Settlers of Catan

Wired Magazine has a great article about German board game Settlers of Catan. I was introduced to the game only last year, but it has been a board game phenomenon since its 1995 release.

I've been a big fan of strategy board games, ever since I got hooked on Supremacy as a teen. A game of global domination via war similar to Risk, with the addition of a market system for resources, Supremacy still loosely falls into the category of games defined as zero sum. Monopoly is the classic example cited in the article, "for me to win $100 you have to lose $100". Settlers of Catan set out to engage all players on every turn, even those who are falling behind.

One of the great things about Supremacy was the market system for resources, which featured the price of goods going up and down each turn leading to bidding wars and battles over resources. Similarly, Settlers of Catan deliberately limits access to necessary resources, and encourages trading on every turn. Catan incorporates 5 resources (to Supremacy's three) and requires varied resources to build critical infrastructure. Most likely each player will be short on one or two resources, making trading critical for success and with an influx of resources with each die roll, players are all kept engaged in play.

I was inspired by the Wired article to seek out a place to play Settlers of Catan right away! The easiest platform was on XBOX Live. Catan retails for 800 Microsoft points ($10) compared to $25 for the board game. It supports 3 and 4 player online play via XBOX Live, and I was able to find several full games on Sunday afternoon. Catan on XBOX also supports leaderboards and achievements, for a little added value. The video version can't replace the experience of setting up the board and sitting with a table of friends, but works OK for those who want instant gratification or can't scare up a gaming group.

I really can't recommend Settlers of Catan more highly. It delivers deep strategy that's still accessible to new players, and balances play so that any skill level stands a chance of winning a game. Wired calls it "the Mona Lisa of the board game renaissance". Check out the article in their April 2009 issue.