CATAN Family Edition

Love this game - it's exactly like the original with a slightly smaller game board that's actually much easier to put together and has cheaper plastic game pieces . . . so it's perfect for the family - EXCEPT IT'S NOT EXPANDABLE! How do you call it a "family" game but you can't have more than 4 players and you can't expand it (even by buying a second game, because of the way the game board pieces fit together).

I love strategy games, and this is a great one for it...!! As my daughters grew older we went from catan junior to the family edition and with all the upgrades of the gameplay it is amazing how the same concept is "reinvested" to be something even more interesting!! Even the junior version is still fun to play, it goes quicker, but this version is more challenging. I am very very impressed with the game design the thinking of the strategy it creates in all players. hats off to the developers of this game!!

Bought this game to have something new to play during the Pandemic. Have always wanted to play Catan, but never had. So figured I would try the less expensive "Family Edition". The pieces that make up the world of Catan are made of thick card stock and good quality. The settlements, cities, roads and the thief are made of plastic, where the traditional Catan, they are made of wood I believe. The plastic pieces account for the lower price. There is less variation in the hex pieces, as they are not separated like in the original Catan. We love this game! The three of us, including my 10 y/o play it frequently. It was easy for me to learn and teach the others in my family. You are involved in every turn with the trade action. You roll dice, produce goods, trade, and build. So much going on in this game. It's a race to 10 points and its not that easy to get there. You build settlements and roads. You upgrade your settlements to cities for more points. There are "development cards" that you can obtain and affect the game. Such a fantastic game and we will be playing it for a long time. Our first game was very long, but after a few plays, we can go much faster which makes it a much more enjoyable game.

Catan is a fascinating & fun game which I'm just starting to get to grips with. The family edition can be played with 2 players which makes it very accessible. Like all the best games it has a clever scenario but simple rules so you can understand the basic principles without having to refer to the instructions. The aim is to be the first to score 10 points, and this is done by using your resources - timber, livestock, food, brick and ore, which are gathered each time the dice is rolled - to buy & build settlements or cities, or to buy development cards which can sometimes swing the game in your direction. It involves a brilliant combination of skill and luck, and one of the most exciting aspects of it is that a player can suddenly and unexpectly have a windfall of points and win, which gives an edginess to playing that many other games don't have. Highly recommended for anyone who loves ingenious board games....definitely a classic!

Got this for our 6 year old who loves games and liked to help me play settlers on the ipad. It’s a great edition for kids (and grandparents) to help them get the basics down. Pretty cheaply made though and I recommend fabricating little lids for the pieces out of styrofoam or cardboard. Seems like they could of spent probably less than a dollar more on production to make this significantly less cheap looking. That said, the game board “tiles” are just fine and over all it’s totally worth ~$20 just to get my kids into Settlers.

My family’s favorite game in game nights.

I like this version of Caton because it is faster to set up. It is pretty neat how it is designed. If playing with older first time players or a group where more than one player has never played it is nice, but if you are not in a hurry and want the best most varied experience I would recommend normal Caton so you can add expansions, cities and knights, etc. If playing with younger or not so smart players I recommend Caton Jr as it is a great introduction for kids around 6. Once they have played it this family version is a nice step up, but not necessary if there is an adult or older person around to help with normal Caton board set up.

Our family's current favorite game! This was a Christmas gift - we have had it for 6 dos now. It takes a while (? 3 hours?) to play -- which is a perfect way to keep our family (which includes two 13 yos) engaged together around the table. Having to strategize and problem solve is key - and are great life skills to learn while having fun at the same time! My only complaint is that only 4 can play. While we are a family of 4, sometimes it would be nice to include friends or other family. BUT it makes for a fabulous family game.