Coolest Board Game... Ever

On Saturday night, Oksana and I went to a friend's house for dinner and hanging out. We played a board game that I had never heard of. Long story short, it was quite possibly the best and most fun board game I have ever played.


The game is called Settlers of Catan. Apparently, it isn't commonly sold in toy stores. Instead, it is stocked in role playing game stores. Its not a role playing game, though. It looks very complicated, but it is quite simple once you get the basics down. It is sort of like a cross between monopoly and risk. Essentially, 3-6 players are settling an island. The object is to get 10 points by 1) creating new settlements, 2) upgrading settlements to cities and/or 3) getting points from "development cards" which are sort of like community chest cards.

Here's why I think this game is great:

- It is easy to learn. I know it looks and sounds complicated, but it really isn't, I swear. A five minute tutorial is enough to get going.

- One of the biggest elements of the game is the element that makes games fun- personal interaction. The game is built to encourage making deals and alliances.

- Nobody is out before the end of the game. Nothing sucks more than taking a dive in monopoly and watching the game finish for a few hours.

- It combines chance and skill. Dice rolling means success relies upon chance. But there are multiple strategies and approaches that can pay off.

- It is hard to dominate. There doesn't seem to be a particularly dominant approach to the game. Nay, even Billy couldn't dominate it.... but I may be wrong (everyone knows ever since Billy was bitten by a radioactive and/or genetically enhanced Monopoly dog, he has exhibited superpowers in board gaming).

If those aren't convincing enough, maybe this is.... Oksana likes this game. Any of you who know Oksana reasonably well probably know she really isn't into board games. She was genuinely engaged in this game and she actually won the first game (we played two even though it is a 1-2 hour game... we stayed until past 1 am to finish).

If I weren't so bloody far away, I would buy this gem and hold it until I can introduce you in person. But since I won't be in town for a while, I thought I would give you guys a chance to try it out and let me know what you think.