The Inside Scoop on Gaming

The Settlers of Catan 5-6 Player Expansion is, not surpisingly, a supplement to The Settlers of Catan board game. For the basic gameplay, please go read my accompanying review for "The Settlers of Catan", also published today.

At its simplest level, this small box gives you the components you need to expand Settlers out into a 5-6 player game that'll take 2-3 hours to play.

It includes:

Wood settlements, cities, and roads for two more players.
15 hexes to make the Island of Catan larger.
Additional resource and development cards.
28 new chits marked 2-12.

I've very supportive of the way that Mayfair has decided to market Settlers. By offering an introductory box at $38 for 4 players they can get in casual players, and at the same time allow those of us with larger gaming groups to put out additional cash to allow a couple of extra people to sit in.

Unfortunately, the way that Mayfair has decided to make the two boxes fit together is relatively substandard, and as a result it's hard to iterate between 3-4 and 5-6 player games.

The biggest problems include:

Component Confusion. A set of numbered chits is used to control production in Catan. Unfortunately there are two entirely different sets of chits for the 3-4 and 5-6 player games, and no good way to distinguish them. Woe to the poor Catan owner who gets his numbered chits mixed together. Expanding the original 19 chits with 9 more in the 5-6 player expansion, rather than simply replacing them, would have made it much easier to figure out what to use at any time. A similar issue exists with the tiles and cards that this new supplement adds, though in those cases they can probably be left mixed in for 3-4 player game with little issue.
Rule Changes. There's actually one rule that works differently depending on whether you have 3-4 or 5-6 players. (In one case you can build in between players' turns, and in the other you can't.) How confusing is that? And why not just have included the 5-6 player "rule" for all games?

These problems cost the 5-6 player expansion points for style, because confusion is never a good thing. Nonetheless, it's very nice to have this expansion when inviting 5 friends over for Catan.

The Settlers of Catan 5-6 Player Expansion
The Settlers of Catan 5-6 Player Expansion Playtest Review by Shannon Appelcline on 27/10/02 Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty) A slightly flawed expansion for a superb game. Nonetheless, vitally important if you enjoy the basic Catan boardgame. Product: The Settlers of Catan 5-6 Player Expansion Author: Klaus Teuber Category: Board/Tactical Game Company/Publisher: Mayfair Games / Kosmos Line: The Settlers of Catan Cost: $20.00 Page count: N/A Year published: 1995 ISBN: 1-56905-044-9 SKU: MG488 Comp copy?: no Playtest Review by Shannon Appelcline on 27/10/02 Genre tags: Historical	The Settlers of Catan 5-6 Player Expansion is, not surpisingly, a supplement to The Settlers of Catan board game. For the basic gameplay, please go read my accompanying review for "The Settlers of Catan", also published today. At its simplest level, this small box gives you the components you need to expand Settlers out into a 5-6 player game that'll take 2-3 hours to play. It includes: Wood settlements, cities, and roads for two more players. 15 hexes to make the Island of Catan larger. Additional resource and development cards. 28 new chits marked 2-12. I've very supportive of the way that Mayfair has decided to market Settlers. By offering an introductory box at $38 for 4 players they can get in casual players, and at the same time allow those of us with larger gaming groups to put out additional cash to allow a couple of extra people to sit in. Unfortunately, the way that Mayfair has decided to make the two boxes fit together is relatively substandard, and as a result it's hard to iterate between 3-4 and 5-6 player games. The biggest problems include: Component Confusion. A set of numbered chits is used to control production in Catan. Unfortunately there are two entirely different sets of chits for the 3-4 and 5-6 player games, and no good way to distinguish them. Woe to the poor Catan owner who gets his numbered chits mixed together. Expanding the original 19 chits with 9 more in the 5-6 player expansion, rather than simply replacing them, would have made it much easier to figure out what to use at any time. A similar issue exists with the tiles and cards that this new supplement adds, though in those cases they can probably be left mixed in for 3-4 player game with little issue. Rule Changes. There's actually one rule that works differently depending on whether you have 3-4 or 5-6 players. (In one case you can build in between players' turns, and in the other you can't.) How confusing is that? And why not just have included the 5-6 player "rule" for all games? These problems cost the 5-6 player expansion points for style, because confusion is never a good thing. Nonetheless, it's very nice to have this expansion when inviting 5 friends over for Catan.