discuss social development. It is astonishingly versatile and has a broad appeal.

Almost all of my friends at college LOVE this game. The first time I played it was with a bunch of people who knew what they were doing, which I think is a little easier, as it is very much a learn-on-your-feet and strategy-based game.

It's sort of like taking Risk, making it more interactive between players, turning Risk into a generally shorter game, and throwing the card game Pit into the mix.

I really like that the board is randomized--it makes it more difficult to "solve" the game, so it stays fun for even the nerdiest folk for a long time.

The first time you read through the instructions, it might seem a little complicated--there are a lot of rules/conditions at first glance compared to many board games, but it's worth your time to play a slow, open-handed game the first time or two until you get the hang of it.

When I heard about this game, I thought it sounded kind of dull, even though I love boardgames. But I finally tried it and I was hooked! This is now one of my favorite games and everyone I introduce it to also loves it.
It may look complicated, but it’s pretty easy to learn and it doesn’t take too long to play—maybe an hour or so—depending on how many players there are. If five or six people play, it may take a little longer due to slight rule changes. It’s fun, though, and can turn into somewhat of a bidding war to get the commodities you need for building. One particular thing I like about it is that the board is different every time you play. You shuffle tiles and lay them out to form the main game board, so it’s never quite the same as the last time you played.

I grew up playing traditional board games: Sorry, Aggravation, Clue, etc. I somehow married a board game nerd of the highest order. He owns not one, not two, but three different variations of the game Risk. I find strategy board games hopelessly dull and pointless, so I was skeptical when he introduced me to Settlers and promised that it would be fun.

Fortunately for both of us, I found Settlers to be REALLY fun. Its description doesn't sound promising: players establish towns, cities, and roads, and trade commodities like wheat, ore, and sheep to continue building their communities. Nerdy, right? However, the trading is what makes this game work--it really hinges on the social element. If you play this game with friends (assuming they're not antisocial losers) you WILL have fun. It's not terribly complicated to learn, and unlike other strategy games, it can be finished in under an hour, so you're not giving up your whole afternoon just to play a game. Get it, play it, love it. Just don't be suckered into building next to the desert...you'll regret it.

Settlers of Catan is a very fun game to play. When I first learned it, it was really confusing but when I watched people play it I got the hang of it. This 4 person game can be very fun and has some strategies that helps you. This game can go either very fast if there are good resources and really slow if there are bad resources on the good numbers. Also if the people you play against aren't decisive it could take years to finish this game. The point of this game is to build houses and roads and gain 10 points for you to win. You have to use up your resources to make these settlements and roads. Every turn someone rolls a dice and the number that is on that resource you get to take it and hold it in your hand until it is your turn and you can use it on your turn. This game is really fun but you have to learn the rules first. This is a game worth buying if you really enjoy board games.

This game is so addicting.