I finally had a chance to sit down and watch the latest episode of Table Top from Wil Wheaton and the Geek and Sundry channel on YouTube. DnDBrian and Rob talked my ear off last year at Nerdtacular 2011 trying to explain the game Settlers of Catan, and now that I’ve seen the game in partial action, I think it might be time to revisit the concept of picking a game night at the Major Spoilers HQ that doesn’t revolve around Dungeons and Dragons.
Wil Wheaton and guests Jane Espenson (Writer and Producer-Buffy, Caprica, BSG, Game of Thrones), James Kyson (Actor-Heroes, Hawaii 5-0) and Neil Grayston (Actor-Eureka) play Settlers of Catan!
According to the video, millions of copies of the game have been sold – do you play Settlers of Catan?
16 Comments
I’m an avid Boardgamer, my collection (much to my wife’s chagrin) is quite large and almost nothing is better then getting some of my buddies together with some beer and playing them.
I don’t have any direct experience with Catan (althouhg I do own it, just havn’t had a chance to play it yet), but I’ve played other euro style games like Carcasonne and it’s a blast
I think I’d really dig a major spoilers-esk boardgame podcast, but I don’t know how you’d include some of your remote contributors (Mr. Peterson specifically)
I’m an avid Board games, my collection (much to my wife’s chagrin) is quite large and almost nothing is better than getting some of my buddies together with some beer and playing them.
I don’t have any direct experience with Catan (although I do own it, just haven’t had a chance to play it yet), but I’ve played other euro style games like Carcassonne and it’s a blast
I think I’d really dig a major spoilers-esk board game podcast, but I don’t know how you’d include some of your remote contributors (Mr. Peterson specifically)
Settlers of Catan is an amazing game. We don’t own it yet because until recently my wife wasn’t interested in “European style” board games, but some friends of ours convinced her to try Ticket to Ride and now she is all about trying those type of games. I want the nice all wood set for Settlers, but the price tag means I have to wait a while longer.
I played Catan before ever playing D&D. It’s well worth your time and a lot of fun. Also there’s a lot of customizable options/expansions that make it even more interesting.
Also, I would love to see a Major Spoilers game night. I know Wil Wheaton is doing it with celebrities, but you guys could actually review the games. Maybe put it on a monthly schedule since you all have real world jobs.
I just love this game. I play it with my friends from college, I play it with my mom and my sister, and I will play it with anyone willing to. It is really simple and it is a lot of fun. The only drawback is that it is a tad expensive (at least here in Chile), but I’ve never regreted buying it. The expansions are quite fun too, specially the one where you get to build boats and conquer other islands. An excellent game overall. I say do yourself a favor and give it a try.
Glad you all are thinking about branching out. You should probably check out WatchItPlayed on YouTube as well. Their videos are longer but more detailed on the rules and the overall playthrough. Here’s the main link in case anyone wants to browse their vids.
http://www.youtube.com/user/WatchItPlayed
I don’t know how conducive this would be to my remote gaming situation…
Well if there is enough interest in it and you wouldn’t mind doing it you could always you know…travel to your buddies. Aren’t you like a hour or two out? I believe carrying on remote sessions of D&D is already nebulous enough. Board games and Card games would be unrealistic for your current format. They are a visual element that wouldn’t play well on radio imo.
I completely agree… I don’t think there was every anything said that we would make a podcast over a game night…
I’m the better part of four hours out, actually, and I have three jobs, making it difficult if not damn near impossible for me to block out a day of travel. Other factors worth noting:
I have precisely zero interest in ever playing a Catan game again.
An audio podcast of a board game is pretty untenable in any context.
The name of the show is “Critical Hit: A Dungeons And Dragons Podcast.”
Understood and agree. I wasn’t trying to seem flippant with my comments or give the impression that I expected a podcast other than D&D. Still think Wizards should be paying you…I’m sure you have contributed to their overall numbers. Probably why the CnD isn’t coming ;)
Naaah, it’s cool. I wasn’t trying to sound hardcase, either. We’ve often talked about the possibility of a live session, but given that I’m the most difficult to schedule around, it seems unfair of me to expect them all to travel to Topeka, even though that’s where the civilization is.
I’m also afraid that having a real comic shop, a full-sized theatre, a couple of used bookstores and more than three restaurant options might scare the fellers too much. (I will say, however, that I believe their college to be quite superior…)
I played Catan for the first time last Friday. Great fun, and I’m not just saying that because I won…
I enjoy playing Catan, but it isn’t one of my favorites. It is resource management with a little bit of board conquest. My problem with it is the luck factor of the dice. If your initial starting areas aren’t diverse enough you have a hard time keeping up with the other players. And then there are just times when you can’t do anything on your turn because the you can’t get your numbers on the dice. But usually it is good and fun.
However, I would not recommend it for remote play. It is small pieces on the board with small numbers on the tiles. Someone would have to gather your resources for you. It also deals mainly with cards kept secret from other players, so they don’t know what actions or resources you have. It can be done, but it would be a little weird. I think you should try to stick to team/group games. Like the D&D game you played. I think you did okay with it and it was enjoyable to listen to you all play. I think Catan would be on the boring side to listen to. So I recommend team games or games without much secrets.
One of my close friends came through town and brought a game that apparently is “all the rage” at his school and it was none other than Settlers of Catan. I was blown away by how much fun I had playing the game, even though I lost horribly. It is totally worth the slightly steep price tag and would recommend it to anyone.