"If you have men who only come if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all." - David Livingstone
As many are undoubtedly aware, the game Settlers of Catan has captured the interest of many within our program, children and leader alike. While it may not be for everyone, it encapsulates a fun dynamic between discovery, settlement and trade between its participants. As passion for this game grew amongst our young explorers, I've decided to further discover variations of the game and have come upon the Catan Seafarers edition. While maintaining the core game play of the original, it expands the game by providing sea exploration and its subsequent rewards. Our young explorers, Logan, Adrian, Alden, Nathan and Ivan could not wait to immerse themselves in this game of chance and trade. Thus, their adventure begins...
Background Story
After a long voyage, the settlers have reached Catan and built their first settlements. Harbours are built and new, seaworthy ships are being developed. Daring Catanians sail across the ocean. Before long, rumours surface that many smaller islands are out there at sea, not too far away -- it is even said that gold has been found on some of them. Gold is highly appreciated in Catan. Ships are fitted out, and soon Catanian ships set sail to find the gold of the islands.
Team red (Adrian and Ivan) and team blue (Logan and Alden) were the first victims of the infamous robber. While harmless, he certainly poses a hurdle to the ambitions of our tradesmen by stifling the resource income of the occupied land.
The robber's presence, however, is no match for Adrian and Ivan's thirst for exploration. Using their resources and cunning skills in trade, they were able to build their first boat and settlement to the adjacent island. What's more, they settled on a gold mine!
Not to be outdone, team white (Nathan and Hillwood) quickly built their own boat to settle on the only other known gold mine. The isolated island and its riches are there for the taking!
Realising the trade power of team red, Logan and Alden quickly directed the robber AND the pirates their way, rendering Adrian and Ivan's precious gold mine useless!
Team blue quickly claimed the "Longest Road," allowing them to monopolise the northern portion of the main island. Will Logan and Alden be able to utilise this to their advantage?
Alas, team blue's preoccupation with the main island was their undoing, as teams red and white further explore and settle on the other islands, solidifying their income and trade power. It is now a race to victory!
Despite the barrage of interference by the robber and pirates, team red was able to further expand their empire to the southern isle, effectively stunting team white's chances of further expansion. Furthermore, their long supply line between roads and boat routes wrested the "Longest Road" title from team blue, declaring them victors of the new islands!
It was quite an adventure, and one that I doubt any of us would soon forget. The changes in the dynamics of the game forced its participants to rethink their strategies and articulate their thinking in terms of balancing between trading and building. The fact that these boys immersed themselves for 2 hours is a testament to their enjoyment of Settlers of Catan. And while we've put the game to rest for now, I`m sure that it will not be long before another adventure begins on the cardboard tiles.
Hillwood
No comments:
Post a Comment