StupidRanger goes to Catan...

It has been a very long time since I've tried something completely different in gaming. Last weekend, I jumped at the opportunity to visit an old high school friend and her family and she recommended that we try Settlers of Catan from Mayfair Games.

Overcoming the Nerdgasm Effect

Now, whenever I have heard Settlers of Catan mentioned in nerdly circles, I was quickly met with the all-too-familiar "hurrrr" sound of nerd joy. This sound was usually followed with some fevered discussion of an expansion or version of the game that the person had heard of without a shred of explanation regarding what the game was actually about.

Going in, I had no expectations... for all I knew it was some sort of deep space RISK or involved trading cow udders for favor from Greek gods for some reason. I was happy to find out that it was a really fun strategy game containing none of those things that I mentioned.

Dynamics...

I like that Settlers is a game of both luck and strategy. The goal is to accumulate Victory Points by developing a settlement that consisted of roads, settlements, and cities. You buy upgrades to your settlement by spending resource cards, which you get relative to where your settlements are placed .

I have to admit that watching my friends set up the board was rather daunting, but the dynamics of the game are essentially dead simple but very fun. I really enjoyed the fact that both luck and strategy is involved, and that the game is structured such that there isn't all that much direct conflict amongst the players.

Even though the game dynamics are simple, they produce a surprisingly complicated set of strategies for accumulating, controlling, and spending resources. Add in some friendly player interaction and you've got yourself a great gaming experience (even though Stupid Ranger won!)

Stupid Ranger and I are going to pick up a set for ourselves before long!