Catan Dice Game - Review
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Catan Dice Game is a quick-playing, lightweight game set in the popular Settlers of Catan universe. Players use six dice to roll for resources (brick, lumber, wool, grain, ore or gold) which are then used to build roads, settlements, cities and knights. There are multiple strategies to pursue, and although players who take big risks can dominate, they can also fail spectacularly. As with most dice games, the randomness factor is high.
But if you don't mind that, you'll find that Catan Dice Game is a delightfully entertaining family game.
If you've played the worldwide hit board game The Settlers of Catan, the theme of Catan Dice Game will be familiar. By rolling six dice, players try to collect the resources they need to build roads, settlements, cities and knights. The dice are all identical, with a different resource on each side: brick, lumber, wool, grain, ore or gold. On a turn, you roll all six dice and can then set aside any number, rerolling the rest. After the second roll, you can choose to set aside more dice, reroll some you previously set aside, or any combination. Three rolls is the maximum on a turn.
To build a road, you need a brick and a wood; a knight requires an ore, a sheep and a wool; a settlement takes a brick, a wood, a sheep and a wheat; and a city needs three ore and two wheat. The gold is useful only in pairs. Two gold can be used as one of any other resource. Each item built adds to your final score, but everything is not created equal.
Roads are worth just one point each, but you must build them to reach the higher-valued settlements (3 to 11 points) and cities (7 to 30 points). The knights are worth 1 to 6 points, but they also provide helpful wild dice. Settlements, cities and knights must be built in order of increasing value, so you cannot simply skip ahead to the potential big scores.
This is a fantastic dice game. There's a strong press-your-luck element since going for cities leads to the highest scores -- but can also cause you to bust out. There are also tough decisions to be made nearly every turn. You must be flexible to succeed. Sticking rigidly to one strategy and ignoring the will of the dice almost certainly spells doom. Catan Dice Game also builds drama nicely, as your 15 turns necessarily begin with low-scoring opportunities but steadily elevate. Fans of dice games and The Settlers of Catan should give Catan Dice Game a try. Klaus Teuber is best known for designing The Settlers of Catan, which has sold millions of copies worldwide since being released in 1995. The Settlers of Catan also inspired the release of numerous expansions and spinoffs. Among the most popular of these are The Settlers of Catan Card Game, Starship Catan, Elasund: The First City of Catan, Starfarers of Catan, The Settlers of the Stone Age, The Settlers of Canaan, The Settlers of Zarahemla, Catan Histories: Struggle for Rome, Simply Catan, Candamir: The First Settlers, and the Catan Dice Game.
Pros Clever dice game set in the Settlers of Catan universe. Players who take big risks can win big rewards. Yahtzee-like core mechanic makes the game feel familiar without being stale. Can be enjoyed as a solitaire game. Cons There is no player interaction, so the downtime between turns can drag. Description For 1 to 4 players, ages 7 and up. Catan Dice Game was designed by Klaus Teuber and published by Mayfair Games. About 10 to 30 minutes per game, depending on the number of players. Includes six wooden six-sided dice, a score sheet pad, and rules.
Catan Dice Game is a quick-playing, lightweight game set in the popular Settlers of Catan universe. Players use six dice to roll for resources (brick, lumber, wool, grain, ore or gold) which are then used to build roads, settlements, cities and knights. There are multiple strategies to pursue, and although players who take big risks can dominate, they can also fail spectacularly. As with most dice games, the randomness factor is high.
But if you don't mind that, you'll find that Catan Dice Game is a delightfully entertaining family game.
If you've played the worldwide hit board game The Settlers of Catan, the theme of Catan Dice Game will be familiar. By rolling six dice, players try to collect the resources they need to build roads, settlements, cities and knights. The dice are all identical, with a different resource on each side: brick, lumber, wool, grain, ore or gold. On a turn, you roll all six dice and can then set aside any number, rerolling the rest. After the second roll, you can choose to set aside more dice, reroll some you previously set aside, or any combination. Three rolls is the maximum on a turn.
To build a road, you need a brick and a wood; a knight requires an ore, a sheep and a wool; a settlement takes a brick, a wood, a sheep and a wheat; and a city needs three ore and two wheat. The gold is useful only in pairs. Two gold can be used as one of any other resource. Each item built adds to your final score, but everything is not created equal.
Roads are worth just one point each, but you must build them to reach the higher-valued settlements (3 to 11 points) and cities (7 to 30 points). The knights are worth 1 to 6 points, but they also provide helpful wild dice. Settlements, cities and knights must be built in order of increasing value, so you cannot simply skip ahead to the potential big scores.
This is a fantastic dice game. There's a strong press-your-luck element since going for cities leads to the highest scores -- but can also cause you to bust out. There are also tough decisions to be made nearly every turn. You must be flexible to succeed. Sticking rigidly to one strategy and ignoring the will of the dice almost certainly spells doom. Catan Dice Game also builds drama nicely, as your 15 turns necessarily begin with low-scoring opportunities but steadily elevate. Fans of dice games and The Settlers of Catan should give Catan Dice Game a try. Klaus Teuber is best known for designing The Settlers of Catan, which has sold millions of copies worldwide since being released in 1995. The Settlers of Catan also inspired the release of numerous expansions and spinoffs. Among the most popular of these are The Settlers of Catan Card Game, Starship Catan, Elasund: The First City of Catan, Starfarers of Catan, The Settlers of the Stone Age, The Settlers of Canaan, The Settlers of Zarahemla, Catan Histories: Struggle for Rome, Simply Catan, Candamir: The First Settlers, and the Catan Dice Game.
Pros Clever dice game set in the Settlers of Catan universe. Players who take big risks can win big rewards. Yahtzee-like core mechanic makes the game feel familiar without being stale. Can be enjoyed as a solitaire game. Cons There is no player interaction, so the downtime between turns can drag. Description For 1 to 4 players, ages 7 and up. Catan Dice Game was designed by Klaus Teuber and published by Mayfair Games. About 10 to 30 minutes per game, depending on the number of players. Includes six wooden six-sided dice, a score sheet pad, and rules.
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