anybody play Settlers of Catan?

[OutHouse]

i saw this at a board game store in a local mall. it looks interesteing and it has won awards for being a great game. The store was out of the original game but had a few expansions so before i buy it what are your thoughts on this game if you have played it.


http://www.catan.com/

update: The game store called and the game came in so i went to the mall on my lunch hour and bought it. i setup the game and after dinner we played it. it really is fun. my wife and kids really got into it.

i may have to buy the expansion for more players. I didnt play i just was referee with the rule book until we got the hang of it.

 

[NoReMoRsE]

Yes... you can also play online at games.asobrain.com

 

[Daishiki]

Ever since my friend introduced Settlers of Catan we've had a lot of fun. We have played Risk and Axis & Allies, but never as much as Settlers. We generally play the regular version or with Cities & Knights. We never got into Seafarers. I was at the store yesterday and noticed that they had a lot of other variations as well.

 

[KeithTalent]

A friend of mine absolutely loves this game and keeps trying to get me to play. It does look interesting, so I will probably try it out soon enough.

KT

 

[HardcoreRobot]

its awesome, i play every chance i get

 

[Firsttime]

It's super fun. It kinda has a laid back strategy vibe to it. As a bonus it doesn't take 17 hours to finish like Risk either haha. It takes about one or two plays to learn but the strategic ins and outs take much longer. One of the best board games ever. Skip the expansions, stay with the pure version.

 

[ElFenix]

It's super fun. It kinda has a laid back strategy vibe to it. As a bonus it doesn't take 17 hours to finish like Risk either haha. It takes about one or two plays to learn but the strategic ins and outs take much longer. One of the best board games ever. Skip the expansions, stay with the pure version.

no no, get the expansions, introduce them to your friends, and then win under the classic rules because they're so focused on the expansion victories.

 

[Glayde]

It's a great game. Totally recommend it. Tons of replayability and it doesn't take forever for each game.

There's the original game, then two expansions, seafarers and cities and knights.
(I own the normal game and the cities and knights expansion, the seafarer's doesn't bring as much to the table imo).

The regular game is great by itself (and is required to play the expansions). I'd just get the original game for now and then play that. If you want, you can get the expansions or addons later.

You can also get an addon to the game or any of the expansions to make it playable with 6 players instead of 4.

 

[Kirby]

SoC FTW

 

[torpid]

Love it. Also, it's a great game to play for a minute or two on an ipod/iphone, though the AI is predictable and not very good.

 

[JDawg1536]

I don't like board games much but this one is pretty good. You won't be disappointed.

 

[Miramonti]

Fun game.

 

[datalink7]

It is a great gateway game, IMO (meaning, it can get people interested in playing board games if they haven't done so in the past). Fun to play and easy to learn. One of the games I own.

My collection:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/collection/user/datalink7

But for additional research on board games, go to http://www.boardgamegeek.com

 

[OutHouse]

i did ask the chick if this was like risk or A&A, ive seen those games go on for days, so i am not very interested if Catan was like that. from what you guys are saying its not.

 

[Possessed Freak]

Too random. I prefer board games where the random element is minimized instead of in the forefront.

Datalink - Between our gaming group we have just about all those games on your list. I am on an Acquire kick right now, but I still enjoy a good game of Ticket to Ride (my gateway game into European type board games). You are not terribly far from me (Allentown PA), maybe one day we can road trip halfway and play a few games (did you go to the WBC last year?)

 

[zinfamous]

it's fun. my GF has carcasonn, or however it's spelled. the one with hunters and gatherers. good stuff.

 

[dullard]

Good game. It is probably the one that I'm most likely to get people willing to play. Lots of people are addicted to it and the gaming clubs around here are all focussed on that game. It isn't the best game in the world though. I'd give it a 7 out of 10. I haven't played the expansions, but they really don't look like they add much. Although, the ability to play with 6 players would be nice.

It takes maybe an hour to play. That time depends a lot on how much people plan ahead though.

 

[mugs]

It is a great gateway game, IMO (meaning, it can get people interested in playing board games if they haven't done so in the past). Fun to play and easy to learn. One of the games I own.

Yeah it's a great gateway game... I don't mind playing it, but I prefer to get people to move on to better games sooner rather than later. Most people who play Settlers of Catan like it, so they want to keep playing it.

I prefer Ticket to Ride as a gateway game. It's shorter, a bit lighter, there's no dice, and I enjoy it more. It was also my gateway game.

Or Carcassonne, I still play that with my wife a lot.

My collection:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/collection/user/datalink7

But for additional research on board games, go to http://www.boardgamegeek.com

You need to play your copy of Power Grid! I like it better than Agricola and Puerto Rico (I'd rank them Power Grid -> Agricola ----> Puerto Rico).

Only 8 games of Dominion? I probably played 8 games the day I got it! It's better with Intrigue, and even better with Seaside.

My wife and I play Race for the Galaxy a lot; it's a quick game we can play without much setup effort. And she doesn't mind that I usually beat her. I actually like San Juan better than Puerto Rico, even though it's a lot simpler. But once you've played Race for the Galaxy there's not much reason to go back to San Juan.

 

[KillerCharlie]

It is a bit random, but that helps even the playing field. Every time I've played there's been at least one beginner and at least one person who's played a million times. Usually after a few games you have a fighting chance to beat other people.

It also doesn't take an excessive amount of time to play (maybe 1.5 hours).

 

[datalink7]

Yeah it's a great gateway game... I don't mind playing it, but I prefer to get people to move on to better games sooner rather than later. Most people who play Settlers of Catan like it, so they want to keep playing it.

I prefer Ticket to Ride as a gateway game. It's shorter, a bit lighter, there's no dice, and I enjoy it more. It was also my gateway game.

Or Carcassonne, I still play that with my wife a lot.



You need to play your copy of Power Grid! I like it better than Agricola and Puerto Rico (I'd rank them Power Grid -> Agricola ----> Puerto Rico).

Only 8 games of Dominion? I probably played 8 games the day I got it! It's better with Intrigue, and even better with Seaside.

My wife and I play Race for the Galaxy a lot; it's a quick game we can play without much setup effort. And she doesn't mind that I usually beat her. I actually like San Juan better than Puerto Rico, even though it's a lot simpler. But once you've played Race for the Galaxy there's not much reason to go back to San Juan.

Honestly my "games played" isn't updated at all. I've played quite a few more games of all of those. Though if there is no rating, I haven't played the game at all.

I haven't played Power Grid yet because I haven't found a gaming group since moving to NJ 6 months ago (been working a lot). So I've only been playing two player games with my dad.

Through the Ages is one of our favorites and we've been playing it a lot lately.

 

[mugs]

Honestly my "games played" isn't updated at all. I've played quite a few more games of all of those. Though if there is no rating, I haven't played the game at all.

I haven't played Power Grid yet because I haven't found a gaming group since moving to NJ 6 months ago (been working a lot). So I've only been playing two player games with my dad.

Through the Ages is one of our favorites and we've been playing it a lot lately.

There's a group that meets in Edison on Wednesday nights and two Saturdays a month. It's a bit of a drive for you, but it'd give you a chance to play a lot more 3+ player games. I've been playing with an offshoot of that group that meets in Branchburg; I've been meaning to get down to the Edison group on a Saturday sometime. I've learned a ton of new games since I joined the Branchburg group.

http://www.meetup.com/BoardgamesNJ/

How long does Through the Ages take you to play with two players? I've been thinking about getting that one; I play a lot of two-player games with my wife, but I doubt we'd play a 4 hour game.

 

[datalink7]

There's a group that meets in Edison on Wednesday nights and two Saturdays a month. It's a bit of a drive for you, but it'd give you a chance to play a lot more 3+ player games. I've been playing with an offshoot of that group that meets in Branchburg; I've been meaning to get down to the Edison group on a Saturday sometime. I've learned a ton of new games since I joined the Branchburg group.

http://www.meetup.com/BoardgamesNJ/

How long does Through the Ages take you to play with two players? I've been thinking about getting that one; I play a lot of two-player games with my wife, but I doubt we'd play a 4 hour game.

The game does take quite long honestly, though once you get down the rules you can do it in less than three. However, there are natural breaks in the game as you advance ages that you can stop and come back to it later.

It is kind of like playing civilization (the computer game) except in board game form.

Twilight Struggle is also an awesome two player game.

 

[Zebo]

I own it I think I DLed it for $5 a few years ago. Very fun.

 

[Anubis]

Need more sheep!

 

[shadow9d9]

The game is mostly luck dependent. If you want some real games, go to www.boardgamegeek.com which covers the 1000s of games out there that the US is unaware of. Boardgaming is huge in Europe now.

www.boardsandbits.com or www.coolstuffinc.com for games cheap.