The Settlers of Catan
Board Games
2009 (published)
2009 (published)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
The Settlers of Catan was one of the first German-style board games to achieve popularity outside Europe. It signalled a new wave of board game playing that combines strategy, luck and a social atmosphere of play.
Catan is an island and play involves the building of settlements, cities and connecting roads. The island is divided into different land types and players move by rolling a pair of dice and collecting resource cards depending on where they land. These cards are worth points and can then be traded, the winner of the game being the first to reach ten points. The elements of dice rolling luck and strategic thought has proved a winning combination. As of 2015, more than 22 million copies in 30 languages had been sold.
The game board itself is made up of card pieces which are placed together to form the different land types within the island. The board layout is variable offering a multitude of different game scenarios and outcomes for the more adventurous or experienced player.
Catan is an island and play involves the building of settlements, cities and connecting roads. The island is divided into different land types and players move by rolling a pair of dice and collecting resource cards depending on where they land. These cards are worth points and can then be traded, the winner of the game being the first to reach ten points. The elements of dice rolling luck and strategic thought has proved a winning combination. As of 2015, more than 22 million copies in 30 languages had been sold.
The game board itself is made up of card pieces which are placed together to form the different land types within the island. The board layout is variable offering a multitude of different game scenarios and outcomes for the more adventurous or experienced player.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 46 parts. (Some alternative part names are also shown below)
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Title | The Settlers of Catan (manufacturer's title) |
Materials and techniques | Printed card and paper, moulded plastic, painted wood |
Brief description | The Settlers of Catan board game made in the USA by Mayfair Games Inc. in 2009 |
Physical description | The Settlers of Catan boxed board game consisting of box lid and base, a moulded plastic insert housing the game components and a small card box containing players cards. The main box lid is covered in paper printed with text and the image of a bucolic scene depicting three 'settlers' holding farm tools at rest by the side of a path. The female 'settler' points to a settlement and windmill in the distance. Sheep graze on the other side of the path, an eagle flies overhead and the scene is bathed in yellow light from the glow of a large rising or setting sun. The box base is covered in paper with images of the same bucolic scene as well as text and images referring to game play and game components. Game components: 19 terrain hexes (tiles) 6 sea frame pieces 9 harbour pieces 18 circular number tokens 95 Resource Cards (bearing the symbols for the ore, grain, lumber, wool and brick resources) 25 Development Cards (14 Knight/Soldier Cards, 6 Progress Cards, 5 Victory Point Cards) 4 'Building Costs' Cards 2 Special Cards: 'Longest Road' & 'Largest Army' 16 cities (4 of each colour: red, blue, orange and white, shaped like churches) 20 settlements (5 of each colour: red, blue, orange and white, shaped like houses) 60 roads (15 of each colour: red, blue, orange and white, shaped like bars) 2 dice (1 yellow, 1 red) 1 wooden robber 1 Game Rules & Almanac booklet The game box also includes an advertising sticker and seven cardboard frames which stored the die-cut game components before their removal for play. |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Production type | Mass produced |
Marks and inscriptions |
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Gallery label |
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Object history | The Settlers of Catan was designed by Klaus Teuber and first published in 1995, the same year that it won two prestigious German board game awards, the Spiele de Jahres and the Deutscher Spielepreis. |
Summary | The Settlers of Catan was one of the first German-style board games to achieve popularity outside Europe. It signalled a new wave of board game playing that combines strategy, luck and a social atmosphere of play. Catan is an island and play involves the building of settlements, cities and connecting roads. The island is divided into different land types and players move by rolling a pair of dice and collecting resource cards depending on where they land. These cards are worth points and can then be traded, the winner of the game being the first to reach ten points. The elements of dice rolling luck and strategic thought has proved a winning combination. As of 2015, more than 22 million copies in 30 languages had been sold. The game board itself is made up of card pieces which are placed together to form the different land types within the island. The board layout is variable offering a multitude of different game scenarios and outcomes for the more adventurous or experienced player. |
Collection | |
Accession number | B.99:1 to 46-2015 |
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Record created | September 9, 2016 |
Record URL |
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