The primary, and best, addition in this 4th edition of Settlers is a very nice interlocking border which is placed around the game tiles. This replaces the individual hex tiles of previous editions. No longer will your tiles/pieces scatter/split apart when someone accidentally bumps the playing surface! One side of the border has the ports "built in" but you still get a bit of randomness when assembling the pieces. The flip side of the border is blank "sea" on which you can put the included port tokens for a truly random placement.
The updated graphics are nice and colorful but take a bit of getting use to if you regularly play with an older edition.
The box has a vacu-formed type insert designed to hold all the pieces and keep everything neat.
All-in-all a nice upgrade to the 3rd edition.
It's a simple sounding premise: You gather resources in order to build roads and settlements to earn points.
However, there is a wonderful randomness which lends complexity to the game as the layout of the game board tiles differs with each play right down to the number on the dice needed to harvest a resource from a given tile. This makes *every* game unique. Strategy comes into play as you must determine the best location for your settlements and roads to get maximum value/points.
If you've never played Settlers, find someone who has a copy and give it a try. If no one you know owns a copy, go to your local comic shop. Odds are someone there will have a copy readily available and delight in teaching the game to a new player! It's easy to learn, difficult to master, and quick to play with a typical game lasting only an hour or less.
This is one of the truly classic games and belongs on the shelf of anyone who enjoys board gaming. The Settlers of Catan
Settlers of Catan is an absolutely fantastic family strategy game. I won't belabor my discussion of the game, except to say that my wife (only a 'casual boardgamer', not as hardcore like me) and two boys (ages 8 and 10) have been playing it for over a year, many dozens of times, with continued enjoyment. I have successfully hooked other gamers in my family (brother in law, father) on it as well, so that it shares equal time with Monopoly in our family game marathons over the holidays.
The big point to take away about this new edition of the game is that, without changing any rules, the edition includes some very handy extra pieces, esp. an interlocking set of holders to fit the tiles into, which helps prevent incidental dislocations of the pieces on the board (so common with the older edition). For those of you who have the Seafarers of Catan extension, the holding tiles are much those included in that extension (except shaped to fit the Settlers hex board).
We are avid players of Settlers (and love it), but this newest addition has some flaws that make us wish we would have bought the 3rd addition. We have had the game for about 8 months, and the interlocking border (instead of the regular hexagon pieces in the 3rd addition) have never fit right. It takes three people to get everything into place, and even then the border warps and the pieces pop out. They interlock like a puzzle piece, and they are starting to wear out, so we have finally given up on getting everything together correctly. If you were worried about the 3rd addition getting bumped and jumbled, you simply had to set up the game on a tablecloth or piece of fabric. This newer addition is impossible to setup correctly, especially as it ages.
Also note you cannot use your old expansion packs with the newer addition, as the pieces are different. You now have to pay for all the newer versions of the expansion packs, how convenient.
We still love this game and will play it regularly, it just seems the "advancements" were not tested or well planned. It is also bothersome that they made the newer additions incompatible with the old expansions, you can easily spend $150 on this game and the expansions, and you would expect that investment to last... it is a board game after all!
Settlers is one of the greatest games ever. I think it was originally created to teach capitalism. Here are my pros/cons:
Pros:
*There is enough strategy for most gamers
*There is some luck which can make things interesting. If you want to
minimize the luck factor then use 12-sided dice
*Great interaction as you get to trade and barter with other players
(even when it is not your turn.) Kids can definitely learn the concept
of re-investing in your assets and great negotiation skills.
*You can change the boardgame set up everytime so you get a different
game everytime.
*There are 2 expansions (seafarers & Cities & Knights) & other add-ons to
change up the game to continue to make the game new and interesting.
*There are extensions that expand the game to 6 players.
*Also, there are ways to "gang up" on the leader, so there are many games
where virtualy every player will be close to winning which makes it more
fun than when one player blows out everyone every game.
Cons:
*Setting up the board and clean up can be a little tedious if you are not
organized.
*purchasing the game, its 2 expansions and each corrsponding 5-6
extension can be a bit pricey. However, my experience is that the price
is worth it because you play this game so many time compared to other
games that may be cheaper.
Overall, this game is fun and can be re-played countless times due to the variable game set up. Well worth the money.
The Settlers of Catan opened me and a number of my friends and family to a game that is easy to learn as monopoly or risk but ten times more enjoyable. I had not been willing to play anything but card games for years. This game incorporates strategy, chance, and negotiating skills (you must convince your opponents to trade resources with you even though it may mean that you will win the game). The initial game only allows 3-4 players so most people will want to purchase the expansion pack which allows up to 6. However, the 3-4 person games are usually shorter, allowing time for more than one game. When teaching new players the game may take several hours to finish, especially as the number of players grows. The game indicates that the age range is 10 and up. I think this is about right. We taught it to our 10 year old niece and she won the game. Our 8 year old nephew needed to be teamed up with an adult (he loves playing the game though). Once everyone gets the hang of the rules, a game can finish in an hour. Definitely a great addition to low key, small group social gatherings. - Strategy Game - Catan - Strategy - Settlers'
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