Catan 2: The Seafarers

Catan 2: The Seafarers – A board-game where civilisation is in the palm of your hand

It’s always been the same when finding a new home – there’s three things that matter and these are location, location, location! Nowhere is this more relevant than in Catan 2: The Seafarers.

This is a turn based board-game with a certain amount of logic where some crafty bartering can make all the difference between success and failure. You find yourself on Catan island which is in a middle of a power struggle – between you and up to three opponents, in a race to gain a set number of ‘victory points’.

To get these points you must first select the best location for your settlements (you start with two). You take it in turns to plot the best position and then figure out where you would like to build your stretch of road.

If you’re wondering where the best position is on the map, this is a bit of trial and error but it ultimately boils down to your own preference. You have hexes which are hexagonal grids each with a number between 2 and 12 (the minimum and maximum number a pair of dice can get). Not only are these hexes numbered but they all represent a different resource. A plain will provide wheat, field produce sheep (for wool), forest offers wood, mountains produce ore and hills provide bricks. At the beginning of each turn the dice are rolled, and the number which is rolled triggers the production of that particular resource. If you have a settlement on the border of one of these hexes then you will receive the resource for your use, similarly it could go to one of your opponents if they are on the corresponding hex.

The seafaring bit relates to the existence of other islands off the main isle of Catan which can be explored and developed for its materials. Additionally you have the ability to build shipping channels to and from Catan which can help give you the edge in becoming the dominant force on the island.

It’s fairly safe to say that this game is pretty straightforward once you’ve got your head round all the rules and intricacies that make the game a very complete and thorough strategy based board game. It also goes almost without saying that rushing into this game without taking the time to learn everything there is from the comprehensive tutorials will probably lose every time and not get the benefit from all the ways to lead your civilisation to victory over the others.

This game has quite a lot up its sleeves. Quite literally there are cards which you can use your resources to buy which can help you turn any game around to your advantage. Interestingly it’s not just being to choose the right time to buy or play one of these cards but also important to get the previous steps in order. Everything from building a road to establishing a new settlement and expanding it into a bigger town (where all resources are doubled), there is a lot to keep on top of.

It’s safe to say that this game is possibly not for the quickie game player. This suits someone who enjoys a challenge and turn based board game style fun.

In total there are 16 levels to master in campaign mode, each of which present you with a challenge for you to overcome. Interestingly the main difficulty I found wasn’t picking the right spot but trying to negotiate a fair swap with the others. If you are playing with a human competitor (through Bluetooth or handing the phone round) then you may be able to use this to your advantage (as the AI are pretty difficult opposition).

Trading is a case of negotiating with either the AI (or human) competition or with the bank. Trading with players can be fairer e.g. one ore for one wood, however the competition know that they’re not there to make it easy for you and will stop trading with you when you are doing well or freely sharing when the shoe’s on the other foot. The bank is guaranteed for you to get what you want however the cost is higher e.g. four wood for one brick.

Ultimately your patience is rewarded if you’re willing to find out what it would take to trade something but guessing and working the trades to your advantage can be quite tiresome.

However, on the whole this is a really good game which will certainly provide you with all the challenges you could want from it. I think it would have benefited from a difficulty setting mode option but otherwise it’s a solid game.

Rating 82%

Positives

Excellent graphics

Diverse and challenging

Can play human and AI opponents

Hours of gaming fun

Negatives

Not for the easily frustrated

A little repetitive

The AI seems to gang up on you

No difficulty setting option

Not for short game players (although you can save your progress at any stage)