AGAD is Finally Settled

Day 70 - Settlers of Catan
Designed by Klaus Teuber

After 70 days of a game every night, we finally wrap up this project with one of the greats, Settlers of Catan. Tomorrow night I will be writing a summary or review of the A Game A Day (AGAD) project, but for tonight I write a short review on one of the major players in bringing the popularity of board games back to the U.S. and the game that introduced many to the wonderful German strategy type board games. Catan won the German Board Game of the Year (Spiel des Jahres) award in 1995. I still remember the first time I played Catan. It was like nothing I had ever seen before and I was addicted (more on this tomorrow). Some of the key elements that set the game apart include its great replay value with different board set up each game. The game still has the luck element with the die roll, but strategy is key to winning. The game has great player interaction as players trade resources and use knights to steal goods. Players strive to gain the most victory points by building settlements, cities, longest road, and buying development cards. The game is very easy to understand and it is really fun. I do have a few issues with the game. My main issue with the game is that only 3 to 4 players can play the game as-is (you can purchase an expansion for 5 to 6 players). I actually own The Rivals for Catan (a 2 player card version - which is also really fun) so I can play with The Wife all the time. There are other expansions for Settlers of Catan (including an expansion with a 2 player variant), and I have played a couple of them that really change up the game and make things more entertaining. I highly recommend the game to everyone and that is How Lou Sees It.