logo

Info

Reviewbucket.co.uk scanned the internet for MFG03120 reviews.
You can find all MFG03120 reviews and ratings on this page.

Read the reviews.

Analysis

For MFG03120, 2893 customer reviews collected from 2 e-commerce sites, and the average score is 4.5.

Detailed seller stats;
Amazon has 2890 customer reviews and the average score is 4.5. Go to this seller.
Ebay has 3 customer reviews and the average score is 5. Go to this seller.

Detail

Click to list all products in this category.

7.10.2016

Settlers of Catan is a board game designed for three or four people. However, there is a variant written by the game’s creator for a two player game which allows for quite an enjoyable game. A Google search for two-player Catan should produce the rules.The games we play probably bear little semblance to the peaceful games describe by some reviewers. But then we are a pretty cutthroat group of gamers. Therefore it is safe to say that Catan can be played to match the temperaments of the players.While there is some skill involved in the game, it is mostly a game of luck as almost everything is determined by rolls of the dice. Sure there is some trading involved,but try to trade with someone when you are one point away from victory and see how successful you are.The game is set up of six different land types, five of which produce resources if you have a settlement built on them. The plains produce grains, pastures produce wool, hills produce brick, forest produce trees and mountains produce ore and the desert produces nothing. These land types are set up randomly inside the frame and numbers are places on these lands. (so the setup in each game can be quite different). Each time the dice rolls a number on which you have built a settlement, you get the resource of that land type. The only exception is when a seven rolls. This brings the robber into play and people with more than seven cards in their hands need to discard half of their cards.You need resource cards to build and so if your numbers are not rolling, you will not be building. I have played games where I had settlements on an eight and eights would simply not roll. Twelves would roll all night but not an eight. So that is how the game depends on luck. It does not depend on luck to the extent of Risk or Monopoly however. And if no one will trade with you, you can trade with the bank – at a 4-1 ratio.The game can take anywhere from 30 to sixty minutes to play depending on the roll of the dice. If key resources are on threes and elevens you could be in for a very long game.The rules are laid out in a clear and concise manner. There are no grey areas so there is nothing to argue about. You can call him all kinds of names if that helps but there will be no confusion as to what is allowed and not.We have played this game for several years. In fact, this game is a replacement for set we wore out. The replacement cards were almost as expensive as a new game and since each edition looks a little bit different, it is not always a flawless marriage when mixing elements of different editions. So for five dollars more I purchased the complete game.
Read more..

3.1.2020

Me and my husband enjoy playing board games and we were not new to Catan, in fact, it has been one of our favorite games since we got into the board game world. We already owned the "Settlers" and "Rivals" versions of Catan and when we learned of the Black Friday deals on board games, we decided it was the time to have our own version of this game as well (especially since we used to play with some friends and their copy, so us recently moving into another city also played as a factor to buy it).As for the game itself, Catan offers a great balance between strategy and competitive gameplay. While luck is almost always a factor in boardgames and Catan is not the exception (dice rolling involved),the game feels more guided and affected by your strategy and decisions rather than by luck, which is good, since this makes the game more compelling and adds weight to the decisions that you make throughout the game. There is also a trading component that allows you to interact with the other players, which is great for stirring some fun arguments and debates. While this game has a competitive approach, it doesn't pit the players against each others through direct confrontation (which is welcomed if you are not looking for an aggressive game where everyone ends up mad at each other), it plays more like a race in which you need to focus on your strategy while keeping watch of the opponents and overall it is extremely fun. It has simple enough mechanics for beginners, but they are also very compelling for more experienced players, specially when you start to play with the randomized board map. It is not a surprise that this is still regarded as a classic game even though it came out a long time ago.The materials and details of the cards, boards and pieces are excellent. It is worth mentioning that one of the "settlement" wood pieces was chipped when we opened the box. While this didn't affect the use or gameplay experience and understanding that there are errors expected in manufacturing processes, we still decided to send a note to the customer service address provided by the game developers (not through Amazon) and they responded very quickly and efficiently, and within a week or so we received a replacement piece on the mail, so extra points to the customer service.Even if you are not looking to get deep into the board game community, Catan is a must if you enjoy playing games with friends or family. And even if you plan to further try more games, most likely you will always be glad to revisit this wonderful game.
Read more..

9.2.2019

A fun game for the novice and strategist alike.A Game of Thrones (GOT) Catan has taken all of the elements of the beloved Settelers of Catan and added an interesting twist that Game of Thrones fans will appreciate.Ease of Play:Whether you are new to Catan, or consider yourself a veteran gamer, you will be satisfied with this games ease of play. While GOT Catan maintains many similar elements to that of regular Catan, it introduces new concepts like the Wall of the North, and the Wildlings which add new elements of strategy to the game.While maintaining the customization that players loved with regular Catan this game still maintains an easy set up and assembly phase. With helpful pictures and diagrams in the rulebook,setup takes about 5 minutes.Very easy to follow rulebook with helpful hints and visual depictions.Expect your adventure to take approximately sixty minutes as your strategies play out, the Wildings advance, and you all work together to survive.Added Elements:GOT Catan ably adds a new dimension to the traditional Settlers of Catan games. Some of the new items include:- Character cards from the Game of Thrones series with unique abilities add additional options to play.- Wildlings which prove to be a devastating force that can end the game for all players if they do not work collectively to a certain degree to maintain defenses on the wall.- Wall piece that separates the board into the player half and Wilding half.- Unique three and four player setups.Construction:GOT Catan keeps the versatility of regular Catan without having dozens of tiles and board pieces. You can play a customized game every time without spending 20 minutes feeling like you are setting up a puzzle.GOT Catan pieces are also made of a durable plastic and come in a variety of colors to help players differentiate between teams and the wildlings.Artistically crafted cards depict your favorite Game of Thrones Characters.Conclusion:Although this game may lack some of the scenario versatility that regular Catan and its expansions have to offer, it does a great job of creating a different game experience every time you play. With so many ways to win or lose, you will have a lot of fun strategizing how to defend the north, hold back the Wildlings, and become the Defender of Catan.
Read more..

10.3.2016

There is little to say about Settlers of Catan that has not already been said. Catan has won numerous awards including the coveted ‘Spiel des Jahres’, and appears in almost every list of best board games on the net.Rather than using a board, Catan uses hexagonal tiles which you build into your play area. These tiles can move around if you are not careful, especially during setup. This isn’t really a big deal, and recent editions of the game come with edge pieces to hold everything in place. The quality of the components is excellent with the play pieces made out of wood and the tiles made of extra thick card.Catan is not a game to play in a hurry. Expect a game to take 10-15 minutes to setup,45-90 minutes to play and 5 minutes to pack away. Despite this, Catan is a very accessible game, and everyone will have a decent grasp of the rules within a few minutes, and for those rare moments where someone is unsure, the Catan rulebook is one of the clearest out there.The game is a race to gain and use resources to build roads, settlements and cities to expand your reach across the island of Catan. This requires a clever blend of strategy and luck, where you work to increase your probability of winning, but can still find the dice not going your way. The other key element of Catan is trading resources between the other players. Making good trades, and avoiding bad ones can be difference between winning and losing the game. The balance of strategies in Catan is so good that games are usually close right to the end, one of the features that makes Catan really shine.The box suggests a minimum age of 10, but our 8 year old can play well, with a good enough grasp of the strategy to make the game fun. Our 6 year old is too young for a good game of Catan. He understands the mechanics fine, but does not really get the strategy.Catan is one of those games that comes back out with our games group even though we have been playing for at least 10 years. A key component of this lasting appeal is the random start approach to the game, making the play area different every time. When all is said and done, Catan is probably our most played game. Wood for Sheep anyone?
Read more..

18.7.2017

We got "settlers of Catan" in June and our family was completely hooked on it, playing a couple of games every week. After it started getting a bit old (although "Settlers of Catan" provide some room for improvisation), we decided on getting the Seafarers expansion. I read the reviews, especially paying attention to the critical ones. I was a bit concerned about two things that people mentioned: 1) the instructions are too complicated and they are difficult to learn; 2) the set is not worth the value, as all you are getting are a couple of new hexes and sets of ships.after having the expansion for two days and having played four games of "Heading to the new shores" for three and four players,I would like to address both of the concerns for the sake of those who love Catan and are looking for something new.1) I can see that the detailed instructions can be overwhelming. However, I would advise baby-steps. Scan the rules regarding the ships, start with the first game - "Heading to the new shores", set up the board according to the provided scheme, and start as you usually start (set up the settlements and get your initial resources). Then, as questions arises, consult the rule book. I am pretty sure the dedicated players will get a hang of it during first 15-20 min. of the game. After that it's very clear.2) it's true that you are getting only a couple of hexes, four sets of ships and tokens. However, when you read the booklet you'll see that there are not one, but ELEVEN new scenarios, some of them have different set up for three or four players. The possibilities are endless! It's like you are getting not one, but eleven different games! So you are paying not for the actual cardboard, but for the intellectual property.We are really looking forward to playing "The Fog Island", where part of the board is not set up, and islands appear as you go. The Forgotten Tribe, the Pirate Island and the Cloth for Catan also sound very promising. I have to say that although our 12 y.o. played with us a couple of times, it's a bit tiring for her. Our older kids are enjoying it as much as we are. Excellent game. Highly recommend.
Read more..

29.9.2015

I've never played Settlers of Catan so I'm not sure how "watered down" the Junior version might be or if it's even similar at all. I purchased this game because I have heard good things about Catan but I wasn't sure if my 7 year old would be able to catch on. I thought this version would be easier for him to learn and was hoping it would maybe be a good intro into learning to play for getting the regular game. This isn't my son's first board game, he's played (and kicked everyone's butt at) King of Tokyo, Machi Koro, Takenoko, and a few others.The game was simple enough to read the rules and play without having to consult the rule book over and over to make sure we were playing right.I think as we played my son started to see that some strategies were better than others. At first he wanted to move around the back end of the island since it was closer to him and then realized that by moving forward he was setting up hideouts near new islands so he could collect more resources from other numbered rolls. After drawing 2 ghost tiles from the parrot pile, he saw that gambling on the parrots wasn't always as good as making trades to get what you need to build instead of hoping for a build tile.The game is well made. I think the plastic pieces feel a little cheap compared to other games with wooden components. Considering the amount of pieces however (61 total across 28 hideouts, 32 ships, and the pirate ghost), the game would have cost a lot more to produce with wood. The plastic pieces make it affordable and for that I can't find fault. The resources parts that get punched out are thick and feel pretty well made. I don't see them wearing out anytime soon.I found this to be a simple game that does require some strategy. I think even my 3 1/2 year old will be able to play it once he's able to sit still for longer without grabbing all the parts and yelling "My shiiiips" or refusing to let us have the parrot tiles back. Great intro game that isn't your standard Monopoly or Sorry. I think this would make a great gift for a family with young children.
Read more..

23.6.2020

We play Catan often. It's kind of our family thing. We have regular Catan, the expansion pack, and Seafarers. We even have a gorgeous handcrafted set made by Thinking Monk. Yes, we are serious players. It gets pretty fierce, bringing out the sibling rivalries and old family vendettas. So, adding the GoT version seemed natural since we are like the Starks and Targaryens anyway. GoT Catan is absolutely worth it and a great addition to our stack of Catan boxes. It is not a retread with new graphics. It is a whole new game.While you are collecting resource cards and development cards, wheeling & dealing to build your roads and settlements, and racking up those victory points,you now need to add guards to the wall and keep the wildlings out. This is a collective effort that you need to undertake to protect the Gift from wildlings. You have help from hero cards as well as development cards. If the wildlings make it over the Wall, they will block your resources. Too many wildlings over the Wall will end the game and your settlements will be worth nothing - the guards will save (and rule) the day. These additions add cooperation to the game and give you more ways to win. You still have hidden victory points on development cards and the longest road to add to your tally, but now guards are another way to rack up those VPs and claim your rightful title as Lord Commander of the Watch.If you enjoy Catan, you'll likely have fun with this more complicated version. If you are new to Catan, play the regular game first. A few of the hero cards seemed a bit difficult to understand so we referred to the instruction booklet often. We still have a question about one card and need to do a bit of online research about that and another rule. We watched a few YouTube videos on setup and game play before embarking on our journey to build and defend. Yes, it's an investment of time. But, next time we play, we'll be ready to go. Those wildings won't know what hit 'em. Now, who has some ore they can trade me for a sheep?
Read more..

19.4.2016

Catan Junior is a kid-friendly version of Catan. For those familiar with Catan, this is a standalone game and not an expansion. My son, aged 5, is able to pick up the rules but not quite the tactical aspects of the game. My daughter, aged 8, has no problems with either the rules or her winning strategy. The game plays 2 - 4 people and there are two sides to the board (one for 2 players and one for 3 & 4 players). The game takes between 20 mins and 30 mins to play. The players' pieces (ships and pirate's lairs) are well made plastic tokens and the resource chits are thick cardboard. Each player is also given a pictorial resource conversion card, again on thick card.The rules are simple to understand and explain.On a players turn they roll a dice which triggers resources being allocated to all players. They can then convert their own resources into ships and pirate's lairs (route building) or claim a parrot card that gives them bonuses (a free ship / pirate lair build or more resources). Players can trade once with the market, stock or, in the advanced rules, with each other to get the resources that they need. The final action is when a player rolls a 6, in which case they can move a token onto an island and prevent resources being given to the players who have lairs on that island. This can also be triggered from some of the parrot cards. All in all, it's an excellent stripped down version of Catan that is great to play with the kids. I do not recommend an adult-only game as it's just too simplistic to engage with.To give the kids a better chance of winning here are some variations that we use: 1) Do not give the adults any starting resources; 2) Do not allow adults to 'chain' the parrot cards, i.e. just one parrot card may be obtained per turn; 3) Do not allow an adult who has a lair on Spooky Island to obtain a parrot card on their turn. This really makes the game a bit more competitive for the kids. I'm sure that there are other variations that could help them out too.
Read more..

4.3.2018

The new game play is a really fun twist on classic Catan. It has some similarities to Cities and Knights, but in my opinion Game of Thrones is a better, faster game. It requires zero knowledge of the books or the show to play, but fans of the franchise will have a little better understanding of the context behind the gameplay. There a few little tweaks I'd like to see in future iterations, but overall it's an awesome game. It's definitely replaced regular Catan in our house.Pros: The new board and pieces look amazing (you can use the board to play regular Catan too, which I love). Also, the full-size resource and development cards are a huge improvement over the smaller cards of regular Catan.The addition of character cards also adds a fun new angle, and there are many more strategies to win as a result.Things to tweak: There's a typo on the cards each player uses to organize pieces (it says "Keep" twice, in two places, where one should say "Guard"). Not a dealbreaker, I hope they issue replacements or something. I also hope they add more character cards or change the rules around a few of them. We've played more than a dozen games, and several characters are just too low-value to ever use / some are a little too powerful and get snatched up a little too quickly. Also, the blue and the black pieces are just a little too close; it would help if the blue was lighter or some other color altogether. Last, if the Wall were clear plastic instead of grey, it would help all players be able to see the Wildlings adding up on the other side. None of these are major issues, though--just things that I hope get improved over time.Final verdict: SO MUCH FUN! A must-have for any fan of Catan.
Read more..

12.10.2013

I have to agree with the other reviewers of this game. The original Settlers of Catan Board Game was one of the best strategy games around. However, veteran players would be quick to tell you that during most games played there would be a point during the game where one particular player gained an upper hand in some respect and from that moment on everyone knew who was going to win and there was very little that the other players could do about it.Star Trek: Catan is 95% Settlers of Catan, with Star Trek dressing. Resources are dilithium, tritanium, food, oxygen and water. Starships instead of roads. Outposts instead of settlements, Starbases instead of cities. On a resource dice roll of 7,a Klingon ship swoops in to prevent resource production on one planet while taxing spacegoers who hold too many resources (instead of a robber baron, like in the original Settlers).Star Trek: Catan differs from the basic Settlers in one aspect: a set of Support Cards featuring a few familiar faces from the original series of Star Trek. Each Support Card features a special ability attributed to Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Sulu, Scott, Uhura, Chekov, Chapel, Rand, or Sarek. Some special abilities make basic actions better, such as reducing the costs of Starbase upgrades or allowing the player to trade a resource of their choice at 2:1 for a turn, while others break rules, such as protecting the player from discarding on a 7 or producing a resource when the player rolls a number that wouldn't otherwise produce for them.These Support Cards make this game such an addictive new slant on an old favourite! They definitely change the game's dynamics and make for much more compelling game play.
Read more..

3.6.2012

Unlike like other "kid's" versions of popular adult games, Catan Junior remains very true to the game play of the original, while removing and modifying many of the more complex rules of the original. The rules book is very well laid out and easy to walk through with a child, and there are enough chips and resources that need to be put out at setup to keep their hands busy while you read the rules. Game play goes smoothly due to the limited decisions you can make but rarely feels like you don't have options.The largest differences are found in resource gathering, trading, and road/city (in this case ship/lair) placement. Resources have a fixed die value on the card instead of being determined by a separate chip being placed on the island,trading is done with a marketplace instead of other players, and you only need one ship/road segment between your city/lair. These small changes make the game much easier for kids to grasp.It plays well as a 2 player game due to the separate board format for 2 player games vs. 3 or 4 players. The board layout is fixed instead of being tiles you place.The reason I gave this game 4 instead of five stars is because the rules are simple enough for a 6 year old to understand, but you really need to pack your patience because most kids will get overwhelmed with all the pieces and new rules compared to other games they may have played. It's worth it when they grasp everything, but don't expect them to get it right away.TL;DR - simplifies game play of the original without dumbing it down or putting it on rails. Children will be able to learn how to play the game, but be patient while you're teaching them.
Read more..

8.12.2015

Catan is amazing. To outline my favourite things about this game:It has the perfect balance of skill and luck. Every roll of the dice has an impact on the decisions you make. You will find yourself whispering prayers to the Gods of Catan that you get the resource you need. Dramatic scenes can play out in this game and ad hoc alliances between players will be forged over mutual interests but quickly broken when their needs diverge.The rules are incredibly intuitive and the instructions are easy to follow or explain (and there's a helpful companion app if nobody has ever played before). Admittedly, there are those who just don't like board games and although Catan is fun it might not be for them,but I had never played any before and I love it. Games generally last 1.5 hours but are often faster, especially as everyone gets used to the rules. It's a very social game and fun to play with a group of friends, especially with a beer or a wine. Our favourite expansion is Seafarers but Cities and Knights is definitely worth getting further down the line as it adds a lot of new rules and mechanics and ways to win. I keep all of them in the same box so they don't take up much space and is really easy to move.Downsides of the game: there aren't many, and certainly none that put me off the game. Sometimes it can be slow to pick up in the beginning as everyone scrambles for resources. Initial placement is important and if your numbers just aren't coming up you can have a pretty miserable time.All in all a great game, definitely a great Christmas present!
Read more..

12.9.2017

I like it, but it's not quite a five-star game for me because I've since discovered other games which I enjoy playing more than this one.Pros:- Popular enough that many people already know how to play, and easy enough to teach those who don't- "Gateway" game for empire-building and resource management types of games- Involves some strategy and risk managementCons:- Winner/loser inertia: As you build more things, your production tends to accelerate. If you fall behind, it becomes progressively harder to catch up.- Occasional "dead" turns: Sometimes a player's turn consists of rolling the dice and nothing else, because they didn't get any resources since their last turn.Two of those in a row makes it difficult to stay engaged, and it's more likely to happen early in the game when that matters most.- Dice rolls dominate the game: The best-laid strategies can be overpowered by a stretch of reasonably bad luck.In my opinion, Ticket to Ride or Splendor would both be superior options for a "gateway" game, because they both offer greater strategic depth, faster gameplay, easier setup, simpler rules, and comparable price. Both of those games also have plenty of randomness, but in both cases, you're still playing and engaged on every turn, even when luck isn't on your side.The relatively recent Explorers and Pirates expansion to Catan fixes many of my issues with the game, but that expansion is basically a new game which uses some of the original components and game mechanics, and it's significantly more expensive.
Read more..

19.7.2015

We brought this game with us to a mountain resort and before we even opened it up to play in the main lodge we had 3 separate people come up and comment, "Oh, I love Catan!" and "I didn't know Catan has a Junior version." et cetera so that my daughter was very excited when we finally did pull the wrap off the game!This is an excellent game for families. Unlike games of chance, this game develops skills for the younger family members (learning strategies such as how to combine resources for most effective trades and purchases and how to strategically place ships and castles) while at the same time it keeps the adults in the family engaged and happy to play, too.My 6 year old quickly picked up on the game (literally took about 1 turn around the board for every member and she had it down); however, my 4 year old needs to play with a partner because he tends to wander away from the game :)It really does take about 30 minutes to play (all depends on how many players and how quickly they get a move on during their turn!). It is also much better with 3 to 4 people than 2 as you can form alliances (a nice term for ganging up on another player!). I can see that in a year or two we'll be happy to move up the the full version of the game. However, as introduction, Catan Junior is thoroughly entertaining with the added benefit that you feel as though you are doing something useful and earning Good Parent Points when you play this game!
Read more..

14.3.2016

Great Game, Adds a new aspect to the game of Catan... It's simple enough for a new Catan player to understand and adds enough variation that a veteran Catan player should have enough new challenges to make the game interesting again.My board pieces were all cut very nicely. I know other reviewers complained about the images being off centered on their tokens but mine had no problem.I own the 4th edition of the Basic Settlers of Catan. This is 5th edition that features updated artwork and styles. I actually enjoy the 5th edition artwork over the 4th edition. If cost wasn’t a factor I’d update my original set to the 5th edition so everything matched. That being said all the 5th and 4th edition pieces are 100% compatible.The different art styles are distracting and take a few extra seconds to process but doesn’t hinder gameplay at all.My favorite update from the 4th edition to the 5th is a little silhouette symbol that indicates the differences between the expansion and the original. AKA it’s easy to sort the correct pieces into the correct boxes when game play is over. The 4th edition didn’t have this so I had to keep a list of how many tiles went in each box. If you buy the 5-6 player expansion for this game the symbols also change so you can sort the 5-6 player pieces into the correct box. (However you might want to use a fine tip pen to mark the bottom of the trade tokens so you know which set they belong too.
Read more..

List All Products

Terms and ConditionsPrivacy Policy