Simply Catan

Received my SimplyFun order yesterday containing Simply Catan and In10sity.

Simply Catan is a version of The Settlers of Catan produced "exclusivly" for SimplyFun. The production value of the game is quite nice. Linen finish box, board and cards. The basic game is a simplified version of Settlers of Catan. Victory is achieved at seven points and the event cards are not used. The "advanced" version of Simply Catan is the same as the standard "vanilla" Settlers of Catan game.

Also included in the game are plastic molded pieces to represent the roads, towns and cities, instead of the wooden pieces used in other versions of the games. Purists will decry this change, but the pieces look nice. This version of the game also simplifes hex placement. Instead of individual hexes, the hexes come in "strips" of two, three or four hexes. This does limit the number of board configurations that can be made, but also simplifies and speeds up game setup. The hex strips are printed on both sides, so a healthy number of board configurations can still be created. In the original versions of the game the hexes are simply placed on the table top side by side. In this vesion of the game, a board is provided to "contain" the hex strips. This has the advantage of keeping the hexes together and avoiding bumping accidents that can destroy the board as well has providing spaces for card decks and player aids printed on the board. It's a nice addition to the game.

Many of these same "improvements" can be found in the game The Settlers of Zarahemla which is published by Uberplay games. Given that one of the owners of Uberplay is also a principal of SimplyFun it is perhaps not so surprising that Simply Catan has so much in common, production wise, with The Settlers of Zarahemla.

What SimplyFun has accomplished here is to add a medium weight game to their line of generally light to very light games. This is a welcome addition. Also, SimplyFun has added a proven seller to their catalog of games. Settlers of Catan is a "classic" game in every sense of the word and having a version in the SimplyFun line of games will serve to introduce new families and gamers to the wonderful world of Euro games. The simplilifed rules will help introduce non-gamers who are afraid of "complicated" games to the Settlers of Catan mechanics. Once they get a game or two under their belts, adding in the "advanced" rules should be easy. It's a great idea and I think SimplyFun has a real winner on their hands in Simply Catan.