Settlers of Catan
The end of our last family holiday gathering concluded with a cut-throat game of Settlers of Catan between the Sheppards and the Shaffers. No surprise, I brought home the gold. Settlers of Catan has been my favorite board game since I discovered the game 2 years ago. The only trouble is finding people to play with. I decided to summarize the rules while showing exactly how the game is designed to maximize everyone’s fun. Maybe I can win a few new fans. However, I must warn you. You won’t find this game in Walmart next to Milton Bradley’s greatest hits. Settlers of Catan is the breakaway hit generated by “independent games”. A special breed of geeks develops cultish followings many independent games which are often kept in a corner of your local comic book store. However, just as Star Wars has more mainstream appeal than Battlefield Earth, Catan has earned a spot on the shelfs at Target and some bookstores due to the recognition it received for the many awards it has won throughout the world.
The game board is a large island made of different hex shaped tiles. Each type of tile is associated with geography and that geography’s natural resource. Forests produce wood. Mountains produce ore. Dice rolls determine which tiles produce resources and players with towns next to those tiles collect the corresponding resource. This means that at the opening of each player’s turn, any player is likely to get new resources. Players return their resources in order to build more towns which must be connected by roads. Everyone is encouraged to trade in order to get the combination of resources they need. No one plays a mere spectator between turns. There is always something to keep players attention.
The game punishes people that hoard cards, further motivating players to trade in order to gain what they need. When any player rolls a 7, anyone hoarding more than 7 resource cards must discard half their hand. That player must also move the “robber”. The robber is a figure on the board. The hex tile he resides on is incapable of producing resources even if the number of the tile is rolled. The tile can produce resources only after the robber is moved again. Players can move the robber by playing “army” cards they draw from a deck of utility cards that can be purchased with their resources. This is one of the few means players can attempt to block another player’s path to victory.
No one enjoys playing a game when failure is certain and slow. Settlers of Catan avoids that problem in three ways. First, there are many different ways to win the game. The goal is to earn 10 victory points. Victory points are earned in many different ways. Points are awarded for towns. Certain utility cards the players can purchase award victory points. Two points are awarded for maintaining the longest road or the largest army. Largest army refers to the player who has played the most army cards during the game. The variety of means helps to avoid situations where players have no means to win. Chances are likely there is some way a player can word towards victory points.
Second, the social aspect of the game levels the playing field. Players are unwilling to trade with players on the cusp of winning. They are much more willing to trade with people they don’t see as threatening. Hence, those far behind progress quickly and others stall just before victory.
Just as a slow demise is frustrating, large swings in the score make for an exciting game. Yet too many swings can make the game seem too random. As you may recall, players can invoke a 4 point swing by building the largest road or army, both of which are fairly cheap. A 4 point swing can reduce a hefty lead like 8 – 4 to a mere tie.
Have I earned your interest? If so, go buy a copy and share it with your friends. Folks with an Xbox can play a version in the on-line arcade. Give me a call when you find time. I’m always up for a game.
Guitar Hero
I dunno when I’ll be able to post again. You see, the boys are getting the band back together. Old farts like myself like few things better than sharing our music with the younger generation. I learned from the best, Dana Carvey. Now I must teach my children not just how to hit the notes, but play them with style. We shoot notes from the hip, jump with the rhythm and we work the whammy bar like it was …well, you know. Tonight the kids and I rocked out to Even Flow, Paint it Black, My Name is Jonas and La Grange. I only wish the disc had some Limozeen bonus tracks. My old lady, she isn’t too keen on the release of Guitar Hero 3. She says it keeps me out on the road too long. I think I may have to write her a power ballad. She’s been spending her free time working on a new video game concept, “Back Massage Hero”. You lay a thin game pad on your partner’s back and you have to squeeze and rub certain areas in time with the music. I can’t wait for her to try it out on me. Oh wait, she’s giving me the stink eye. I better go.
…anyone know where I can get some lazer lights for our living room on the cheap?
Miggily-Miggily-Mee!!
03.6.08Con Farm es Sneff?
Maxis will begin to share how it plans to move its largest franchise forward on March 19, when it will begin to release information about The Sims 3. The Sims is a big part of our house. I think we bestowed the game on them in Christmas 2008. It was played long after their other gifts grew old. Madison has since turned to more social endeavors, but Noah still returns for month long Sim binges. He’s purchased nearly all the expansion packs.
02.22.08Portal 2
Valve announced it will create a sequel to Portal. Lots of Portals and cake. …only the cake is a lie.
10.11.07Peggle: An Unexpected Treat
Yesterday Valve released The Orange Box, a collection of 6 games for a mere $50. The game includes 3 segments of the Half-Life 2 story, an innovative first person puzzle game called Portal and the sequel to the first team-based first person shooter game I can recall, Team Fortress 2. It would be a crime to turn down such a spectacular collection, especially since I did not own any of them. I pre-ordered the package so Valve granted me an additional 10% discount and access to TF2 beta tests nearly a month before the game was released. (The married man must manage his gaming budget with great care.)
I never expected I would neglect the first 2 weeks of the beta playing Peggle Extreme, the last game included in the series. The game is hardly worth mentioning among so many distinguished and promising titles. It seems to have been included as an after thought; regarded as a sort of Cracker-Jack prize. Peggle centers around a set of blue and orange bouncy pegs. The object is to touch all the orange pegs with a pinball that is launched from the top of the screen. I’ve learned that my computer lacks such simple pleasures. I threw down an additional $10 for the complete version of the game, Peggle Deluxe. Later I learned I am not the only one that finds value in cheap, simple “casual” games. It wasn’t long before I turned my attention back to TF2, but I still start up Peggle when I have a few minutes to spare between obligations around the house.