Monday, March 09, 2015

#44: The Rivals for Catan (Mark's 100 - 2014)


The Rivals for Catan

Mark's Ranking
  • 2014: 44th
  • 2012: 18th
  • 2010: 90th (as The Catan Card Game)
  • 2005: 81st (as The Catan Card Game)
  • rank: 438
  • rating: 7.17
Print Status
  • in print
Why It's On The List
  • This is a streamlined & MUCH improved version of the 2 player Catan Card Game (which I first played - with German cards! - as Siedler von Catan: Das Kartenspiel).
Tips & Tricks:
  • The expansions are both very good... and add a lot of variety to the game.
  • You can NOT neglect building at least 2 settlements... that's really the only "don't miss" strategy tip.
  • This is, like many games with lots of cards w/effects, a game that plays quicker & with many more interesting decisions once you've played it a few times to get to know what the cards can (and can't) do. I strongly suggest playing the introductory game followed almost immediately by a "regular" game with the Age of Gold deck in order to begin learning the system and the basic cards.
  • Notice how far up this game jumped in my top 100 due to the new version... I'm the president of the "Rivals kicked Siedler:DSK to the curb" society.
  • I have now played the iOS version - it's not perfect but the AI is pretty good and I'm glad I own it.
Extras
  • I wrote incredibly in-depth reviews of the base game and of the expansions for the Opinionated Gamers (which were then re-published on this blog)... the first one is particularly aimed at those who were wondering if they should make the switch from the original game.

2 comments:

  1. Matt Sears8:06 PM

    Played the original English version quite a bit for a while. But it's pretty dusty nowadays.

    http://therealmattshow.com/catan-card-game/

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  2. Dear Readers:

    Please follow Matt Sear's links when he posts them - it's been fun to hear his take on my top 100.

    ReplyDelete