○ Short Why This Review :I want more people to like board gaming... this bad game turns people off board gaming.Run, .. run very fast... don't say you weren't warned.○ Short Synopsis :Way, way, way too much luck for such a long, laborious, & way overpriced game (for $68+ w expansion, you can get one or more games that are way, way, way more fun.)○ Why This Review :Pre-pandemic, I ran the largest irl board gaming group in NJ... I think board games are a healthy way to have fun & socialize, and I would love for board gaming to become even more popular.Catan is a dated game, that easily turns meeples off gaming; and should 'never' be used as an intro to board gaming game. But even if you're not new to gaming, you shouldn't waste your time & money on this game.○ Synopsis :Catan pretty much fails at every level, & only excels in two categories:• Schadenfreude• Masochism○ Detailed Review:So let's take a tour of all the failures :#1 Failure :-)) Way, way, way too much luck for the length of the game!Games with a heavy luck component aren't inherently bad "per se"... to each their own, no?But, "in general", games with heavy luck are shorter, games with less luck are longer. This also tends to mirror the goals of the game for the different player demographics. Short/lucky/light gamers aren't looking for complex rules and/or playing experiences .. they want a light fun experience (usu while waiting for another game and/or while doing something else.) Conversely, long/strategic/heavy gamers are usually looking for minimal luck, because they want their decisions to matter & they want their investment in time to be worth it.Catan broken no matter which way you look at it... it's a luck game that's too long, or it's a strategy game with too much luck. There's luck in the dice rolling for resources, there's luck in which development cards you draw (no choice), and if all the players are equal level - good luck with the completely broken trading mechanism. Have a great strategy?.. managed to get lumber & brick on an 8!.. ? ... watch the Schadenfreude of the other players as 8 fails to get rolled during the course of a game! ? ... so, not only are you having a miserable time, but because these critical resources are now constrained, watch as the whole game slows to a crawl & trading becomes non-existent.#2 Failure :-)) No catch-up mechanism...So after 30 min, you realize you've 60 min to go & no chance of winning... does this sound like fun to you?.. if yes, well I did say this game excelled in Masochism .. if not, well, there's probably another person turned off board gaming ?I'm not saying that every game needs to have a catch-up mechanism, nor am I saying that every game which does, does it well. The closest Catan has, is the trading mechanism... but that's not a good catchup mechanism, as it only works with equally talented & advanced gamers that can see the weighted value of a trade .. (and of course, even if they do weight it correctly luck can completely upend any careful planning). Plus, the more restricted trading is, the slower the game; which if you're not in a position where you can actually win, just makes the game more painful.#3 Failure :-)) Various mechanics "were" cutting edge...You might think this is a positive, and if you traveled back in time, it was. But another way to think of it, in today's terms; many of the mechanics were an "early alpha" release. And many, many games have taken the mechanics in Catan and tweaked/evolved/re-combined them to make much, much better games.#4 Failure :-)) Some mechanics don't really work...The trading is the biggest failure in Catan... there's no real structure given to it, & the resources are so scarce it makes trading painful at best. What success there can be, is completely up to the player "group", and not wrt the game. And in a cutthroat game, of equal level players, trading often falls apart completely contributing to the length of the game.The board layout (when done randomly) is often unbalanced ... you can often determine "who's in the running" & who's not simply by this alone. So imagine playing a 90 minute game, & having almost no chance to win due to skill, right from the start!.. I've seen a player there, & they were so frustrated, I never saw them board game again.The "robber" makes a bad game worse by having the players attack one another... and most games aren't fun with this aspect as an aside, unless the act of attacking other players is directly designed to be fun (The Dragon & Flagon) comes to mind. And since the robber is on a 7, it's the most frequent action.## History :-)) Ok, here's where Catan has value.Do you like to goto Museums?.. Do you like to use old 8-bit tech, to relive the "Glory Days" of your youth?.. Ok then there's no doubt Catan, like the Neanderthal or the Dodo, have a place in history. One could argue, it was the 'first' mainstream euro board game to reach zeitgeist in pop culture.So while it deserves a place in history, as does Monopoly & it's 275 million copies (as of 2015), that doesn't make it a good game worth playing in modern times.## Honorable Mention :-)) But what about the expansions?...One of the common refrains I hear from meeples who've drank the Catan Kool-Aid is that, "ok, granted there are some aspects of the game that aren't that great; but the expansions help."First, I really dislike a game where it 'requires' an expansion... when that's the case, the base game should just include the expansion. Secondly, you're throwing more money after bad; Catan is already overpriced (MSRP: $55.00, but usu seasonally averaging $32 or $46) plus then either of the two commonly recommended/overpriced expansions of Cities & Knights (MSRP: $55.00, but usu seasonally averaging $37 or $43) or Seafarers Expansion (MSRP: $55.00, but usu seasonally averaging $36 or $44). To them, I challenge, you're telling me that for $68+ the 'best' you can do for gaming value is Catan + Expansion?.?..Also I will note that even the most fervent Catan cultist when giving the above defense, will say "help" & not "fix"... so in the end, you're looking at $68+ for a "meh" ? game.** $68+ :-)) Hmmm...This is off the top of my head...TransAmerica $33Armadora $20Love Letter $9Sushi Go! $6... not a definitive, list, just top of the head stuff / first thing to pop in my mind... but way more fun, & all of which are better for beginners.** Only saving grace :-)) It comes with two dice...Here's my recommendation, take the two dice, & everyone rolls off... highest total wins. In case of tie, all repeat the roll (go catchup mech!) until only one player has the highest total. Then make a cool game with the components, and/or use the components to replace missing pieces from other games.Was it fun?.. I don't know, but at least you saved 89 minutes of your life for a game, after which you'll ask yourself, "was it fun", and probably still have the same average answer of "meh" ?.I'll end with a favorite quote of mine...“A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.” -- Joshua/WOPR -- WarGames (1983)One of the funnest and engaging board games of all time. I must for the any board game aficionado. But if you never played or a new to board games it’s a bit complicated to learn. Get the 5-6 player addition for more fun and more people. A game usually take about an hour to two depending on how many people play. A great mix of strategy and luck to win.Fun strategy game for good family time or a chill hangout with friends. A great game for conversation, because you can talk while you play without being stressed and having to pay close attention like other games. Intense enough for solid competition, yet relaxed enough to be enjoyableThe combination of good placement strategy, memory skills and some lucky dice rolls makes this a challenging, fun game that will feed your gambling needs. But, watch for collusion between other players who have the same last name. Trading three rocks for one brick never passes the smell test.Took a bit of time to learn the rules, but once we did, Catan provided hours of fun and excitement for our board game nights. Highly entertaining game.Absolutely love this game of strategy. However you have to have at least 3 players and not over 4 players unless you have the expansion game. Totally recommend this game....Fun game. Will be a keeoerWorth the effort to learn this game which relies on strategy as much as chance.Story:I awoke one morning on the island of Catan, at the time I didn't know I was on some island in the middle of nowhere. After walking around all day, I ended up strolling down a hill, towards the sunset, hoping it would take me away from the madness of hexagon terrains covered with fields, forests and mountains. People were all around trading their beloved sheep for a piece of grain, or a chunk of rock for an entire tree. ​Hiding behind one tree that someone had just given away for a brick, was a robber. Dressed in grey, he was waiting patiently, and I soon found out what he was awaiting for as two hopeless pillocks came along and rolled a couple of dice along the ground. They rolled a 7, and quickly the robber came flying out and smashed them both over the head with a tree branch and rode one of their sheep off in to the sunset. I don't know what was more bizarre, the sheep riding robber, or the fact two people just stopped to roll a couple of dice in the middle of a path as if it was a normal day, and as if they hadn't got anything else better to do.Further on in to my journey, I discovered more people, building roads, Knights hitting people and taking things to give to other people, and others begging for ore... I carried on walking to get away from this crazy world, but I was trapped on an island of pure insanity. The only way off, wait for the Seafarers to bring their boats, and even then they would take me to more madness. It's fine though, 'Scotty, one to beam up'. ARGH! No wait, it's more madness in space. I just saw a Klingon Robber smash someone's skull in to steal their Oxygen!- - - -​Review:The game known as Catan, or to the more experienced a tabletopper, Settlers of Catan. Created by Klaus Teuber, he's created many more versions since he first started this back in 1995, which include Star Trek and Game Of Thrones. It's sold millions upon millions of copies and remains one of the best board games that too many people still don't know about.This is a trading game that's easy to learn for 3 or 4 players, but could end up making you hate dice more than ever, but you'll still be playing it for years. It can be turned in to a 5 or 6 player game with the expansion, and that's a joy in itself. You build the board by creating a hexagon seascape, and fill it with an island using 19 hexagon pieces of different types of terrain that provide resource. Of course, when you play your first game of Catan, you'll use the standard rule names for resource like lumber, grain and wool. It'll soon turn in to wood, wheat and sheep. The classic line of course while trading is "Do you have wood for sheep?" It even went as far as The Big Bang Theory in an episode called The Recombination Hypothesis. Make sure you look that one up if you haven't seen it. The innuendos are incredible.On setting up the game, you have a nice looking island with different land masses like mountains, forests, and even one tile that has a desert. This really is a dirty place because it's the original home of a robber. More on that entity in a moment. Each tile gets a number. This can be set up from the Game Rules and Almanac you get with the game, or you could be really daring and mix up all the tiles before placing them down, and that goes for the circular numbers which are placed on each tile as well. Mixing them up seriously creates a challenge, and always makes for a different game every time and gives it more longevity.Now the board is ready, everyone takes their coloured pieces which consist of 15 roads, 5 settlements and 4 cities, and also have a Building Cost card which comes in very handy. Try and play the game without fiddling with your game pieces. Apart from playing the game properly, you'll be building things with them every chance you get. To kick off the game, choose the starting player who puts down a settlement and a road in between the terrains (on the corners of the hexes), or even on the edge of the island near the sea if you wish. Then players go clockwise. Once it gets to the last player, they take their turn and then have another turn and then placements go anti-clockwise so everyone ends up having two settlements and two roads on the board. On the players second placements, whatever the settlement is touching for example, two forests and a pasture (which will soon be called sheep), you'd get two wood cards and a sheep... I mean wool card. These cards can be used to build things, as long as you have all the required cards, which you collect, trade and spend throughout the game. Important rules, each settlement placed at the start has to have their road placed next to that piece so it's always a good idea to observe the board before placing anything, and also settlements/cities cannot be next to each other, there is a two space rule for all settlements/cities. That becomes very clear and easy from the first game.After placing all the pieces, the game begins with the throw of the dice by the player who first put down their settlement and road (who is also the last person, which is fun). When the dice land, whatever number comes up, players with settlements touching terrain of that number get the resource cards. Later on, when players have cities, any city touching a terrain would get two cards. It's quite a simple game, but the dice decide your fate more than anything. Great fun though.When it's a players turn, after doing the rolling and getting resource phase, trading can take place. It's only between the current players turn and everyone else. Players cannot trade with each other if it's not their turn.Let's talk about that dirty Robber. This originally sits in the desert, but once a 7 is rolled, or if someone uses the Knight Development Card, it can be moved and placed on any number on the board, which blocks that number until the robber is moved to another one. So if the Robber is placed on a '5', if anyone has a Settlement or City next to that terrain with that covered number, they wont get any resource cards connected with it until it's moved. It's evil, especially if you get a game where the 7 comes out constantly, and it does happen. By the way, whoever places the robber and puts it on a number that's connected to another players Settlement or City, they can steal a random card from them, if two people are next to that terrain, the robbing player chooses only one person to steal from. Like I said though, evil.Every player has a Building Cost card to show what you need to build roads, more settlements, cities, and development cards which can end up putting anyone who buys them in a strong position. These development cards hold such things as Knights, when used can move the robber on the board to a new number, usually someone you want to block and/or steal a card from. Handy tip about the Knight card, you can use it before rolling when it comes to your turn, always fun to steal someone's card before things really kick off. There are also Monopoly cards which gives you the power to say any resource and every player gives you ALL of what they have of that resource. There are cards that give you Victory points, which gets you that little bit closer to winning the game, and these are revealed as soon as you have 10 points to be victorious, but never shown until the end. All development cards can only be used once, and you can't use a development card as soon as you buy it unless it's the Victory point card that gets you to your 10th point.Yes, 10 points, that's all you need for victory, to be the lord of the sheep and master of bricks. The King of wheat and a God of the forests. It doesn't sound much does it? 10 points. Good news, everyone when they set up the game starts on 2 points for having two Settlements, which are worth a point each. Get a City to replace a Settlement, it's worth 2 points, so you're aiming to get as many Settlements and Cities on the board as possible. But games can go on for an hour or two before there is a victor, and even longer if you have the 5-6 player expansion. It's brilliant. Winning is earnt through strategy, but every roll you want certain numbers to give you the resource to build what you need. It doesn't always work out as you plan.Other things that can get you the 10 points are the bonus missions. If you have the longest road, you claim the Longest Road card which is worth 2 points, and also the Largest Army card, also worth 2 points, for anyone who has the most Knight cards. This can take time, they're only available when someone has a road length of five, and three Knight cards. They can be taken though from anyone who manages to get more, meaning they lose the 2 point advantage and the new player gains it. I think having these cards puts you on more edge than anything.Having a Settlement or City at one of the Harbours is brilliant and gives a player a huge advantage. There are regular harbours that you can trade three of your resource cards for one different resource card, this is known as Maritime Trade. There are special harbours where you can trade two specific resources for one different card. If you manage to have a settlement next to the wheat for example, and wheat is doing really well for you, and you build a settlement next to a harbour that can trade two wheat for a different resource, you're laughing all the way to the bank. The less you can trade for what you want is a path to winning Catan.​There are all kinds of different versions out now, along with expansions. There's even a card game called Struggle For Catan, and a brilliant little dice game that wont take up 2 hours of your life.If you're a veteran at board games like me, growing up with games like Cluedo and Monopoly, you'll appreciate this game for the rest of your life. It's an amazing game and there's a reason why it's still going strong after 25 years. Don't just sit there... Game!It arrived promptly but I was dissapointed to see that the tiles were poorly printed to the point I wonder if its even a real version! The counters are also painted in very similar colours so you can barely tell the red from the orange, different to that of my friends version, which is the same release year.Great game, suitable for beginners that are new to board games and regular gamers alike. If you're going to play board games, then Catan (or one of its variations) should be in your collection.However, the first copy I received from Amazon was a fake copy. I didn't open it for a few months, and then when we tried to play our first game with friends, it was missing many wooden pieces, and the pieces that were there were poor quality. Amazon arranged a replacement without any fuss, and upon receiving the replacement I checked the wooden pieces, and confirmed that they were all there, and were the correct colour (comparing it to images online).But, after playing with this copy recently, we realised the board pieces didn't fit together properly, and when we compared the pieces to a friend's copy, it was clear we had another fake copy (although this one was at least better). I'm not going to bother returning it again as it's not worth my time and effort to box it back up and send it off, but I will now stop buying board games from Amazon as there seem to be a lot of fakes in their stock.I'll probably buy one of the other variations (e.g. A Game of Thrones Catan) so we're not just buying the same game again.I was a bit worried before buying this as some people had mentioned in their reviews that they received poor-quality (i.e. rip-off) versions of the game. I carefully read through the reviews and question-and-answer section and chose to order the game through Zatu Games. I have played the game many times before so knew what quality to expect and this was just perfect. Thanks Zatu Games! :)Game score: 5/5Quality of materials: 2/5I really wish I could give this product a full 5/5 as it's one of the best games of its kind that will bring you hours of fun with your friends! if you're just after the game and don't care about materials - buy it.Unfortunately, the quality of the game pieces is pretty rubbish.- Cards: They're made of two thin layers of (toilet?) paper glued together. If you don't handle them carefully they can start to split. This is especially the case if you happen to try and use your fingernails to lift a card. They should have been plastic or plastic coated, like many other board games that rely on cards.- Tiles: The tiles themselves feel tough until you realise they too suffer from similar issues - they're made of hard pressed, glued, multi-layered cardboard. Shocking, yes!- Frame: The frame is made the same way as the tiles, i.e. pretty rubbish. The one I got is marginally smaller than the size of the tiles, once arranged, and tiles do not fit together within the frame.- Pieces: The actual game pieces, i.e. roads, houses, and cities, are plastic and durable, but rather basic and really not particular impressive. At least they don't have to be fancy, so they can be excused.- Box: The mold in the box that's used to organise the game's various pieces into individual compartments is an extremely thin and easily tear-prone plastic. It's a non-critical item but extremely poor quality nonetheless.Not sure if it's just the edition I got (brand new, seller name "ThomasFielding") but why are most of the game components so flimsy? It's appalling! I'd rather pay a higher price for the game and have something long lasting and durable, then something of such poor quality. It feels like a rip off. Many other board games I've bought are of far superior quality and I expect them to last many years more than this one.Buy at your own risk.