First post, so hope I've done everything right.
This seems to be a pretty damn fine price for Catan.
Looks like delivery won't be until after Xmas though…
As noted by Passionfruit, if a higher price is showing you may need to click the second seller ("Amazon US")
CamelCamelCamel.
Good summary
Not true. Amazon comingles their own inventory with that of 3rd party sellers. Seller as Amazon is just as likely to be fake as a 3rd party, which is pretty high. This is well known in the board game community.
(I recommend https://gamerholic.com.au/ for cheap board games. If you have ebay plus their ebay store is free delivery.
Gameology is good too. Also check out http://www.boardgamesearch.com.au/ to compare prices for Australian shops.)
At least if Amazon is the seller it's easier to get your money back.
I agree. The co-mingling makes ordering from Amazon too risky. I never buy from them for hobby boardgames. There are way too many counterfeits on the market.
I recommend https://gamerholic.com.au/ for cheap board games.
yeah no
too much negative feedback relating to poor communication and lack of service
also what is your definition of cheap?
Catan at gamerholic costs $54.50 (plus $10 delivery), here it was $37.45 plus delivery (free with prime)
coming up as 51.66 for me
Same here.
$37.45 for me
51.66 as well
Click the second seller, "Amazon US"
Not even sure why the neg but sure.
Damn neggers
Hey now, no need to get racial.
You have to be logged in with Prime. Otherwise it shows you the Price + free delivery woops wrong, see Passionfruit's comment above
Updated URL to reflect Amazon US as the seller.
Thanks! I'll try to do that next time
If you don’t got it, get it
For those who have played, would you recommend buying the extension as well?
I mean if you want to play with 5-6 players, yes.
what's the best way to win?
Being better than your opponents.
The base game is enough for upto 4 players.
The extension is if you want to add players 5 and or 6
I like the game, but compared to when it was first released in 1995,there are heaps of great games now, I haven't felt the need to buy an expansion eg cities and knights
Btw if you buy an expansion, and if you want 6 players to play the expansion you would need an extension to the expansion!
Eg
Catan base game
Plus 5-6 player extension
Plus expansion eg cities and knights
Plus cities and knights extension ( to allow two additional players)
Personally I feel the base game should include enough for 6 players anyway
Could you recommend a good/better board game? Bonus if suitable for under 10s.
Too vague… big difference between 10 year old and 6 year old… plus also style of game… Settlers is a great game… but there is active trading, younger players often struggle with that aspect. There is a junior version of the game which allows trading with the bank rather than other players… is a great start but 9 and 10 year old might find that a bit basic after a few games… (mine did)… so we moved onto full version of Settlers…
Perhaps Ticket to Ride? The board is huge and games don't take that long.
@heatseeker424: +1 on Ticket To Ride, great game, my 13 yo got it straight away, my 10yo needed some strategy help but otherwise got it. We played 5 people and it was really great fun, even though the missus screwed me over twice to take the win!
As far as modern board games go, my 5yo loves Azul, although admittedly he's a little brighter than normal being on the spectrum </humblebrag>. He also liked Lanterns. Oddly, we couldn't get into Sushi Go, even though a bunch of friends' kids in the 6 - 10 age range quite like it.
Ticket to Ride is really good - though a young kid might struggle to win for a while as long as they get the basics they will pick up strategy eventually. But there isn't too many rules to remember, not too many different pieces, it's very visual, should be a hit. Can always test them out by getting a mobile version to try first.
Ooh thanks for the insight!
I think i’ll stick with the base for now.
No. Catan is a great game, but gets a bit too slow for 5-6 players. There are better options available for that many players.
Is this similar to Monopoly?
Yes they both need dice ;)
I'm referring to the type of game.
I've never played Catan.
Very very different game. Alot more strategic sort of game. Involves a lot of trading so there's a more communication than in Monopoly.
Why don’t you google it?
Monopoly is a game where there is no decision making - the outcome is entirely determined by dice rolls. In your reference to a "type of game", it is no different to Ludo or Snakes and Ladders.
Catan has dice that add a modicum of luck, but the outcome of the game is determined by the choices you make while playing it - it will be won (or lost) by the good (or bad) choices you make throughout the game. Thus, in my opinion, it is a far more engaging and entertaining boardgame.
Catan is an excellent family game, and a very good gateway into the genre of modern boardgames.
I trust that answers your question?
Monopoly is a game where there is no decision making - the outcome is entirely determined by dice rolls
Untrue.
Play the game with someone, but you choose not to purchase any property during the game. Watch who wins…
Catan is an excellent family game, and a very good gateway into the genre of modern boardgames.
Seems good… I've bought it, so hopefully I'll find out early Jan…
Monopoly is a game where there is no decision making
Pay a $10 fine or take a chance (card) is a decision :)
If you are in jail you can decide if you want to pay $50 to get out, or try and roll doubles (that is until the third throw)
If a player lands on a property he can chose not to buy it
the property then goes on to auction, where every player can decide if he wants to buy it or not
there is some decision making in monopoly :)
but yes I get your point :)
@ausminstrel: Eh? The main reason that monopoly is so successful is precisely because it isn't just about dice rolls. Players trade properties and bargain with each other throughout the whole game.
Monopoly is a game where there is no decision making
Are you kidding me? Don't you have to decide when the banker is not looking to nick the $100 bill? :)
@ausminstrel: "Monopoly is a game where there is no decision making".
That's because nobody ever plays it properly, with all the rules like auctions, etc. and none of those stupid house rules like the free parking jackpot. Not saying it's the best game in the world - it was showing its age yonks ago and I wouldn't recommend it these days, but it isn't just the mindless game of chance some make it out to be.
@zzyss: The way a lot of people view it's reliance on chance is that there is almost always a logical option given the chance that occurs to you - all properties should be bought when you land on them, and there is a pretty set order of property sets that should be developed as a priority in terms of expected return. It's a bit like broken games, where you can calculate the best option at all times given the current inputs, for a calculated 'best decision'.
Catan is an example of multiple avenues to winning and more variables and make such decisions a bit harder.
It's the quintessential "Eurogame", in fact Catan was responsible for spreading the genre outside of Europe. Eurogames are a category of board game defined by a few key traits:
The removal of random chance/luck or at the very least, de-emphasising randomness as an advancement mechanic.
An emphasis on player cooperation, as opposed to individualistic competition.
No ability to eliminate other players from the game entirely.
A lengthier playtime compared to traditional board games like Monopoly, Risk, Scrabble, Clue, Battleship, etc, due to the deeper and more complex strategies that can be employed other than winning through, well… Monopoly (i.e. having the most money, property, soldiers, countries; such as in the above board games).
It's nothing like Monopoly, apart from the shared aspect of acquiring resources (though Catan has a lot more resources to manage other than money and property).
That being said, Eurogames have come along since 1995 when Catan was released; and while Catan still holds up, check out BGG's Top 100 list for some modern Eurogame favourites.
Great starting board game for those who want to get into more board games.
I started with snakes & ladders.
Real OG
Settlers of Catan $37.45 + Delivery
Aren't you better off getting it for $33.99 delivered ?
OR is this something different ?
There are ALOT of fakes out there, which don't hold up quality wise. eg shitty printing, poor card material
So how do you know which of the two is fake? Maybe the Amazon one is?
I mean that's just it right? You don't know. But I trust that something sold by Amazon US and not a marketplace to be more likely from a legit supplier. I've also had more luck with Amazon returns than ebay returns.
If you go down to brand - it says unbranded, which means that it is not a genuine product. Of course, some eBay sellers still include the brand, but if the price is much lower than the going market price, you can be 98% sure you’re looking at a counterfeit.
As for the Amazon one, the seller is Catan Studios itself, so of course it’s the real deal. Even if it is not, if it says “fulfilled by Amazon”, chances are it’s genuine too, but this isn’t 100%.
showing up as $51 for me
Still working at 37.45 for me.
Need to change the seller to Amazon US
Thanks!
Thanks OP, solid deal.
Don't forget to use shopback for a further 8% off.
That's a further $3 saving.
Thanks OP, been waiting for this to drop in price for a while and finally grabbed one!
official catan website here
https://www.catan.com/board-games
here's wishing for a 25th anniversary edition in 2020
I play this game with my kids once a week. They are 11,9 & 7. They love it. We have played for about 10-15 times. I have won every single time. So, I think the dice plays very little part in this game.
My kids don't like Monopoly much. What should I introduce next?
Why don't you start by letting them win at least once? Or just have them play and supervise?
Haha… Too competitive. When I play chess, I take few pieces out from my side from the beginning. Then we can all play competitively.
I do help out the youngest. After that game, I try to discuss what worked and what didn't. Also, I try not to block them if possible.
When I reach 10 points I stop playing.
Carcassonne
Pandemic ( base version ie not Legacy)
Ticket to Ride ( junior/ US/ Europe)
Patchwork
Azul
To name just a few
Here is boardgamegeeks top 100 family games for more suggestions
Ticket to Ride would be good, as an all round good game. Pandemic might also be a go, as it's you against the game, so might build useful co-operation and planning skills between them…
With Pandemic, why the base version and non-Legacy? I've played the base and it felt not very replayable once you beat it on the hardest difficulty. Legacy seems like a better version since there are 12 missions and all even though I am still looking for a good price to snag it at.
Even with kids I would think that the Legacy version would be more fun. Just curious and would like to know why the base as I felt that was a bit of a waste of money.
Ludo
Sorry JV. Ludo isn't entertaining enough.
Ludo, Snake & ladder, Monopoly and chess were standard games in my younger days.
I taught them, Black Jack. They like it.
Thanks got one
Recommendations on other games for someone that likes Catan?
If like me you don't have Prime, it works out cheaper and delivered faster to order through AU website.
Est 20-23 Dec
Just wondering what may be causing this drop in price? Oversupply from a suddenly cancelled large order? All the amazon staff coming back from the holidays that would have nothing to do if not for packing and shipping and servicing these catan orders?
Can’t come up with anymore reasons…
I'm not sure either, but keep in mind that this is Amazon US. I imagine standard price for the game would be lower in the US anyway, and it's the free shipping that makes it acceptable for us. It's Christmas, so you would expect good offers regardless. Another factor could be that it is the 25th anniversary of the game next year (as someone pointed out above), so maybe they have worked out with the publisher to reduce stocks all round for a special edition coming up?
Could be anything, especially with the fact that it's Amazon US.
I kinda wish that various board game companies would "Jackbox" their games. EG people can use their phones to control their moves and it comes up on the TV. Saves having to setup a game physically and storing multiple games around the house.
Not sure that would be good. The whole nostalgia with board games is physical pieces, sitting around and moving your items. You may as well play a video game at that point
There are a bunch of games in that category, including a lot of the Escape Room type games (where you all watch some video together to set the scene, etc. but the actual puzzles are physical artifacts), games like Werewords which have companion apps with game content, etc.
Agree that it wouldn't be the same - the physical pieces have a completely different feel. But if you want it, get a couple of phones will mobile versions, I got Catan for free on a sale, but it's not too expensive from memory.
Stall at Queen Vic Market selling for around $30.. I'll confirm
Likely fake.
Would have to be.
"1.0 out of 5 stars - DO NOT BUY FROM THIS SELLER
5 July 2018
Style: StandardVerified Purchase
This is a fake copy being sold for almost the same price as the real copy.
The board doesn’t line up and the the pieces are extremely poor quality. Absolute waste of money."
??
It's sold by Amazon - doubt they sell fake copies
As is regularly pointed out, Amazon aggregates reviews for a product from all the sellers, so it's not necessarily indicative of anything. Just buy from Amazon AU/US or a trusted marketplace seller.
Amazon just needs to fix up its review system.
Thank you OP! My board game collection needed this.
So did mine!
What's best ways to win?
You can look up full strategies online, as it's pretty hard to explain in a comments section. I always find cornering one section of the board so you can easily expand or cornering one resource is a good strategy, but I generally play with people who haven't played much (I haven't either). Interested to hear other peoples' strategies.
Can't choose the Amazon-US option anymore?
Only coming up at $57.00 for me :(
Looks like it's over
Any one received a cancellation from Amazon? I received an email saying I will receive my refund after the seller received the return item and the item is on its way back to the seller!!!!!
Sounds like a delivery mishap. Maybe check your address and/or the tracking details, and complain to Amazon.
Can anyone that bought this confirm if its a genuine copy?
Mine appeared to be.
Good game
Good price
Seller Amazon (and not 3rd party) so unlikely to be fake
Good first post