What and Why to Play Settlers of Catan Board Game

Settlers of Catan was first published Germany in 1995, and since that time this board game has developed a huge following around the world. The game is suitable for anyone above ten years of age, and it has become a real family favorite as well as claiming many devoted serious gamers. The rules are simple enough to pick up but the game play is engaging enough to keep people entertained every time they play. This is an award winning game that has managed to become the German game of the year in 1995 and the US game of the year in 1996. It had grown way beyond the board and you can now play it in different formats such as video game, card game, as well as online.

The idea behind the game-play is quite straight forward. Up to four players can participate, and the aim is to colonize the island of Catan. In order to do this you will need to rely on strategy as well as a bit of luck. The players don't directly compete against one another, and nobody gets knocked out of the game; this makes it especially fun for families and other groups of people. Your goal is to manage scarce resources in such a way that you gain victory points; when you have collected ten victory points you have won the game. Along the way you will build settlements, cities, roads, and create an army.

The really fabulous thing about Settlers of Catan is that every time you play the game you will be facing a different board; this means that players can play the game for a long time without boredom becoming an issue.

I personally know people who have played the game many dozens of times and they just keep coming back for more.

The randomness of the layout is one of the real unique features of the game, and is a definite part of the reason for its popularity.

The game board is made up of an island surrounded by the sea. The island itself is made up of hexagon shaped tiles. When you set up the Settlers of Catan board you randomly distribute tiles; these represent different types of land. Once you begin the game you have two settlements and two roads, and you can place these on any corner of the board. There are resource cards distributed to each player that let you know what resources are touching your settlements. These resources include; wood, grain, ore, brick, and lumber. The players can spend their resource cards by matching them with the appropriate land tile. Throughout the game two dice are used to determine how successful the resources are doing, and to give players the opportunity to win more resource cards. They need to avoid getting a seven though, because this will mean that a hex can't produce resources for a while.

Settlers of Catan is a great for those who have been away from this type of game for a while or who have never played anything remotely like this previously. This is definitely the type of game that will reinvigorate your interest, or turn you into a fan if it is your first time and possibly even and addict.