Catan - Family Edition

Definitely one of my favorite board games. It's challenging to learn at first, but it's worth the struggle. It requires strategy as there are different ways to win. The best way to learn how to play is by having experienced players teach you. The game is well organized and thought out. A player must reach 10 points to win the game, which is possible by building roads to resources, which are used to build more things and to trade with others. However, to gain access to the resources, you must build houses and cities on an adjacent spot surrounding the resource tile. You can also gain points by having the largest army or longest road, but only 1 player can hold one or both titles at a time. Long story short, the game can last an hour or more and it can evoke a ... MoreDefinitely one of my favorite board games. It's challenging to learn at first, but it's worth the struggle. It requires strategy as there are different ways to win. The best way to learn how to play is by having experienced players teach you. The game is well organized and thought out. A player must reach 10 points to win the game, which is possible by building roads to resources, which are used to build more things and to trade with others. However, to gain access to the resources, you must build houses and cities on an adjacent spot surrounding the resource tile. You can also gain points by having the largest army or longest road, but only 1 player can hold one or both titles at a time. Long story short, the game can last an hour or more and it can evoke a rollercoaster of emotions, lol.

I've had this game and some expansion packs for years. You need like 10 minutes to learn all the rules so it's great for new players. In the basic version, it has quite simple mechanisms, only with additions the real fun begins. However, I still reach for it often. The game usually takes a little over an hour. Oh, it's actually possible to play it only in two. It's not that interesting but still fun!

This thought provoking game provides entertainment to friends and families for hours. Make allies and enemies in this luck-based yet strategic game that encourages banter between players. Only drawback is that I’ve never finished a game in under 2.5 hours, but atleast there’s an ending (*cough cough* monopoly) Basic gist of the game: first player to 10 victory points wins. You collect victory points by earning resources to build settlements and roads. The more settlements you get, the more resources you’ll get, the more victory points you’ll get.

My family loves Settlers of Catan, and this extension pack allows us all to play together. I bought it along with the Catan 5th Edition 4 player game, and the extension matches the rest perfectly. I also bought the Catan Scenarios Helpers of Catan card pack, which makes the game a little more fun. This game is so interesting and there are so many ways to win. It's my favorite game to play with family and the kids just love playing it! It's a great alternative to the other standard games I grew up with. The game isn't cheap, but it's totally worth the investment because you'll get years of fun for the whole family out of it. You will not be disappointed!

Beware! Don't try this unless you plan on getting addicted. Your life will forever be altered. You'll find yourself begging strangers to come over to play. Watching youtube videos to improve your game, bribing your children. Your spouse will become a tricky, sneaky person you hardly recognize. While you will plot ways to take over. Side effects include: less tv watching, more under the table kicking, spontaneous manical laughter, snacking while plotting the demise of your friends and family. Best fun you've had in hours!

Currently my favorite board game, getting to this point in my life was not easy though. I hate doing new things, but at first everything is new. So there was a time that I hated everything. When I started to try more things, I started to realize that I don’t hate everything. I just hate the things I haven’t tried yet. So before I tried Catan, I absolutely hated it. It wasn’t until my sister forced me to play that I realized it was actually my favorite game ever. It took my sister a full day to read and understand the instructions. When she tried to explain it to me, it was way too much knowledge to take in at once. She was talking for like 20 mins and I have a solid 2 mins of active listening in me before I start to zone out. So the only way I was going to learn ... MoreCurrently my favorite board game, getting to this point in my life was not easy though. I hate doing new things, but at first everything is new. So there was a time that I hated everything. When I started to try more things, I started to realize that I don’t hate everything. I just hate the things I haven’t tried yet. So before I tried Catan, I absolutely hated it. It wasn’t until my sister forced me to play that I realized it was actually my favorite game ever. It took my sister a full day to read and understand the instructions. When she tried to explain it to me, it was way too much knowledge to take in at once. She was talking for like 20 mins and I have a solid 2 mins of active listening in me before I start to zone out. So the only way I was going to learn this game was through trial and error and there was a whole lot of errors made in the beginning. The first few times we played, we played it wrong. It wasn’t until my sister re-read the instructions and then had someone else peer review the instructions, that we started to get it. Even when we were playing the incorrect way, I still liked the game. If you’re like me and hate trying new things, I’d suggest that you continue not trying new things, except for this one game.

Got this game recently to play with the family (all adults), and we very much enjoy it. It's a fun strategy game that is partially based on skill, and partially based on luck (luck as in what number is rolled with 2 die, so really probabilities but mostly luck within a single game). This version can only be played with 3 or 4 people, so it's definitely not a party game or a game just for 2. There is however, a 5-6 player expansion pack (which we also have), which makes the board bigger and allows for up to 6 people to play. You could also play as teams, so a lot of people could end up playing it that way. You could say it's similar in theory to monopoly (you buy houses cities), but it's much quicker once you understand the rules. Each games lasts ~60 minutes for 4 ... MoreGot this game recently to play with the family (all adults), and we very much enjoy it. It's a fun strategy game that is partially based on skill, and partially based on luck (luck as in what number is rolled with 2 die, so really probabilities but mostly luck within a single game). This version can only be played with 3 or 4 people, so it's definitely not a party game or a game just for 2. There is however, a 5-6 player expansion pack (which we also have), which makes the board bigger and allows for up to 6 people to play. You could also play as teams, so a lot of people could end up playing it that way. You could say it's similar in theory to monopoly (you buy houses cities), but it's much quicker once you understand the rules. Each games lasts ~60 minutes for 4 people, or about 90 minutes for 6 people. I'm looking forward to getting other varieties of this game in the future.

My brother discovered Catan while in college and introduced it to the family. It quickly replaced the original board/cards games from our childhood, Monopoly, Sorry, Eucher, Uno, etc. 5 years later, it is without question, that everytime we are able to get the family together, we play Catan! The original game has three scenarios, I believe, which I have only recently discovered. We have only ever played just the original probably unaware of the other scenarios, because the game play is always, always different. It is a game where you will most likely never play the same thing over and over (obviously the concept is played over and over, but the access to resources, ports, dice chances, and development cards make the game play different). This last Christmas, I ... MoreMy brother discovered Catan while in college and introduced it to the family. It quickly replaced the original board/cards games from our childhood, Monopoly, Sorry, Eucher, Uno, etc. 5 years later, it is without question, that everytime we are able to get the family together, we play Catan! The original game has three scenarios, I believe, which I have only recently discovered. We have only ever played just the original probably unaware of the other scenarios, because the game play is always, always different. It is a game where you will most likely never play the same thing over and over (obviously the concept is played over and over, but the access to resources, ports, dice chances, and development cards make the game play different). This last Christmas, I purchased the expansion Traders and Barbarians for $60. This expansion also has 3/4 different scenarios to play, including a two player card options. We have loveddd the added game play from this expansion. There is a mobile app game option for all of Catan Universe. The mobile game is definitely not the same as playing the board option. There is colluding, cheating, game chat harassment, and disproportionate dice rolls. I am on the Discord server for Catan Universe and the owners/operators do not care nor listen to the ongoing complaints from the users. I would give the mobile app a 2/5 but the board game is definitely 5/5!

My family has this game, and we all like it. The kids particularly LOVE it.The things that *might* give you a hang up; The base set of the game only accommodates 4 players, If you have a larger family than that... like we do, you need the *extension* set also, which makes it cost a bit more to play.That said, the game is totally worth it. My kids have learned so much about planning, about how societies develop, what sorts of things are necessary and the time it takes to grow a civilization. The base game is actually very simple in concept, but there's so much to do! If you wish, there are "expansion" sets. These are not different versions of the original game, but ways to introduce more factors into your game - like seafaring voyages and exploration. Sometimes I ... MoreMy family has this game, and we all like it. The kids particularly LOVE it.The things that *might* give you a hang up; The base set of the game only accommodates 4 players, If you have a larger family than that... like we do, you need the *extension* set also, which makes it cost a bit more to play.That said, the game is totally worth it. My kids have learned so much about planning, about how societies develop, what sorts of things are necessary and the time it takes to grow a civilization. The base game is actually very simple in concept, but there's so much to do! If you wish, there are "expansion" sets. These are not different versions of the original game, but ways to introduce more factors into your game - like seafaring voyages and exploration. Sometimes I cannot even keep up with what's from the original game and what's new, but the instruction booklets are really helpful and once you jump in and play, you are on a roll.

I love Catan for many years now. It is perfect game for family evenings as it is enjoyable both for adults and children. The game has perfect balance between strategy and luck. I truly believe that every family, which enjoys board games at least a bit, should have Catan!