(the following is a translation for an article I did on boardgames for my local newspaper. It is slightly changed and adapted for BGG)
Boardgames? Like Monopoly?
Know what? I've had it. Leave Settlers alone!
Or perhaps I should start on a calmer note...
One of the first things one will notice upon visiting BGG more then once is the sheer hate for Monopoly. Which will take many people off guard - after all, when an average <PERSON> hears "boardgame", his mind interprets it as "ah, like Monopoly". And an average boardgame enthusiast <PERSON> will suffer through a sudden jump in blood pressure, because saying each boardgame is like Monopoly is like saying each car is like a Pinto or each meal is like a burger.
So perhaps <PERSON> SHOULD hate Monopoly, and it is right that <PERSON> comes to BGG occasionally and vents his steam by proclaiming how much Monopoly sucks and how it doesn't deserve to be so omnipresent and so well known and especially so commonly played by Joes who would be much better off if they at least at one point in their lives tried something other then Monopoly.
But in the last ten years a few interesting things happened both to BGG but also to boardgaming hobby in general. Firstly, it became lame to diss Monopoly, just as it is now pretty lame to make jokes about the Twilight Saga. Everyone does it, and it's just not fun anymore. Secondly, boardgames have somehow become much more popular and accepted by general masses. Perhaps its because people in general became fed up with everything being "virtual" and "electronic" and somehow fiddling with some pieces of cardboard and plastic actually seems refreshing and new. In any way, nowadays it is actually possible to say "boardgame" and to see <PERSON> asking, "you mean, like Carcassonne"? Astounding.
So <PERSON> has to adapt, too. He is now a seasoned boardgame veteran, a BGG regular, and he is somewhat of a connoisseur. He knows his boardgames. But what he misses is good old days, when he was just entering this hobby, and when it was fun to take Monopoly and give him a proper beating simply for being what it is. What <PERSON> needs is reliving those days, and for that he needs .. 118
a New Monopoly.
Enter Settlers of Catan.
Catan? Where is that?
Settlers of Catan is a game which will soon celebrate it's 15th year. It's a german game, and it is well known for being one of the pioneers of so-called "Eurogame" genre. The basic characteristics of this genre are tight ruleset, short game length, clear and understandable mechanics, no player elimination, gameplay based around acquiring "victory points", indirect player interaction and somewhat loose connection to the theme. Eurogames are nowadays extremely popular, especially between boardgame enthusiasts like <PERSON>. Settlers of Catan in particular have even found a way towards <PERSON>, who now while shopping for a gift for their nephew see that their local supermarkets now carry some other boardgames besides Monopoly, and wouldn't you know it? these boxes have "Settlers of Catan" written on them.
So this is good news, right, <PERSON>? Right?
But no, <PERSON> doesn't like Settlers of Catan, and doesn't appreciate when he sees <PERSON> pulling it out of the closet when he visits him, thinking he will humor <PERSON> and show his appreciation of <PERSON>'s "boardgaming" hobby. You see, <PERSON> has evolved far beyond Settlers of Catan, and <PERSON> sees all the faults of the game. In fact, <PERSON> is ashamed that this is called a "Eurogame" at all. Why, <PERSON>, why?
Hexes and numbers..this looks complicated
What is Settlers of Catan anyways?
It's a game for 3-4 players, who are supposed to compete as settlers of a small island somewhere in.. umm.. Germany. This tiny island sports a number of different - hexagonaly shaped - features which provide different types of goods - forests give wood, mountains provide ore, grasslands provide wool, presumably with some help from the sheep. Settlers on the other hand build small settlements (which eventually grow into cities) and connect them with roads. To achieve this they need resources, and they can collect them from features that surround them. Finally, a gang of thieves roams the countryside, robbing settlers of their precious materials.
And this is basically it. Throughout the game you collect cards which serve as resources, and spend them on your turn to build stuff. 118