Catan - Game overview

Game description

With 20 million copies sold since it was first published by Kosmos in 1995, Catan is the biggest best-seller among modern board games. Catan is widely regarded as the game that put board games back in the spotlight.

In Catan, players develop a colony.

The most interesting thing about Catan is the permanent interaction between players:

• negotiation to exchange resources
• competition to get the best spots first
• thief management

Catan is both a tactical and strategical game, with a strong "social" component.

We warmly recommend this game !

Gameplay

In Catan, players try to develop their colony as fast as possible, by building roads, villages and towns.

Each village and town produces resources (brick, lumber, wool, grain, ore) depending on the grounds that surround them and the dice good fortune. Those resources allow players to strengthen their economy and eventually win the game.

On his turn, a player rolls two dice.

If the sum of the two dice is not 7, the squares with this number produce. Players who have villages or towns around them receive resources.

If the sum is 7, then the thief must be moved to a different square. This square will not produce anything as long as the thief is there, thus slowing down the players who have a village or a town nearby.

After this, the player can exchange resources with his competitors (negotiation). Some resources are rarer than others depending on the game and on the phases. Wood and bricks are very useful in the beginning of a game. Don't let anyone get a monopoly!

Finally, the player may build something before terminating his turn.

The game ends when one player reaches 10 points (a village is worth 1 point, a town 2 points, and there are other ways to score).

Awards

1995 - Spiel des Jahres - Winner

1995 - Deutscher Spiele Preis - Best Family/Adult - Winner

1995 - Essen Feather - Best Written Rules - Winner

1995 - Meeples' Choice Award - Winners

1996 - Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Board Game - Winner

2002 - Japan Boardgame Prize - Best Japanese Game - Nominee

2004 - Hra roku - Winner

2005 - Games Magazine Hall of Fame

2005 - Gra Roku Game of the Year - Winner

2011 - Ludo Award Best Board Game Editor's Choice - Winner

2012 - JoTa Best Game Released in Brazil - Nominee

Play Catan online

There is a very good Catan iOS app.

Of course, playing with the app will never replace a game between friends (especially as far as negotiating is concerned). But this is a really good purchase anyway.