Settlers of Catan – Settle in for family fun
It’s time to introduce one of the board games that is credited as having a big hand in the resurgence of board games over the last 20 years. Settlers of Catan is a game that many people say got them into or back into playing board games.
Although it wasn’t the board game that got our family into playing a lot of games together it was among the group of such board and card games. The reason many say it lit that fire is because it was the first game that really stood out to them as being different from what they grew up playing (Monopoly, Life, Sorry).
So what makes it different and what’s so unique about it? Check out Jaden and dad’s video review of Settlers of Catan to find out.
Can the whole family enjoy Settlers of Catan?
One of the things that we love about it is that everyone can participate even when it’s not their turn. Rather than just sitting and waiting for someone to take their turn, you can be benefited and gather resources even if it’s not your turn. We also like that people don’t get eliminated as the game goes along. So everyone stays engaged throughout the game and is in it until the end.
Best selling board game
Settlers of Catan appeared on the scene in 1995 and has continue to gain momentum ever since. You may recall from an earlier post we made this year (Board Games Up, Video Games Down) that Settlers of Catan is the best selling board game for 2010. Various expansion games have also grown out of the amazing success of Settlers of Catan. And since we’re a family of 6, we were happy to see the expansion that let’s up to 6 players to play the game together. The way sales have continued to grow every year as more people hear of it just goes to show how great a board game it is.
How does Settlers of Catan score on the “Let’s play again” score meter?
While Settlers of Catan gets good marks on our “Let’s play again meter”, it isn’t a game that we play back to back. Because of the length of the game – at about an hour – we typically don’t start a new game right as one ends. But rather it gets good marks because it’s such an accessible game to pull out and play frequently.
And if you’d like to see what other game expansions there are for Settlers of Catan, you can take a look at the Mayfair Games website.
| The Board Game Family Game Ratings | |
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Caleb |
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Brooke |
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Jaden |
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Trevor |
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Mom |
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Dad |
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Average |
Yes, Settlers is truly a classic. You have to be awfully careful where you put your first two settlements, though — it’s definitely the most important decision you’ll make the entire game.
Yes, Settlers is truly a classic. You have to be awfully careful where you put your first two settlements, though — it’s definitely the most important decision you’ll make the entire game.
I started playing Settlers of Catan last year. It is no doubt the most addictive board game I’ve ever played.
I started playing Settlers of Catan last year. It is no doubt the most addictive board game I’ve ever played.
Catan is always in my Top 5. Did any of your tried the expansions ? Still thinking to get either Pirates and Explorators or Cities and Knights…
Sylvain – Settlers of Catan is one game that we haven’t played with expansions. We have for a ton of other games, but not Settlers yet. Though we have Cities & Knights on the wish list.
Our family has recently began playing board games and I just discovered your site! I love it! It will help me so much in deciding which games to purchase. There are several versions of Catan on Amazon. Can you advise? Thanks so much!!
Gretchen – We’re happy to hear you’ve found our site! As far as versions of Catan go, yes, there are a ton. And we can see how that can be confusing. Many of the versions you’ll see are expansions to the base game (such as 5-6 players, Cities & Knights, Seafarers, Explorers & Pirates, Traders & Barbarians). There are also a number of Catan Histories games which each play differently. You’ll want to start with the base game for sure. That would be “Catan 5th Edition”.
Thanks so much!!