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For fans of the board game Settlers of Catan, there is a similar online version which is quite nice:

Sea3D (here are some screenshots)

That one is a bit old, but stable (it is similar to Settlers plus the seafarer expansion), and the S3D Connector website can match up players.

The newer version in devel is Cities Online (similar to cities and knights expansion).

Those are pretty good board games.

For fans of the board game Settlers of Catan, there is a similar online version which is quite nice:

Sea3D (here are some screenshots)

That one is a bit old, but stable (it is similar to Settlers plus the seafarer expansion), and the S3D Connector website can match up players.

The newer version in devel is Cities Online (similar to cities and knights expansion).

Those are pretty good board games.

For fans of the board game Settlers of Catan, there is a similar online version which is quite nice:

Sea3D (here are some screenshots)

That one is a bit old, but stable (it is similar to Settlers plus the seafarer expansion), and the S3D Connector website can match up players.

The newer version in devel is Cities Online (similar to cities and knights expansion).

Those are pretty good board games.

Look up http://www.s3dconnector.net/, a Settlers (and Seafarers--and Cities and Knights is in the works) clone that does indeed match you up with people all over the world, if you want to.

IMO, the best one out there.

Try Sea3D http://www.s3dconnector.net/
It uses very nice OpenGL graphics, offers the basic plus the seafarers version of the game, and has network support!

This particular application requires an expensive table. I'd love to see one that accomplishes the same thing with off the shelf, DIY hardware, even if it wasn't as fancy or didn't have all of the features. The way they are accomplishing this is clever and unique (a small current goes through the chair, then the person, then the fingertip or hand which the table detects, even being able to tell multiple users apart), but won't likely be priced for home use anytime soon. I want to build one so I can play Sea3D (Settlers of Catan) on an interactive table top!

I've wanted to build a table like that for 4 player Sea3D (Settlers of Catan), either with a projector or LCD under glass, where each player would have their own controls.

It's a really fun game, but playing it in the same room at the same table would make it even better.

Take a look at http://www.s3dconnector.net/. Online play is free, the only downside is there is no bots, all human players. They've been arround for a while and have a small community going.

Settlers is awesome. Play online with the java applet version or with the open source (windows only) version.

Depending on the game, it might work or not. There are many couples playing with Sea3D, for example. I've heard of gals enjoying BZFlag too. I don't know if you can convince them for that game you're talking about, though. Worth a try.

Exactly! Settlers is not only a fantastic example of game design, it's also a great way to pass an evening laughing hysterically. Any game where two of your main resources are sheep and wood is bound to lead to some interesting comments.

It's also a great game for social interaction. The interpersonal dynamics that show up are always interesting - it never fails to amaze me how fast the tables will shift when people realize someone's winning. Suddenly, that person can't trade for any useful resources, as everyone allies against them. At the moment, I can't find anyone to play with either, which is why I found Sea3d.

"First Colonists" has a single player mode, except when playing with expansions (Knights & Cities or Seafarers). It's a very polished rendition of the game. The AI is actually quite poor though. Be sure and download the nice music tracks that go with it.

Settlers 3D doesn't have single-player (last time I checked), but is still worth checking out. The PS2 version is playable on the Net but only available in Japan. Capcom was supposed to bring it to the US, but it looks like that fell apart. From the previews I've seen, the PS2 version had great AI. Bargaining when you make trades is a big part of the fun, and it looks like the PS2 version captured that aspect by giving the AI distinct personalities.

I mean, in all fairness, he *does* own the copyrights for this stuff, but it sucks for those of us who have been buying Mayfair's stuff forever now and like playing online too.

Get some boom/headset mics for you and your SO and fire up one of the free voice engines, like TeamSpeak or Roger Wilco for voice chat (in or out of games). I've used TeamSpeak with excellent results while playing Unreal Tournament and other games, as well as just for conversing with distant family members on a semi-regular basis. (Free is good!)

For gaming, you have a chuckwagon full of choices. Unreal Tournament, Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy and Need for Speed: Underground top my recent list of multi-player games for raw fun and enjoyment with minimal commitment level (and I sense a commitment issue from the OP anyway!). Then of course, there's the obligatory mentions of The Sims, Everquest, Age of Mythology and Civilization III (find your own URLs for those), if you're into that kind of gaming (these require a higher commitment level).

If you two are more cerebral in your gaming, go hunt down a board game called Settlers of Catan and its offspring (Seafarers of Catan, et. al.) and play that with some friends next time you two are together. Once you get hooked on the board game -- and you will -- start playing it online. There's a nefarious, somewhat-underground (not after /. gets wind of it!) online client called Sea3D that works pretty darn well (Win32 only, sorry -- but if this is a problem, use the Java client instead), and is terribly enjoyable for raw strategy and board game fun, although it can sometimes be difficult to get players to join hosted games (there doesn't seem to be a LARGE community of Sea3D users yet). If you host your own games and have people you know join in, this is a non-issue.

If you're side-stepping the guy-girl conversation thing, your best bet is probably one of the action games, like Unreal and its similar-engine spawn (anything based off the Quake2 or Quake3 engines). There's usually so much going on in a DeathMatch or Team DeathMatch, there isn't much time for deep chit-chat, but you can both probably come out feeling like you had a onversation.

[Note to Guys: this probably isn't going to lead to a long-term, deep relationship, mind you, but will suffice for temporary distance relationships. Chicks don't generally like games, and especially don't like the KINDS of games we guys like, so YMMV. Board games and strategy type stuff, though, are generally universally enjoyable, which is why I mentioned Catan (this is the original German site).]

Good luck!!