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The Settlers of Catan card game is based on the award winning Settlers of Catan board game. While the board game is designed for multiple players, the card game is designed for only two players. Which is a nice twist as there seem to few non-collectible card games out there designed for only two players (although they have been making a resurgence in recent times).

Once you open the box, you get a rulebook, 120 cards, two oversized dice (1d6 and a special d6 die), and two tokens. All of the components are well done and seem very sturdy. The card stock is standard and the rulebook also contains a complete "almanac" of all the cards. At first it seems as if there is precious little in the box for $20, however, it is worth it.

After reading through the manual, the game is obvious enough. The object of the game is to get 12 victory points, and the way you do that is by building up your principality. You build roads and settlements (and possibly cities) by expending resources which you gain each turn. You can also fight in tournaments and trade with your opponent.

The cards are separated into several different types, expansion cards, events, regions, roads, cities, settlements, and each players starting principality. These are separated into a total of ten different piles. There should be a note in the game that says you need a good size card table to play this game. It starts to spread out pretty quick.

The play is a little cumbersome at first, but as the rules are easily learned and there are icons and reminder cards to help the players along, it gets easier very quickly. As play continues more and more strategies become evident as you are forced to trade with your opponent for resources that you need, but are also given the opportunity to steal from them and even remove certain cards of theirs.

This game isn't about who can build the biggest city in the shortest amount of time, I found that you really need to maintain a certain amount of diplomacy with your opponent. There will be times when you can help them out and there will be times when you will need their help, no matter how badly they got you with that last Action card. This is a great two-player game for people looking for a little depth in a non-collectible card game. It has strategic aspects, along with some randomness to make it interesting. I would heartily recommend this to anyone who is looking for a simple game with depth and thought.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Settlers of Catan Card Game
Author: Klaus Teuber Category: Non-collectible Card Game Company/Publisher: Mayfair Games Cost: $20.00 Page count: n/a ISBN: 1-56905-041-4 Playtest Review by Paul Franklin on 03/31/99. Genre tags: Historical	The Settlers of Catan card game is based on the award winning Settlers of Catan board game. While the board game is designed for multiple players, the card game is designed for only two players. Which is a nice twist as there seem to few non-collectible card games out there designed for only two players (although they have been making a resurgence in recent times). Once you open the box, you get a rulebook, 120 cards, two oversized dice (1d6 and a special d6 die), and two tokens. All of the components are well done and seem very sturdy. The card stock is standard and the rulebook also contains a complete "almanac" of all the cards. At first it seems as if there is precious little in the box for $20, however, it is worth it. After reading through the manual, the game is obvious enough. The object of the game is to get 12 victory points, and the way you do that is by building up your principality. You build roads and settlements (and possibly cities) by expending resources which you gain each turn. You can also fight in tournaments and trade with your opponent. The cards are separated into several different types, expansion cards, events, regions, roads, cities, settlements, and each players starting principality. These are separated into a total of ten different piles. There should be a note in the game that says you need a good size card table to play this game. It starts to spread out pretty quick. The play is a little cumbersome at first, but as the rules are easily learned and there are icons and reminder cards to help the players along, it gets easier very quickly. As play continues more and more strategies become evident as you are forced to trade with your opponent for resources that you need, but are also given the opportunity to steal from them and even remove certain cards of theirs. This game isn't about who can build the biggest city in the shortest amount of time, I found that you really need to maintain a certain amount of diplomacy with your opponent. There will be times when you can help them out and there will be times when you will need their help, no matter how badly they got you with that last Action card. This is a great two-player game for people looking for a little depth in a non-collectible card game. It has strategic aspects, along with some randomness to make it interesting. I would heartily recommend this to anyone who is looking for a simple game with depth and thought. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Settlers of Catan Card Game