Catan Online Set to Debut This Month

Thanks to GamingReport.com for the news that http://www.gamingreport.com/article.php?sid=14646>The Settlers of Catan Online will make its international online debut at Spiel '04 in Essen, Germany. "Catan Online will launch exclusively at MSN Games this winter. With MSN Games' base of 30 million registered users worldwide, more people than ever before will have access to this global gaming phenomenon." Besides being able to check out the game in depth, MSN is going to be running several tournaments and exhibitions of the game.

Comments

Re:The story is uninformative.

[Specter]

I agree whole-heartedly on the appeal to non-hardcore gamers. My wife, who usually rolls her eyes at this sort of stuff, is a a newly converted hard core addict, as is the rest of my family. Last Christmas I think at least 3-4 new sets of the game were exchanged. Even my Mom puts down the grand-kids when we break the board out.

This is a very very fun game.

I'm not so hot on the Knights and Barbarians expansion as I feel it makes the game tedious (in a bad way), but the base set has plenty of replay value and this is truly a game where it's not over until it's over. I've seen some pretty amazing come-backs from players that everyone else had written off.

Anybody need sheep? Please?

Re:Boring?

[Brandybuck]

Maybe I haven't played it often enough, but Catan feels like "Civilization for Pre-schoolers on Valium".

There are significant disadvantages to Civilization. First it takes 6+ hours to play to completion. Second if you fall behind one turn you're behind forever and might as well go home because you've lost. Third, there is no randomness to position, so that every game is much like every other game (imagine playing CivIII with only one possible map and starting positions).

On the other hand, Cataan can be played in as short as one or two hours, the outcome is never assured, and every game is different.

On randomness

[Mablung]

I think one of the things that many people like about it, whether they know it or not, is the die rolling. It all depends on what you consider fun.
If your idea of fun is to see who is best, or who has the best strategy, or who has the maddest skilz, then you don't want an element of chance. But for alot of people, that element of chance gives you a kick of adrenaline even when you've worked out your optimal strategy. You can still play with your brainiac friends (who will always beat you at chess) and still hope to win. Why do you think gambling is so addictive?

Not as good

[Bequita]

There's no way this can be as good as playing the actual board game, because you miss out on the family dynamics of game play, such as watching your mom chuck the dice at your dad, or one's husband deliberately putting the thief on your only stone hex, and then somehow drawing the only stone card in your hand, as if he could see where it was... Not that I speak from experience or anything. No, not me...

Somethings are just meant to be played in the actual world.