This week I broke out one of my favorite games from the Catan universe and got it to the table for game night. Jennie, Dave and I played Settlers of America. I'll share some thoughts, comments and overview of this solid game. As mentioned in the introduction, we got Settlers of America to the table this week. Though Dave and Jennie own the game, they hadn't played in a long while. It had been about six months or so since the last time I had played. None of us would be unfamiliar, however some refreshing and rules overview was needed. For those unfamiliar, Settlers of America is a route-building, delivery and resource collection game based on the popular series of Catan games. Though it utilizes the well-known resource collection system similar to that in other Catan games, it is more robust and beefy. Game Overview As one of the games in the Catan Histories series, Settlers of America is loosely based on the westward expansion in the United States during the height of wagon and train use in the 19th Century. The map is a fixed game board utilizing hexes to map out the types of resources found in various parts of the united states. Using resources such as Gold, Cattle, Grain, Lumber, Ore, and Coal, players collect sets to purchase rails, settlers/cities, and trains. The basic goal of the game is to deliver all of your goods to your opponents cities. This is accomplished by using settlers to develop new cities to free up goods, then build rails to your opponent's cities and maneuver your train(s) to deliver goods at opponents locations. The winner is the first to deliver all of their goods successfully. As is the sign of many good games, the objective is relatively simple however the decisions and strategies employed throughout make this game particularly fun. Thoughts and Opinions Settlers of America takes longer than the standard game of Catan. Three to four players can typically get in a full game in about 2:30 - 3:00 hours. The first time played will most likely take an addition 30 minutes to an hour. I hope the length doesn't deter you, as the gameplay moves relatively quickly. Those experienced with other Catan games will catch on to the basic resource collection system almost immediately. Settlers is very clever in how it was designed, as it requires that you start on the east coast and naturally are motivated to progress westward. Some of the resources dry up in the east and become available as you move west. The need to expand, build cities and deliver goods feels smooth and appropriate. When nearing the end of the game, tension builds. Each player knows what the others need to do to accomplish their goals and may also know what resources are needed. Trading becomes more difficult and the dice rolls for resources more critical, until someone finally delivers their last goods cube and wins the game. While playing this week, I realized once again how much I enjoy this game. Jennie just edged out Dave for the win. Either could have won depending on the dice rolls and resources available in the hexes. I was a step or two behind and just had to hope that I could make up ground as the others gathered what they needed. A fun game with two players on the verge of winning for a few rounds. If you like the Catan series of games, but are looking for a heavier Euro-style experience, then definitely look for this one. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how available this game is right now. It was originally published in 2010 by Mayfair games in the U.S. however Mayfair has since lost the rights to Catan and gone out of business. It is however, currently available on the official Catan website store. I noticed that the overall rating on Board Game Geek is a bit low for this game at 6.8. I'm really not sure why. Possibly people are looking for a lighter game similar to the length and weight of the original Catan and variants. What's the point in that? This is a progression to a more complex game and is not simply a couple of rules changes and pasted-on theme. The designer thought through how to tie American history into the core of the game ... and I think it works quite well. Yes, it runs longer, however it falls right in line with other Euros of similar weight. If you'd like to read more on BGG click here. I hope you found my overview, thoughts and opinions about Catan Histories: Settlers of America interesting. Share what you think by leaving your comments below this post. Follow King's GameNight on Facebook to keep up with updates and other posts.
Game on!
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