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It’s a tale as old as time - Humans discover fire, Humans gather around fire, Humans play Settlers of Catan around the fire. And then, eventually, humans get bored, frustrated or evolve beyond Catan. I’m sure I won’t be alone in this being my experience, with Settlers of Catan being a superb gateway to the board game hobby for friends and family alike.
And so this is my experience with my main board gaming entourage, my in laws. We began our board game journey with Settlers of Catan, before moving onto various Catan expansions, before moving on from Catan completely - helped along by a competitive post-Christmas argument, fuelled by the frustrations of unfavourable dice rolls. So, we decided to take a bit of an enforced break from Catan whilst relationships healed, taking the opportunity to explore the hobby through new games- all the while using what we had learned about what we do and don’t enjoy about Catan to inform our choices.
Now before delving into our expedition of the next steps on from Catan, I think it’s important to tell you a bit about the players sat around the table and their play styles- as this was also an important factor in our choices.
Me - probably the keenest on board games, and drive our play and exploration of the hobby (surprise- the board game blogger likes board games!). I am also quite competitive, don’t see the point in playing if you aren’t playing to win, and will make decisions solely based on that. I like a broad range of games, but prefer ones which require some skill and decision making.
My Wife - enjoys board games (particularly pretty, cosy, thematic ones), with a reasonable level of strategy and narrative. She isn’t a huge fan of games which run for hours (one of the bug bears of Catan), nor a lengthy rules explanation before being able to get stuck into the game.
My Father-in-Law - similarly competitive to me, but less clinical! He does not enjoy games which punish other players for their decisions (or are too ruthless in doing so), and takes the emotions of other players into account in these sorts of situations- for example, making more favourable trades to a player who is struggling to get into the game. He very much favours a game with an element of strategy, but does not enjoy games that are too luck based.
My Mother-in-Law - much less competitive than the rest of us, and can sometimes get lost in ‘analysis paralysis’ if presented with too many choices in a game. Likewise in terms of games with complex rules- heavy, crunchy games aren’t really her thing. However, she really enjoys (and is irritatingly good at) any form of pattern/puzzle-based games, such as Azul.
So, there you have it - a cross generational mixed bag, with different game tastes across the board. Generally speaking, my wife and I playtest these games to learn and get a vibe of them, before bringing them to the wider group. Some of them have made it through our rigorous vetting process, others are yet to make the cut…
Pandemic
Why was it chosen? The cooperative element of Pandemic is something that is distinctly different from Settlers of Catan, avoiding the competitiveness between players and instead focusing the mind on working together to beat the game/disease. The rules are also relatively straightforward to learn, and the gameplay allows players who are feeling more confident to guide others whilst they are learning.
Did it make the cut? Yes, it went down well, and we have since played one of the Pandemic Legacy games to completion. However, it did take us some time to adapt our own playstyles and attitudes to suit a collaborative game. For example, as the more competitive players of the group, my Father-in-Law and I had to be conscious of ‘Quarterbacking’ (taking over and dictating the actions of the other players) or being too dominant in the decision making process.
Concordia
Why was it chosen? There are some definite similarities between this game and Catan, particularly in the areas of resource management, area control, and the use of network building. However, there are also a few subtle differences, such as the area control being less ‘definitive’ (more than one person can use a space, for a cost), and the strategic use of cards to perform different types of actions. It is similar enough to feel comfortable, but with some added spice to make you sit up and pay attention. Like Spaghetti Bolognese with dark chocolate in it.
Did it make the cut? Yes, but I wouldn’t say that it has stayed ‘in rotation’ as one of the favourites. I’m not sure if that’s because the scoring system isn’t the most obvious in the world and can take a little while to get your head around, especially as it’s the sort of game that you need to plan out your strategy from turn one. That being said, I am writing this and thinking “perhaps we should give this a nudge towards the play table once more”.
Ticket to Ride.
Why was it chosen? There are similarities in the road/rail building elements, and Ticket to Ride is of a similar complexity and strategic level- it’s a popular gateway game in its own right. We played the ‘Europe’ version, and the addition of some of the ever so slightly ‘meatier’ elements in this edition (such as tunnels and ferries) was definitely welcome. Admittedly we haven’t played any other versions, but I do feel that without these elements, it probably would have been a little bit too simplistic.
Did it make the cut? Yes, but as a more relaxed ‘warm up’ or end of the day sort of game. It does lack elements of strategy and decision making for it to be one that is on regular rotation, or a game that we urgently feel the need to tell our friends about. It’s just a nice game, to be played when you don’t quite feel like getting stuck into a long, brain achingly think-y game.
Root:
Why was it chosen? A strategic game of area control (a feature not dissimilar to Catan is some ways), with a decent level of conflict and competitiveness nurtured between players. With the wargame element being so core to the game, my rationale was that we would have to 100% the ruthlessness for the duration of the game- clearly, a wargame cannot be played without a little bit of war! The asymmetric powers of the different factions also appealed, as well as the woodland critter design lending a more ‘fairytale’ flavour than your traditional wargame themes.
Did it make the cut? It hasn’t made it to the family gaming table just yet. After my wife and I played it through, we felt that the asymmetric gameplay of the different factions, whilst enjoyable, did create a whole bunch of complicated extra rules to teach- something which perhaps wouldn’t suit us as a group.
Brass Birmingham:
Why was it chosen? The number one game on Board Game Geek’s Top 100 is difficult to avoid looking in the eyes when searching for a strategic game, particularly one with resource management, road building and a healthy dose of strategic chewiness. It does seem to be raved about on every street corner. Yet somehow, this game is possibly the only game that I own that makes me feel like a massive nerd when I explain the theme, having to preface it with the phrase “I know it sounds reeeeally boring, but its actually amazing!” But this game, themed around the building of railways, canals and other trades during the Industrial Revolution (was that a yawn I saw?) is a surprisingly straightforward game to play once you have got your head around the rules- and as has already been mentioned, is an absolute cracker and one of my personal favourites.
Did it make the cut? Yes! Fortunately, the Industrial Revolution is one of my Father in Law’s favourite periods of history- which I realise, A). makes him sound really dull, and/or B). makes him sound like some sort of Oliver Twist-esque Industrialist who likes seeing orphans cry. I would like the record to reflect, he is neither. And so, this is a game that we have played several times, particularly when we are looking for something a bit more strategic and challenging on the old brain cells.
Tiny Towns
Why was it chosen? Tiny Towns is a bit different. In short, it’s a game which involves taking it in turns to call a resource which all players take, and placing it in different patterns on your personal board to score points to different criteria. The twist is that you must place the resource in your board with limited spaces- so another player may call a resource for everyone to take, which you are not looking to collect. But you have to place it. But you don’t want to place it. But you have to place it. So you place it. But it ruins the objective you are targeting. So you start adjusting to a new objective. But someone calls that resource again. And again. And so the spiral of despair begins.
Did it make the cut? Yes…but often only when pushed by my wife or my mother-in-law. My wife loves this game, partly because she always wins. Literally always. And as I have already said, pattern games are also a strength of my mother-in-law. This game doesn’t really have the strategic level that I would normally look for in a game. And as I say, my wife always wins this game- so that kind of takes the fun out of it for me personally. I’m not a sore loser, I promise. I just like to have at least a hope of enjoying myself/winning.
So, there you have it- our journey so far. We still go back to Settlers of Catan from time to time, particularly when playing with some of the expansions. But I have to admit, the appeal of Catan has certainly lost its edge in comparison to some of these new games. Why would I sift through and separate out the particular Catan expansion pieces that we want to play with, when we could opt for Brass Birmingham instead? Why would I sit through a couple of hours of hoping that my numbers come up, and that players are open to my trades, when I could play Concordia which takes away the risk and frustrations in these areas? The board game world can seem a big scary one to step into at first, but there are games which can act as stepping stones on from Catan, without immediately reaching Dungeons and Dragons, or 18xx railroad stock market themed games. To adapt an X-Files quote “The Truth about board games is out there”.
