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Creator of Catan, Klaus Teuber, has died
- eligro91 4y agoR.I.P One of the best games, I enjoy playing that l for hours with my kids.
- krylon 4y agoRest in Peace. It's my favorite board game to this day.
- franze 4y agoRest in Catan.
- mgaunard 4y ago"Catan Settlers" is what I call it.
- midiguy 4y agoI call it the Anglo-Saxon pioneers who take advantage of their Protestant work-ethic to procure long roads and prudently engage in trade of Catan
- InitialLastName 4y agoI call it "the first loser gets to pick the winner".
- s_m_t 4y agoCatan's trading is a mistake in game design for sure
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- 2muchcoffeeman 4y agoI played another game fairly recently where people could negotiate trades for resources. Also a mistake in game design. I want to say it was Moonrakers?
- InitialLastName 4y agoIt's a difficult issue because I think the trading is also the core of what makes the game interesting; it's hard to force players to cooperate with their competitors while avoiding the kingmaker issue.
- etothepii 4y agoAbsolutely not. The trading is the whole point. You talk to each other, you negotiate, it's interactive. Sure it means the same person always wins, but it's the interaction that keeps it alive.
- jerrybender 4y agoYou can make a deal with another losing player to maximize your chances of winning. On the next dice roll, seven or above you trade all your cards for one, and vice versa. However, all contracts are nonbinding in Catan so it never works out
- morelisp 4y agoYeah, uh, they are not Protestant. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Settlers_of_Catan_(novel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Settlers_of_Catan_(novel) The Elasunders encounter a large flock of white ravens, which they ecstatically interpret as a good omen from the god Odin. The white ravens evoke their well-known Legend of Catan, leading them to believe that Catan is the shore they now walk upon. Shortly after landing, Candamir's slave-girl Gunda bears him his first-born child, Nils, whom he names after his sister Asta's deceased husband. ... Osmund and Candamir both are attracted to Siglind, but she has devoted herself to the Christian God. Osmund proposes marriage to her, but she refuses, saying she has sworn off all men. Osmund instead marries Inga, a 13-year-old girl. Brigitta, Osmund's grandmother-in-law from his first marriage, deems them anointed and secretly prophesies to them that their firstborn will be king of Catan. Furthermore, Inga is to one day take Brigitta's place as the priestess of their religion, while Osmund will be ruler of the island.
- svachalek 4y agoWow, there was a novel... that sounds pretty awful tbph.
- teh_klev 4y ago> Yeah, uh, they are not Protestant. Oh, c'mon it's a joke. There was no such thing as a "Protestant" in Anglo Saxon times.
- morelisp 4y agoIt's insensitive to joke about Child Brides of Catan.
- zztop44 4y agoNeeds a $1.8bn Prime Video adaptation.
- Jimmc414 4y agoSettlers of Catan: where friendships are shattered by a well-placed robber
- bee_rider 4y agoIf a friendship can get shattered by a board game, it is good to know that it isn’t really worth getting too invested in ASAP.
- lostlogin 4y agoI wonder how many marriages it’s broken?
- koolba 4y agoA well placed road does more lasting damage.
- Arrath 4y agoOh absolutely
- yamtaddle 4y agoRoad placement can knock one or two players out in the first round or two, on random boards with unfortunate initial placement and four players. Probably the weakest thing about the game—sometimes you pick the best spots available at placement, but are effectively doomed from the start unless other players screw up really badly, and it's that extremely bad kind of losing-early where you're technically still playing but also can't do much. Like, if you want to make other people's experience as bad as yours, you can just give resources to someone to play kingmaker rather than futilely trying to build stuff, which is surely more entertaining than doing nothing, but is also not exactly a positive kind of entertainment. Playing with three mostly fixes it, but then there are fewer people to trade with. Using a set, balanced board layout can help, but IMO gets kinda boring.
- wadadadad 4y agoMy family tends to play with the 5-6 player expansion with only four players, which I think tends to mitigate your mentioned issue somewhat; on the other hand, having that much space also leads to a lot of 'solo play', where you don't need to trade as much as everyone can generally get the resources they need and you're just waiting for the resources. The expansion-with-four-players certainly feels less cut-throat/competitive, for good or bad.
- joemi 4y agoRIP. Settlers Of Catan and Uwe Rosenberg's Bohnanza were my intro to boardgames beyond Monopoly. I always hated Monopoly, and all board games by extension. Thanks to Catan and Bohnanza I discovered that board games didn't have to be bad/boring.
- dgacmu 4y agoBohnanza is a quite remarkable game. Ruthlessly mathematical in a way that you don't need to process to play and have fun. (I like it. But I don't like to play too often or it starts to feel like work. )
- marcod 4y agoI'm guessing you know by now that monopoly was built to be frustrating :) Love Bonanza too!
- tinco 4y agoImplementing Bohnanza was the main project of the advanced programming class at my Uni. Was really fun, we were allowed to pick any programming language and had to incorporate one or more of the "advanced" techniques the professor taught. I picked CoffeeScript and aspect oriented programming and it was so much fun. Still one of my best programming experiences. AOP lends itself perfectly to boardgames.
- ycombinete 4y agoIt was Catan, and then Rosenberg’s Agricola that did it for me.
- chimeracoder 4y agoSettlers of Catan is the perfect "bridge game" - accessible enough to people who are used to playing Monopoly, but complicated and fun enough that it gets people interested in more involved German-style board games. Most board game aficionados end up not playing Catan very much, but it's hard to think of a game that has introduced more people to the genre successfully.
- philwelch 4y agoMore’s the pity, IMO. I really like Catan, but I’m not really interested in becoming a board game hipster and learning a new board game every time I play.
- cooperadymas 4y agoI'm what most would probably consider a hardcore gamer or a "board game hipster", sitting here with 70 or so board games on my shelf. (IMO I'm not really that hardcore or hipstery about it for many reasons. It's all relative in the end.) I like long complex games that make Catan look like Go Fish. I have played regularly with a group of friends for years now both in person and online. They're slightly less hardcore. Catan is one of the games we constantly have running turn based. It never gets old. It's the perfect balance of strategy, luck, complexity, and fun.
- lmm 4y agoIt got old for me after a lot of playing with family. But not quickly.
- anitil 4y agoHow old do you think kids would need to be to play Catan? (I've never played, but would like to give it a go if I can play with small kids)
- cooperadymas 4y agoYou're probably looking at the 8-10 year old range to truly understand the rules and begin to pick up strategy enough to play on their own. There is not much that is truly _secret_ in Catan, so it's an easy one where Dad/Mom can help guide the decision making. You could also very easily simplify the game - take out resource cards, take out bonuses for longest road / largest army, and reduce the winning VP to 5, then it's only about building settlements/cities and roads, and friendly trading. There is even a junior version that says it is for ages 6+. I admittedly have never played it but have heard that it can work for some smart 4 year olds with a little guidance.
- looping8 4y agoRIP, this man's creation helped me and my friends make many boring evening better. Also lead to arguments but that's okay, was part of the fun. He really left a huge legacy.
- jakespencer 4y agoCatan, and the many other games made possible after it's success, have brought me a lot of happiness over the years. I'm thankful for the life and work of Mr. Teuber.
- cableshaft 4y agoCatan helped show me that board games had evolved beyond the games of my youth. Went down a huge rabbit hole afterwards and most of my closest friends today I've met through game nights, and I've designed several games since that will eventually get out there (one is signed by a publisher but not yet released, hoping to get two more signed this year). If not for that I'd probably still exclusively be working on video games in my spare time. Thanks Klaus, for having such a massive influence on the hobby that the industry has had an incredible period of growth and many cool and interesting games that almost certainly wouldn't exist otherwise. RIP.
- CatWChainsaw 4y agoCatan is the gateway drug of board games. Gonna have to gather together a group to play a round in his honor.
- luckystarr 4y agoRIP. Thanks Klaus! In the 90s when "Die Siedler" was released, we played it until we literally dropped due to exhaustion. :) It is still so much fun. Settlers is one of the all time classics which I guess will still be played in a 100 years.
- acheron 4y agoRIP. I first played Settlers 20 years ago and now play it with my kids sometimes. Not sure what is special about "dicebreaker.com" but here's an official announcement from the Catan site https://www.catan.com/catan-fans/news/we-mourn-passing-klaus-teuber https://www.catan.com/catan-fans/news/we-mourn-passing-klaus... as well as a memorial on the Spiel des Jahres site https://www.spiel-des-jahres.de/trauer-um-klaus-teuber/ https://www.spiel-des-jahres.de/trauer-um-klaus-teuber/ though that one is in German.
- toomuchtodo 4y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Teuber https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Teuber
- kiernanmcgowan 4y agoI'll give you two sheep for the stone I need to build his mausoleum.
- charlieyu1 4y agoThe game that marks the starting point of modern boardgaming.
- ponytech 4y agoCatan is the game that got me into modern board games 20 years ago. Following board game nights made me meet people who are still close friends today and introduced me to the mother of my children. My life would have been so different without Mr Teuber creations. Thank you and reset in peace.
- mikmoila 4y agoRest in peace Klaus! Thanks for giving us a hope!
- libraryatnight 4y agoAs I've gotten older I've had to pick and choose from time intensive hobbies I've collected over the years, and board games that rank on board game geek and - in the same way folks serious about their movies use 'film' - often get referred to not as board games but 'tabletop' are something I don't spend time with as much anymore (with real humans, digital editions have been nice). But I can still play Catan and get people to play with me. Catan is game that scratches my game geek itch, but is fun and learnable by most people interested in a board game at a holiday. I am thankful for Catan. Thank you Klaus Teuber for bringing us Catan.
- drewcoo 4y ago> board games that rank on board game geek and - in the same way folks serious about their movies use 'film' - often get referred to not as board games but 'tabletop' There are lots of games that are "tabletop games" and not "board games," and not because anyone's being a snob. Dominoes, cards, miniatures, for example. If you actually dig deeper into BGG than the links of new hotness, you can find many more types. Also, anyone who's into Catan hasn't earned their snob status yet. ;-)
- libraryatnight 4y agoYeah, you guys :D
- mathgeek 4y agoThere are (unfortunately) at least two common connotations when it comes to “tabletop games”. One is what you’re saying, but the term is also used to specifically mean games like D&D (when using minis), Warhammer, and Battletech. Gloomhaven is one such game that rates highly on BGG and brings with it some controversy around what qualifies as a board game. Thankfully this whole hobby is as strong as it ever has been, giving folks lots of options that suit their tastes.
- scyzoryk_xyz 4y agoI once read an article somewhere about how he spent huge amounts of time thoroughly playtesting the entire game with his children. This is what made the game balanced and easy to grasp. My favorite mechanic is the way each dice roll potentially gives everyone at the table some sort of payoff. This keeps everyone at the table engaged and paying attention. You only come up with mechanics like this if you put in the time playtesting. [*] RIP
- SkyPuncher 4y ago> My favorite mechanic is the way each dice roll potentially gives everyone at the table some sort of payoff. This keeps everyone at the table engaged and paying attention. We've actually found this to be very off-putting. It often ends up with certain players remaining stuck in long droughts, often unable to do anything. As a result, we tend to play with "welfare". Essentially, a secondary currency system that can be exchanged for any resource. Cost scales with the amount of victory points you have, so it becomes less valuable as you advanced closer to victory. We've found this helps create a bit of balance and ensure that everyone has a chance to stay engaged.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- thefringthing 4y agoSome people play by drawing from a deck of dice rolls without replacement in order to reduce the variance.
- SkyPuncher 4y agoI actually have that deck. However, I can't get my group to play it. They say that the actual process of rolling the dice is fun. I tend to agree.
- Rebelgecko 4y agoWhat I'do you laid all the cards out face down on the table, rolled the dice, and chose whichever card was closest?
- mLuby 4y agoVery sad news. Unrelated, the website claims this cookie is "legitimate interest" and so can't be disabled: Receive and use automatically-sent device characteristics for identification: Always Active Why do they need to identify a logged out visitor?
- Y_Y 4y agoWhy did we let the website itself be the arbiter of what interests are "legitimate"?
- Havoc 4y agoPretty epic life if the measuring stick is bringing happiness to people. Well played
- jrussino 4y agoI came here to say exactly this. I don't know anything about the man except that he brought a good deal of tangible joy into my life and the lives of many many others. As far as epitaphs go, you can't ask for much better than that.
- larkinrichards 4y agoMy best friends are those I play catan with regularly. There is no other game so enjoyable, which can inspire such anger towards friends for their transgressions, yet allow such easy forgiveness. Rest in peace, Klaus.
- karaokeyoga 4y agoIf anyone in Tokyo is looking for a board game player, ping me. I live near Ueno. Played Diplomacy and D&D in my youth. Would love to start playing again.
- Pamar 4y agoI strongly suggest trying boardgamearena.com (together with Discord, Zoom or whatever for voice). I am a GM for a long lasting, weekly online RPG campaign, and when one of the other players is not available we usually "meet" anyway and just play one of the dozens games available there.
- xahrepap 4y agoYears ago, one of my first wood working projects was a custom Catan board. I used a router and carved every hex myself. I used a wood burning tool for all the symbols. https://imgur.com/a/HGe528s https://imgur.com/a/HGe528s My kids and I just got it out again a few days ago and started playing again. What a great game. RIP.
- vxNsr 4y agoVery impressive!
- irrational 4y agoCatan was my intro to modern board games. I haven't played it in 15 years or so, but it is the reason I now have nearly 400 boardgames. I prefer many other games over it now, but it will always have a fond place in my heart.
- vxNsr 4y agoIf anyone wants to play online there’s an unofficial clone at colonist.io that is much better than the official online version.
- 3xa 4y agoUnfortunately in German only. A superb „OMR“ podcast episode with Klaus and his son as guests talking about past, present and future as well as some insights. https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/omr-podcast/id1056312052?i=1000590880585 https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/omr-podcast/id10563120...
- WA 4y agoThanks, will check it out. Here’s an Overcast link to the episode. https://overcast.fm/+SFb2HXunQ https://overcast.fm/+SFb2HXunQ
- Ikatza 4y agoResponsible for millions of divorces and vendettas everywhere. I stopped playing Catan and switched to cooperative euro games after realizing that the way I play Catan (threatening, holding grudges, taking revenge, creating chaos...) is not how everybody else plays or wants to play. I play to win whatever the cost, but after having strong arguments with my friends and loved ones I decided to just stop playing.
- TorontoTheGood 4y agoI don't need to read the "daily dead" on here