Game: The Settlers of Catania

The concept: In The Settlers of Catania (recently renamed Catania) you have to build a civilization, collecting resources to build settlements, towns and roads that score points. These resources are obtained by rolling dice, if you roll the number shown on one of the tiles where you have built a colony or a city. You can also trade and trade resources with other players. Another way to accumulate points: to have the longest route or the largest army, which you acquire thanks to development cards, which you buy with resources. If you roll a seven on the dice, you can move the " Thief ”on the tile of your choice, which will block the resources of the player concerned. You can also strategize to prevent your opponents from building near certain resources. The first to reach ten points wins the game.

Why we adore it: The Settlers of Catania is at the origin of the success of the European games or taking place in Europe, the Eurogames , which require more strategy than luck and do not lead to the elimination of players in progress. part. It is a strategic, interactive and entertaining game. This is one of the first somewhat demanding board games that I played years ago, and I still play it several times a year with a group of friends. The rules are a bit more complex than our choice of entry in .It is therefore easier to play if there is at least one person familiar with the game around the table to guide the others. Games last longer than with Splendor, Carcassonne and Les aventuriers du rail and tours can sometimes drag on so we recommend having snacks on hand (even beers, if that's your thing) and have warned participants from the start. Several members of the Wirecutter team believe that this game can cause dissension through the rivalry that is taking place there: "Catania led me to re-evaluate one of my friendships" , admits one of the editors in chief of Wirecutter, Tracy Vence. But this is such an icon of games that we could not dismiss it from our guide!

The Settlers of Catania won the Spiel des Jahres award in 1995, is rated 7.2 / 10 out of 76,000 votes on Board Game Geek's counter , and 4.7 / 5 according to 2,258 user reviews on Amazon.

Number of players: 3 to 4

Duration: 60 to 120 minutes

Rules: The site in English (PDF) or a video explaining the rules in French

Apps: Android (mobile game), iOS (mobile game)