by AlexYeager
You will find them on the product page on the righthand side.Thanks!
Alex Yeager
Mayfair Games
Thanks!
Alex Yeager
Mayfair Games
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Thread: Catan: Junior:: Rules:: Catan Junior Rules Posted on the Mayfair Website
Thanks!
Alex Yeager
Mayfair Games
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Thread: Catan: Junior:: Rules:: Translating Catan: Junior mechanics from Settlers of Catan
It might well speed up the learning process for you parents to consider all of the mechanics in Settlers of Catan and see how they translate to Catan: Junior. Obviously, not all mechanics are the same, but most of them have rough approximations useful for learning quickly.
Objective to build 7 lairs: Objective to get 10 points
Pirates' Lair: Settlement
Ship: Road
Coco Tiles: Development Cards
Wood (Forest): Lumber (Forest)
Goat (Pastures): Brick (Hills)
Molasses (Sugar Cane): Sheep/Wool (Pasture)
Cutlass (Treasure Caves): Wheat/Grain (Fields)
Gold (River): Ore (Mountains)
Ghost Captain: Robber
Spooky Island: Desert
Rolling a six: Rolling a seven
Take two resources from stockpile for moving Ghost Captain: Take one resource from an opponent for moving Robber
"Move the Ghost Captain" tile: Soldier Card
"Build a pirates' lair or ship for free" tile: Road Building
"Receive four resources from the stockpile": Year of Plenty
Trading 2-for-1 with stockpile: Trading 4-for-1 with resource pile
Trading 1-for-1 with marketplace: Trading 3-for-1 or 2-for-1 with harbor
So, a few notes.
First, "Build a pirates' lair or ship for free" is obviously far more powerful than Road Building (if used wisely).
Second, Goats don't have the same function as Wool; Goats are used in place of Brick (lairs and ships), while Molasses is used in place of Wool (lairs and Coco cards).
Third, there is no proxy for City, and there are no proxies for Monopoly or Victory Points Development Cards.
Fourth, Gold plays a much less significant role than Ore because there are no Cities.
Fifth, Coco Tiles have such powerful functions (and the added bonus of allowing one to build a Pirates' Lair to the person with the most) that they can be very important.
Hope its useful to new players! My children, my wife, and I have had great fun with this game so far, and I hope you do, too!
Objective to build 7 lairs: Objective to get 10 points
Pirates' Lair: Settlement
Ship: Road
Coco Tiles: Development Cards
Wood (Forest): Lumber (Forest)
Goat (Pastures): Brick (Hills)
Molasses (Sugar Cane): Sheep/Wool (Pasture)
Cutlass (Treasure Caves): Wheat/Grain (Fields)
Gold (River): Ore (Mountains)
Ghost Captain: Robber
Spooky Island: Desert
Rolling a six: Rolling a seven
Take two resources from stockpile for moving Ghost Captain: Take one resource from an opponent for moving Robber
"Move the Ghost Captain" tile: Soldier Card
"Build a pirates' lair or ship for free" tile: Road Building
"Receive four resources from the stockpile": Year of Plenty
Trading 2-for-1 with stockpile: Trading 4-for-1 with resource pile
Trading 1-for-1 with marketplace: Trading 3-for-1 or 2-for-1 with harbor
So, a few notes.
First, "Build a pirates' lair or ship for free" is obviously far more powerful than Road Building (if used wisely).
Second, Goats don't have the same function as Wool; Goats are used in place of Brick (lairs and ships), while Molasses is used in place of Wool (lairs and Coco cards).
Third, there is no proxy for City, and there are no proxies for Monopoly or Victory Points Development Cards.
Fourth, Gold plays a much less significant role than Ore because there are no Cities.
Fifth, Coco Tiles have such powerful functions (and the added bonus of allowing one to build a Pirates' Lair to the person with the most) that they can be very important.
Hope its useful to new players! My children, my wife, and I have had great fun with this game so far, and I hope you do, too!
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New Video for Catan: Junior
by Toxziq
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Thread: Catan: Junior:: News:: Now at Target
by Heliconia
Saw it at my local Target today, $29 I think. There were a couple of empty spots beside it so there may be other new titles coming soon.↧
Reply: Catan: Junior:: News:: Re: Now at Target
by bishless
That's great to hear. My kids and I have really been enjoying this one.↧
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Preview of Seasons and other GenCon Previews
by dale yu
We've been covering some games in anticipation of GenCon 2012Today, a preview/review of Seasons (Libellud/Asmodee)
http://opinionatedgamers.com/2012/08/10/review-of-seasons-li...
Jonathan Franklin and myself also outlined some of the games we're looking forward to learning about at GenCon
http://opinionatedgamers.com/2012/08/07/gencon-2012-preview/
http://opinionatedgamers.com/2012/08/08/gen-con-buy-demo-and...
Other recent reviews and previews:
Takenoko http://opinionatedgamers.com/2012/08/09/review-takenoko/
Libertalia http://opinionatedgamers.com/2012/08/06/dale-yu-review-of-li...
Catan Junior http://opinionatedgamers.com/2012/08/03/review-of-catan-juni...
Samurai Battles http://opinionatedgamers.com/2012/08/01/first-impressions-of...
Santa Cruz http://opinionatedgamers.com/2012/07/27/review-of-santa-cruz...
Ted Alspach also wrote a pretty darn good piece (IMHO) on how he makes high quality prototypes http://opinionatedgamers.com/2012/08/02/professional-looking...
There will be a few more previews to come prior to GenCon including Atlantis Rising and Ragami.
Thanks for reading!
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Thread: Catan: Junior:: Rules:: Poly Cards Limit and Building Distance Rule?
by draco143
I have had several instances in the two player game where a player can basically get boxed in because one player buys and plays a ton of Poly Cards (i.e., Development Cards) in one turn. The cards let you instantly place a pirates lair or ship for free, or give you a ton of resources. They seem a little over powered (I won't go so far to say "broken" yet). My 6 year old son played 4 poly cards in a row the other day because of the perpetual cycle of getting more resources to buy more cards to place more ships. In 3 turns I was done and couldn't build anymore.In regular catan, you can buy as many development cards as you want every turn, but you can only play one dev. card per turn.
Also, does Catan Junior share the "Distance Rule" with regular Catan for Pirate Lair building? The Junior rules are silent as to whether an opponent can build a pirate lair on an intersection that would be adjacent to an intersection where an opponent has built.
Without this rule, blocking is prevalent.
Junior Rules are here for reference:
http://mayfairgames.com/mfg-shop3/rules/MFG3025-Rules-V1_0.p...
Regular Catan rules are here:
http://www.catan.com/en/download/?SoC_rv_Rules_091907.pdf
Thanks all!
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Reply: Catan: Junior:: Rules:: Re: Poly Cards Limit and Building Distance Rule?
by JYoder
There is no distance rule for anyone, so off of a lair, you can have a ship, then a lair immediately. Of course, your opponent could put one there too.
The starting places seem far enough apart that it'd be hard (at least in 2 player) for one to completely cut off the other, but maybe it's doable. We've played it about 5 times, and that's never even come close. If it's truly possibly, maybe house rule a limit on the dev cards.
Just trying to think... are you trading 1:1 with the market only once per turn? Otherwise, it's unlimited 2:1 trading with the supply pile, and the 2 you trade in have to the be same.
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Reply: Catan: Junior:: Rules:: Re: Poly Cards Limit and Building Distance Rule?
I think I'm confused at how that's possible. First to 7 lairs wins. The rules require (see p. 4), that you build only ships next to lairs and lairs next to ships, and "You must always build in alternating fashion."
When you say "place more ships," I'm concerned you're treating them like roads in Catan. You can't just build unlimited ships and block opponents, like you could build unlimited roads and block opponents. (And in fact, in Catan, you could only build after you'd built two road lengths, so they in a way encouraged you to build lots of roads.) After you build a ship in Catan: Junior, you must build a lair next to that ship before putting another ship beyond it.
If your son raced out and literally tried to block you as fast as he could, he would build all 7 lairs and win the game. There's never a point in which it's even possible, I think, to block you unless he puts down all the lairs right away--in which case he's won.
When you say "place more ships," I'm concerned you're treating them like roads in Catan. You can't just build unlimited ships and block opponents, like you could build unlimited roads and block opponents. (And in fact, in Catan, you could only build after you'd built two road lengths, so they in a way encouraged you to build lots of roads.) After you build a ship in Catan: Junior, you must build a lair next to that ship before putting another ship beyond it.
If your son raced out and literally tried to block you as fast as he could, he would build all 7 lairs and win the game. There's never a point in which it's even possible, I think, to block you unless he puts down all the lairs right away--in which case he's won.
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Reply: Catan: Junior:: Rules:: Re: Poly Cards Limit and Building Distance Rule?
by maxac
I will say that the Poly cards seem to ruin the game. My 5-year-old has a solid strategy that has won him almost every game he played. All he does is focus on getting Poly cards and ignores all other aspects. He gets a free build on the pirate lair, then gets loads of resources to either buy more Poly cards or get the free builds to the board. It basically turns the game into "Who can buy the Poly cards the quickest?" He crushes us every time if we don't match the strategy. I have read the rules carefully, so I'm sure we are playing it right. I think it needs a house rule though.↧
Reply: Catan: Junior:: Rules:: Re: Poly Cards Limit and Building Distance Rule?
by draco143
maxac wrote:
I will say that the Poly cards seem to ruin the game. My 5-year-old has a solid strategy that has won him almost every game he played. All he does is focus on getting Poly cards and ignores all other aspects. He gets a free build on the pirate lair, then gets loads of resources to either buy more Poly cards or get the free builds to the board. It basically turns the game into "Who can buy the Poly cards the quickest?" He crushes us every time if we don't match the strategy. I have read the rules carefully, so I'm sure we are playing it right. I think it needs a house rule though.
I agree. The best strategy (as pointed out by my 5 year old and my co-worker's 6 year old) after about 3 plays was, "Buying poly cards is how you win." The cost of the Poly cards is a fantastic "gamble." You have a great chance of instantly placing a pirate's lair (and ships are so cheap you probably have set yourself up to buy the lair), or getting so many resources you can trade in two for one to perhaps let you buy another poly card! Plus, buying the Poly card gives you a great shot at getting a Lair on the Ghost Island, so buying one Poly card often nets you two lairs! There were 14 total Poly Cards in play in my last 2 player game.
I'm about ready to house rule that the Stock Pile is 3:1 trading, and you can only play 1 Poly card per turn. It's just too easy to get gold otherwise.
Question about the Ghost Pirate. Can you place a Lair on Spooky Island if the Ghost Pirate hasn't been moved yet?
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Reply: Catan: Junior:: Rules:: Re: Poly Cards Limit and Building Distance Rule?
by RedPiranha
draco143 wrote:
...
Question about the Ghost Pirate. Can you place a Lair on Spooky Island if the Ghost Pirate hasn't been moved yet?
Question about the Ghost Pirate. Can you place a Lair on Spooky Island if the Ghost Pirate hasn't been moved yet?
That's one of the differences between the original German rules and the Mayfair rules: In the original version you can only place a lair on Spooky Island when you have the most of the Coco cards which allow to move the Ghost Captain, and therefore he has to be moved at least once. In the Mayfair rules, all Coco tiles are counted, which can lead to the situation where the Ghost Captain hasn't already been moved when the first bought Coco tile isn't a tile which moves the Ghost Captain. But I think the situation that Ghost Captain and lair will be on Spooky island will not last very long and therefore will not have much influence on the game. Please consider that the game is designed for kids and therefore the rules are simplified.
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Reply: Catan: Junior:: Rules:: Re: Poly Cards Limit and Building Distance Rule?
draco143 wrote:
maxac wrote:
I will say that the Poly cards seem to ruin the game. My 5-year-old has a solid strategy that has won him almost every game he played. All he does is focus on getting Poly cards and ignores all other aspects. He gets a free build on the pirate lair, then gets loads of resources to either buy more Poly cards or get the free builds to the board. It basically turns the game into "Who can buy the Poly cards the quickest?" He crushes us every time if we don't match the strategy. I have read the rules carefully, so I'm sure we are playing it right. I think it needs a house rule though.
I agree. The best strategy (as pointed out by my 5 year old and my co-worker's 6 year old) after about 3 plays was, "Buying poly cards is how you win." The cost of the Poly cards is a fantastic "gamble." You have a great chance of instantly placing a pirate's lair (and ships are so cheap you probably have set yourself up to buy the lair), or getting so many resources you can trade in two for one to perhaps let you buy another poly card! Plus, buying the Poly card gives you a great shot at getting a Lair on the Ghost Island, so buying one Poly card often nets you two lairs! There were 14 total Poly Cards in play in my last 2 player game.
I'm about ready to house rule that the Stock Pile is 3:1 trading, and you can only play 1 Poly card per turn. It's just too easy to get gold otherwise.
Question about the Ghost Pirate. Can you place a Lair on Spooky Island if the Ghost Pirate hasn't been moved yet?
My little gamer is too young to obsess over that strategy, but wouldn't it be helpful to play with the advanced rules and require trading instead of 1:1 marketplace? That, I think, would save a lot of the problems.
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Reply: Catan: Junior:: Rules:: Re: Poly Cards Limit and Building Distance Rule?
by draco143
RedPiranha wrote:
But I think the situation that Ghost Captain and lair will be on Spooky island will not last very long and therefore will not have much influence on the game. Please consider that the game is designed for kids and therefore the rules are simplified.
Well, I don't think the question of whether there should be a pirate lair on spooky island until the Ghost Pirate has been moved at least once is really a "simplification" issue. It either is or it isn't. Since the rules don't say, we had both the pirate lair and the ghost pirate on spooky island at the same time. The kids said it was a "haunted lair" and they cheered when they "scared him away" (via the roll of a :d6-6: :D
redlightgrnlight wrote:
My little gamer is too young to obsess over that strategy, but wouldn't it be helpful to play with the advanced rules and require trading instead of 1:1 marketplace? That, I think, would save a lot of the problems.
Well, the game is designed for as young as 5 years old and the 5 and 6 years old at my table picked upon the poly card strategy fairly quickly.
Last night we tried nixing the 1:1 market and allowed trading between the players (which is the official "advanced rules"), but the 2:1 trading with the stock pile still makes it pretty easy to get get gold.
Poly cards would be bought, and if an instant lair/ship wasn't picked, the ghost pirate was moved simply for the 2 bonus resources you instantly got, and not to block another player (the kids would even block themselves just for the resources!). Since the ghost pirate was moved so often via poly cards, it didn't really matter where he was placed, because he was never in the same place for very long.
Netting the two instant resources would often let the player buy another poly card immediately or let them trade in the two resources to get what they needed to buy another poly card.
If the poly card gave 4 resources, kids could usually make two trades with the stockpile to get two of what they needed to buy yet another poly card! Buying 3 poly cards in one turn happened on more than one occasion.
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Reply: Catan: Junior:: Rules:: Re: Poly Cards Limit and Building Distance Rule?
by maxac
draco143 wrote:
Poly cards would be bought, and if an instant lair/ship wasn't picked, the ghost pirate was moved simply for the 2 bonus resources you instantly got, and not to block another player (the kids would even block themselves just for the resources!). Since the ghost pirate was moved so often via poly cards, it didn't really matter where he was placed, because he was never in the same place for very long.
Netting the two instant resources would often let the player buy another poly card immediately or let them trade in the two resources to get what they needed to buy another poly card.
If the poly card chosen granted 4 resources, the kids could usually make two trades with the stockpile to get two of what they needed to buy yet another poly card! Buying 3 poly cards in one turn happened on more than one occasion.
My experiences have been the same. Way too many resources available to buy lots of poly cards.
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Reply: Catan: Junior:: Rules:: Re: Poly Cards Limit and Building Distance Rule?
by draco143
I guess I should simply say, "well, it's a kid's game and if they like buying poly cards, so what?" but the hobby gamer in my just seethes beneath the surface, and it seems like they're not getting the point of game.I recently learned that the original German version of this game that came out in 2007 had a 3:1 trade with the stock pile, and there was no marketplace, but there were four harbors that granted 2:1 trading.
I'm glad that harbors are not on this map, and I like the Marketplace, but 2:1 trading with the stockpile was a mistake.
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Monopolizing Catan - Catan Family Edition Review
Originally Posted at http://gameswithtwo.blogspot.com/2012/08/monopolizing-catan-...
Settlers of Catan has deemed itself "The Game for Our Generation." It is the game that many consider to have revolutionized board gaming in America; even though it's origins are found in Germany. Many have even called it "The New Monopoly." The game has three big expansions along with several other smaller ones, countless spin-offs, and games that have nothing to do with Catan, but use the name for marketing and sales purposes. According to the most reliable source on the internet, Wikipedia, Catan has sold over 15 million copies, and those figures are from 3 years ago. So, needless to say, Settlers of Catan, Klaus Teuber (The Designer), and Mayfair Games (Publisher in the US) are all doing pretty well.
Yet, Catan is still not reaching the masses like it could. Not every house has a copy on their shelf. With Monopoly, just about everyone has at least one copy of this game lying around somewhere. It seems to me that Mayfair wants Catan to be everywhere. They have entered into Target and Barnes and Noble. They are attempting to become more "mainstream," which would mean more sales, and thus have created Catan: Family Edition. This is not a new version of Catan, like Simply Catan, Catan Junior, or Kids of Catan. No, this game is just the original Settlers of Catan, however, there are some differences. The majority of this review will be discussing the differences between the original game and this new edition, and if this new edition is even necessary.
Game Play
I'm not going to get too in depth here as the game play for Catan Family is exactly the same as the original Settlers of Catan game. The basic idea is that each player is a Settler on the island of Catan. Your goal is to gather resources in order to build, upgrade, and expand the two starting settlements that you are given. Each of the resources is given a number and at the beginning of each player's turn they roll two dice. If any player rolls a number that you are adjacent to, you get to collect that resource. As you collect resources to build your settlements, you will gain victory points. The more you expand the more victory points you get. The first player to get to 10 victory points is deemed the winner.
The beauty of the game play is that every player is involved in every turn. There is constant player interaction via trading and blocking the other players by getting to a spot before they do. There is no player elimination like in Monopoly or Risk, and the game is usually over in about an hour.
Review
Components
Since this game plays the same as the "classic" Settlers of Catan, you may be curious as to what the differences are between it and this new family version. The first thing you willl notice is that when you see this on the shelf at your local store is that the price is significantly less than the classic version. The family version has an MSRP of $30, while the classic Catan's MSRP is $42. This is the main reason for this new version. A lower price point may result in more sales. We will get more into that later. The box for the Family Edition is also different. There is updated artwork and it is the size of the standard big box games (Ticket to Ride box size).
Inside the box, is where you start to see some big changes to the components. First, instead of having individual tiles for each space on the board, there are only six pieces that lock together to form the board. Now these pieces are interchangeable and they are two sided, so you can still get some variety, which is one of the reasons many people love Settlers. Next, on the 6 pieces, the ports and numbers are already on the board. There is not going to be much variety here. I don't think this is a big deal, especially if you are only going to be playing casually. This is especially true since the casual game player is the target audience here.
After the board pieces, the components are the next thing that will strike you. First, all of the player pieces are made of plastic. The classic version had wooden pieces. This is a big change, however a necessary one if you are going to lower the production cost of the game. The game cards are also smaller. They are the tiny "Eurostyle" cards, or as Ryan Strum calls them, "Hobbit Cards." The last change is the artwork. I have the 3rd Edition of Settlers the artwork was very bland, dry, and very appealing. I can't speak for what the 4th Edition looks like, but the new artwork compared to my version is much much better. It's brighter and is more welcoming to new players. Finally, the rulebook is on one 11x17 page folded, which amounts to about four pages. There is an additional couple pages of appendix/FAQ stuff on a separate sheet, but the main rules are on one sheet. This makes them much more accessible and easy to learn. I know my version had a rule book that was 10 pages long, and then an almanac that was an additional 15 pages. It was also all black and white. The new rules are full color, and I believe this is the case with the 4th Edition of the standard game as well.
Thoughts
Mayfair is really trying to make strides to expand their market. Meaning, they are trying to reach the family and non-gamers out there. You see this with their introduction of the "Fun Fair" line, which Catan Family Edition is a part of, and their presence in Target and Barnes and Noble. It really seems like they are trying to extend a hand to the casual gamer. They have lowered their price point and simplified the rules. This is all in attempt for more sales and hopefully to get more people into gaming. Some will see this as a bad thing, and that Catan and the hobby game industry is going to become like Hasbro and Monopoly. Well, in some senses it will become that way. Publishers have to sell games in order to make money and thus stay in business. If this means that they make a version of one of my beloved games that appeals to John Q public, then by all means make it. If it's at a price that grandma is more comfortable with, then make it. Let's get these wonderful games out to anyone and everyone who wants to take a look at them.
I know what your thinking, "but then the Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS) suffers because Target and Barnes and Noble are taking away all their sales!" Let's be honest, the family going through the game aisle at Target isn't stepping foot into the FLGS, but maybe if they buy Catan Family Edition or Star Trek Catan they will google it, find out about other games and that there are speciality stores, and then venture into the FLGS. In my opinion, these new versions can only help the world of hobby gaming, not hurt it. I know others will disagree with me, and that's fine. What are your thoughts?
See more at www.gameswithtwo.com
Settlers of Catan has deemed itself "The Game for Our Generation." It is the game that many consider to have revolutionized board gaming in America; even though it's origins are found in Germany. Many have even called it "The New Monopoly." The game has three big expansions along with several other smaller ones, countless spin-offs, and games that have nothing to do with Catan, but use the name for marketing and sales purposes. According to the most reliable source on the internet, Wikipedia, Catan has sold over 15 million copies, and those figures are from 3 years ago. So, needless to say, Settlers of Catan, Klaus Teuber (The Designer), and Mayfair Games (Publisher in the US) are all doing pretty well.
Yet, Catan is still not reaching the masses like it could. Not every house has a copy on their shelf. With Monopoly, just about everyone has at least one copy of this game lying around somewhere. It seems to me that Mayfair wants Catan to be everywhere. They have entered into Target and Barnes and Noble. They are attempting to become more "mainstream," which would mean more sales, and thus have created Catan: Family Edition. This is not a new version of Catan, like Simply Catan, Catan Junior, or Kids of Catan. No, this game is just the original Settlers of Catan, however, there are some differences. The majority of this review will be discussing the differences between the original game and this new edition, and if this new edition is even necessary.
Game Play
I'm not going to get too in depth here as the game play for Catan Family is exactly the same as the original Settlers of Catan game. The basic idea is that each player is a Settler on the island of Catan. Your goal is to gather resources in order to build, upgrade, and expand the two starting settlements that you are given. Each of the resources is given a number and at the beginning of each player's turn they roll two dice. If any player rolls a number that you are adjacent to, you get to collect that resource. As you collect resources to build your settlements, you will gain victory points. The more you expand the more victory points you get. The first player to get to 10 victory points is deemed the winner.
The beauty of the game play is that every player is involved in every turn. There is constant player interaction via trading and blocking the other players by getting to a spot before they do. There is no player elimination like in Monopoly or Risk, and the game is usually over in about an hour.
Review
Components
Since this game plays the same as the "classic" Settlers of Catan, you may be curious as to what the differences are between it and this new family version. The first thing you willl notice is that when you see this on the shelf at your local store is that the price is significantly less than the classic version. The family version has an MSRP of $30, while the classic Catan's MSRP is $42. This is the main reason for this new version. A lower price point may result in more sales. We will get more into that later. The box for the Family Edition is also different. There is updated artwork and it is the size of the standard big box games (Ticket to Ride box size).
Inside the box, is where you start to see some big changes to the components. First, instead of having individual tiles for each space on the board, there are only six pieces that lock together to form the board. Now these pieces are interchangeable and they are two sided, so you can still get some variety, which is one of the reasons many people love Settlers. Next, on the 6 pieces, the ports and numbers are already on the board. There is not going to be much variety here. I don't think this is a big deal, especially if you are only going to be playing casually. This is especially true since the casual game player is the target audience here.
After the board pieces, the components are the next thing that will strike you. First, all of the player pieces are made of plastic. The classic version had wooden pieces. This is a big change, however a necessary one if you are going to lower the production cost of the game. The game cards are also smaller. They are the tiny "Eurostyle" cards, or as Ryan Strum calls them, "Hobbit Cards." The last change is the artwork. I have the 3rd Edition of Settlers the artwork was very bland, dry, and very appealing. I can't speak for what the 4th Edition looks like, but the new artwork compared to my version is much much better. It's brighter and is more welcoming to new players. Finally, the rulebook is on one 11x17 page folded, which amounts to about four pages. There is an additional couple pages of appendix/FAQ stuff on a separate sheet, but the main rules are on one sheet. This makes them much more accessible and easy to learn. I know my version had a rule book that was 10 pages long, and then an almanac that was an additional 15 pages. It was also all black and white. The new rules are full color, and I believe this is the case with the 4th Edition of the standard game as well.
Thoughts
Mayfair is really trying to make strides to expand their market. Meaning, they are trying to reach the family and non-gamers out there. You see this with their introduction of the "Fun Fair" line, which Catan Family Edition is a part of, and their presence in Target and Barnes and Noble. It really seems like they are trying to extend a hand to the casual gamer. They have lowered their price point and simplified the rules. This is all in attempt for more sales and hopefully to get more people into gaming. Some will see this as a bad thing, and that Catan and the hobby game industry is going to become like Hasbro and Monopoly. Well, in some senses it will become that way. Publishers have to sell games in order to make money and thus stay in business. If this means that they make a version of one of my beloved games that appeals to John Q public, then by all means make it. If it's at a price that grandma is more comfortable with, then make it. Let's get these wonderful games out to anyone and everyone who wants to take a look at them.
I know what your thinking, "but then the Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS) suffers because Target and Barnes and Noble are taking away all their sales!" Let's be honest, the family going through the game aisle at Target isn't stepping foot into the FLGS, but maybe if they buy Catan Family Edition or Star Trek Catan they will google it, find out about other games and that there are speciality stores, and then venture into the FLGS. In my opinion, these new versions can only help the world of hobby gaming, not hurt it. I know others will disagree with me, and that's fine. What are your thoughts?
See more at www.gameswithtwo.com
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Review: Catan: Junior:: Catan Junior - Review
by gschloesser
Design by: Klaus TeuberPublished by: Kosmos / Mayfair Games
2 – 4 Players, 30 – 40 minutes
Review by: Greg J. Schloesser
NOTE: For ease of explanation, I will refer to the original Settlers of Catan as “Settlers”.
My one and only child is now 25-years old. Thankfully, I don’t have grandchildren yet, and I am rarely in gaming situations wherein young children are present. As such, I don’t often have the opportunity (or desire) to play games that are targeted for a young audience. Thus, I am not the ideal person to critique such games.
Still, I do receive the occasional children’s game to play and review. So, I must periodically seek opportunities wherein they can be played. Such is the case with Junior Catan, Klaus Teuber’s latest entry into the continuing Settlers of Catan juggernaut. One might recall that a children’s version of Settlers was released back in 2003 under the title “The Kids of Catan.” Junior Catan is NOT the same game, but like that earlier release it is a simplified version of the mega-hit that is designed to appeal to a younger audience.
This time, players are not simply serene settlers. Rather, players are pirates establishing their lairs on the islands of Catan. As with Settlers, players will collect and trade resources, which will be used to construct their pirate lairs, ships and collect “Coco” tiles. The player to first establish all seven of his pirate lairs controls the island and wins the game.
Unlike Settlers, the thirteen land tiles are fixed, printed on a non-modular board. The board is two-sided, though, which allows for different numbers of players. Other than the center space, which depicts the scary “Spooky Island”, all spaces have a number ranging from 1 – 5, which will regulate resource production. The mainland-based market has space for five commodities, which are available to the players during the trading phase.
Players each begin with two lairs and two ships on the board, placing them on the designated locations. Turns are conducted in a fashion very similar to that of Settlers: roll a die, collect resources, trade and build. A roll of “six” causes the dreaded “ghost captain” to appear, blocking production of the tile where he is placed. Instead of stealing a resource from an opponent, the player who moved the ghost captain takes two resources of the type corresponding to the tile where he was moved. As one would expect in a children’s game, the emphasis is on friendliness as opposed to confrontation in just about every aspect of the game.
After collecting resources (if any), a player may build or trade in any order. In a major difference with Settlers, players do not trade with each other. Rather, they may – once-per-turn – take any resource present in the market and replace it with one from their hand. Additionally, a player may trade directly with the stockpile of resources, trading two identical resources for one of their choice. This makes acquiring needed resources very easy, which, of course, speeds the game along considerably. Note that advanced rules do allow for trading between players.
There are only two items to build and one to acquire during the game: pirate lairs, ships and Coco tiles. Pirate lairs operate just like settlements in Settlers, costing four specific resources to construct. Ships cost two specific resources, while Coco tiles cost three. Lairs are placed on the board on pre-printed circles, while ships are placed on the dashed lines between the circles. Lairs can be constructed adjacent, so one does not need to worry about the distance rules that are present in Settlers.
One cannot dally too long when building ships and pirate lairs, as it is possible for prime routes – and, indeed, all routes – to be claimed by one’s opponents, thereby cutting-off expansion paths. Resources are earned quickly, so building is never really a challenge. You have been warned!
Coco tiles (named after the pirate’s mascot, Coco the parrot!) are similar to the development cards in Settlers. Each one grants the player some benefit. These benefits are immediate (resources, ship, pirate lair) and the player with the most Coco tiles gets to place one of his pirate lairs on Spooky Island, giving him one more lair and bringing him one step closer to victory.
The game ends as soon as one player places his final pirate’s lair, at which point he claims the victory. The end arrives quickly – in 30 minutes or so. There isn’t much time for long-range planning.
So what are the major differences between Junior Catan and Settlers of Catan?
* Roll one die instead of two dice for resource production.
* When moving the Ghost Captain, a player does not steal resources from an opponent.
* Players are not forced to discard resources when the ghost captain is moved.
* There is no trading between the players. Rather, players trade directly with the marketplace and resource stockpile.
* Players may always trade two identical resources for one resource of their choice.
* Pirate lairs may be built adjacent; i.e. there is no need to skip a space between lairs.
* There is no upgrading of settlements into cities.
* Coco tiles are used immediately instead of having to wait a turn.
* There is no “largest army.”
* The theme is changed to pirates.
Collectively, these changes have proved instrumental in helping Teuber succeed in meeting his goal: designing a simpler, more streamlined version of Settlers of Catan that is targeted towards families with young children. The game now plays in a fraction of the time required to play Settlers, and there are few, if any, confusing rules. Player interaction is kept to a minimum, and there are few actions a player can take that would be upsetting to an opponent. In short, the game is certainly “child friendly.”
I will note that in an effort to be brief, the rules are silent on several issues. For example, if a player constructs multiple pirate lairs along a hex, does he receive multiple resources when that space is activated by a resource roll? The answer in regular Settlers is, of course, “yes”, but the rules here do not say. We assumed “yes”, which does make the game play MUCH quicker. Also, as mentioned earlier, the manner in which the board is designed makes it quite possible for a player to have both of his lairs isolated, with all paths of expansion cut-off. What happens then? Again, the rules are silent. An attempt at brevity seems to have sacrificed some clarity.
I am a huge Settlers of Catan fan, so as an adult, Junior Catan felt far, far too simple for me. But I am not the target audience; young children are. As such, I can see how this is a nice Settlers-style game that is easy to learn and plays fast. As my friend and fellow gamer Dale Yu declares, gone is the nastiness of the robber, and trading is simple and easy. No negotiations skills are required. These factors alone should help make the game accessible and enjoyable for a wide array of younger children. The age range will most definitely be on the younger end of the scale, however, as children of middle school age or older should be able to handle regular Settlers.
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Reply: Catan: Junior:: Reviews:: Re: Catan Junior - Review
by gamesgrandpa
I, too, am a big fan of Settlers. It would have been nice to have had this version to play with my grandchildren at the time we first acquired the adult version, but my grandson was so intrigued by the game that he was playing and beating us adults at the regular game (with the 5-6 player expansion) when he was 8 years old. Today, he still does that, and he's now 14. He is a tough and smart negotiator in Settlers, as well as other games.This new version sounds like a great way to introduce children to a fantastic game, and they will likely want to "move up" to the regular game in a short time.
Thanks for another excellent review.
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Reply: Catan: Junior:: Reviews:: Re: Catan Junior - Review
by RedPiranha
gschloesser wrote:
...
I will note that in an effort to be brief, the rules are silent on several issues. For example, if a player constructs multiple pirate lairs along a hex, does he receive multiple resources when that space is activated by a resource roll?
...
I will note that in an effort to be brief, the rules are silent on several issues. For example, if a player constructs multiple pirate lairs along a hex, does he receive multiple resources when that space is activated by a resource roll?
...
The rules aren't silent on this issue:
Page 3, Chapter "Roll the Die":
"For each of his pirates’ lairs adjacent to an island with the number rolled, that player receives 1 resource tile that matches the icon of that adjacent island."
I've marked the important word.
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