Things I Want My Daughter To Know: Settlers Of Catan
Development cards FTW!
Settlers of Catan, or simply Settlers as those in the know might say, is a game of strategy. You buy and trade commodities in order to build up towns. The first player to ten points is the winner.
Your Mom said it best when she commented that Settlers is like getting rich, it brings out the best and worst in people.
There are numerous strategies to winning at Settlers. Luck, however, plays a big part in the game. One strategy I like to employ, and your Uncle Jordan despises it, is to buy a lot of Development Cards. Doing this will likely get you the largest army, as well as a Victory Point, or two. That’s up to four points rather quickly. You start the game with two points, automatically, so my Development Card strategy shoots you up to six points pretty quick.
It’s not fool proof, though. I’ve seen people buy up commodities and build cities as fast as possible. I’ve seen my approach combined with building the longest road (2pts). The worst strategy is the one where someone plays by rules that aren’t actually defined by the game. This is maddening.
A big part of the game is trading commodities. The five commodities you buy/trade are: brick, ore, wool, wheat, and timber. Each commodity is represented by a hexagonal board piece, and each piece is associated with a number. You then roll dice, and the commodity associated with the number on the dice is what everyone may collect (buy). The great thing about Settlers is that the board changes with every game, thus making certain commodities more plentiful or scarce. This is where trading becomes a big part of the game.
Trading can both form important allies and foes in the game. This is where the game mimics striking it rich, as your Mom said. It’s an astute observation, I think. The best and worst of people come out when you begin sharing what you have with some, and not others. Sometimes, people feel they are entitled to what you have.
What I want you to know is that both in the game, and in life, you need to be careful about who you share with. Some people will only take, and not share back. Some will expect you to share with them if you share with others. It’s a fine line, and one of life’s precarious nuances. Don’t be stingy, but don’t let yourself be taken advantage of, either.
In general, your Mom and I think that if you have extra of something that someone else needs, and you don’t need it yourself, then share it with, or give it to them. Set up boundaries, though, and stick to them. This is the best way to ensure the best, and not the worst of both you and those around you, comes out when you win… or strike it rich.
