Catan Traders and Barbarians 5 - 6 Player Extension Review

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(More customer reviews)Love this addition. There are many different variations you can play. it's never the same game twice. Great buy. Highly recommend.

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With this extension, you can play all five exciting Catan: Traders & Barbarians scenarios with up to six players. Now you'll face even more competition from your fellow settlers as you struggle to survive and prosper on the island of Catan! Components include 43 game pieces, 12 knights (6 of each color) - 6 bridges (3 of each color), 2 wagons (1 of each color), 12 barbarians (bronze color), 11 camels (brown color), 24 cards, 2 cards for "The Fishermen of Catan," 2 sets of cards for "Traders & Barbarians," 12 terrain tiles and fishing ground tiles, 16 gold coin counters (8 small, 8 large), 2 Special "Poor Settler" Cards/Tiles, 18 commodity tokens, 14 fish tokens, and 1 rules booklet. You need the Settlers of Catan board game and the Traders & Barbarians expansion (each sold separately) to use this 5-6 player extension. Measures 9"L x 6"W x 9"H.

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Settlers of Catan Seafarers Game Expansion Review

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(More customer reviews)The Settlers of Catan won board game of the year in 1995 for a reason. I'm not sure if there is an 'expansion pack of the year' award, but if there was, Seafarers would win hands down. I've played a lot (and I mean a LOT) of strategy board games in my time, and Seafarers combined with Settlers of Catan is the best over all strategy game I've ever played.
If you're looking at this expansion, you likely already are sold on Catan (or addicted!) and are looking to expand your game. You have a good number of options, including the 5-6 Player Extension, Seafarers, or Cities & Knights. All of them are solid, but if you were going to just get one, it would have to be Seafarers. Here is why:
1. Diversity of maps
The 5-6 player expansion allows you to play with more players, but it is basically the same game as the 3-4 player version. You don't get the addition of over a dozen different maps like you do with Seafarers. Knights and Cities is more of a different game altogether, and will be more unfamiliar than Seafarers. Don't get me wrong, the other two expansions are fantastic, but get this one first.
2. Strategy
Seafarers unlocks a whole new realm of strategy. You can now build boats, discover islands, expand outward, control the pirate (like the robber, but used on water hexes), and generally play the game a few new and unique ways that are extremely satisfying. Whether you're playing "Into the Desert," with its fantastic static map that forces very careful placement, or "Four Islands," with its emphasis on resource management and aggressive island expansion, or just the basic Seafarers map (a new twist on the standard 3-4 player map) the level of strategy has been increased over all in a fantastic variety of ways. You can play longer maps that penalize 'lucky' players who choose bad numbers, or maps with exotic things like the Gold resource hexes (which produce a resource of your choice!), or maps that reward a conservative or aggressive style: you have so many options you will never get bored!
3. Replay value
With so many strategies available, and with potentially millions of variations on the maps, Seafarers never gets old. Just the "Into the Desert" map kept me busy for months. All of the maps are great, unique, and a whole lot of fun to play.
A few caveats:
1. This is an expansion. It is not playable without The Settlers of Catan. Also, make sure you are buying an expansion of the same edition as your 3-4 player board!
2. I have both the 3rd and 4th generation boards, and I actually prefer the 3rd generation with its more subdued graphics. That is a matter of preference however, so if you have the 4th generation 3-4 game and like it, you will like this expansion's aesthetics just as much.
3. Some of the maps in the map book also require The Settlers of Catan 5-6 Player Extension. You don't NEED to have the 5-6 player expansion, but be aware that about 20% of the maps require Seafarers, the 3-4 player game, and the 5-6 player expansion.
Built on a masterpiece of a board game like Settlers of Catan, it's no wonder this expansion is simply fantastic. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It deserves 7 stars.


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In The Seafarers of Catan you control a group of seafaring settlers exploring and taming the uncharted Isles of Catan. Embark on a quest to settle the island, build ships, and chart the nearby waters. Guide your settlers to victory with clever trading, cunning development, and by establishing the most productive sea lanes. Acquire your resources through card play and the luck of the dice. Discover far-off mines and use gold and combinations of resources--grain, wool, ore, brick, and timber -- to develop your ever-expanding empire. Of course, the best strategy and a dash of luck decides who will be the undisputed ruler of the Isles of Catan. You need The Settlers of Catan board game to use this expansion, sold separately.

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The Settlers of Catan 5-6 Player Extension Review

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(More customer reviews)The 5-6 player expansion set of "The Settlers of Catan" includes the following items:
1) Additional land and ocean tiles that increase the size of the island of Catan from 19 land tiles in the 3-4 player game to 30 land tiles [surrounded by water tiles] for the 5-6 player version.
2) A complete set of 30 numbered discs that matches the new, larger island.
3) More cards of each type of resource needed to accommodate more players
4) An addendum set of rules for 5-6 playes that introduces interesting new options for building not included in the 3-4 player game.
Oh, you probably know this, but you should be aware that the 5-6 player expansion is not a stand-alone game, you need the 3-4 player game in order to use this expansion.
OK, why buy the expansion? It, of course, allows up to two more players to join in. Also, the rules addendum includes an interesting twist... between-turn bulding. Because 5 or 6 players means longer times between an individual's turn, the between-turn "open building" arrangement allows players to build or buy things with the cards they hold in their hands (no trading with the bank or other players between turns though!). That not only allows players to get farther ahead when it's not their turn, it also allows them to use their cards so that they are less susceptible to "robber's" 7-card in-hand maximum limit if a 7 is rolled. Plus, 5-6 players in the game provides more player-to-player trade options, etc.
All in all an excellent addition to an outstanding game. It's fun, it's durable, it's interactive, and some say, "addictive."
5 stars all the way!

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Now five to six players can explore and settle Catan! The 5-6 Player Expansion for The Settlers of Catan allows you to add up to two more opponents without sacrificing ease of play. Designed for five or six players, it adds even more drama to the award-winning game of discovery, settlement, conflict, and commerce. You must have The Settlers of Catan board game in order to use this extension, sold separately.

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Catan Histories: Settlers Of America - Trails To Rails Review

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(More customer reviews)Settlers of America- Trails to Rails is a great variation on a great game. My family and friends have been playing Catan and its expansions for years, so when I saw this as a pre-order on another web site, it caught my attention. Using the trading, robber, and probability controlled resource production mechanics of Catan, Trails to Rails adds the element of money, covered wagons, railways, and locomotive driven deliveries which replaces the point system, cities, ports, and bonuses (like longest road or army). The resources are Wood, Grain, Ore, Steer, and Coal. The artwork is very attractive and done by the same artist who did the 4th version of Catan, and fits well with the theme of Manifest Destiny.
Other than the fact that I enjoy the theme, I also like that during the game it seems as if you can build or do at least one thing per turn; there is very little time waiting while there is a famine of 8s or 6s (if you have played Catan you will know what I mean), or the robber is on your only source of coal.
**For those that have not played Settlers of Catan** I would venture to guess that since the rules are very well written, no prior knowledge of Catan would be needed. Plus, there is a very good explanation of how to play on their web site, so check it out before purchasing. Give yourselves a few hours to play, have stimulating conversations, eat some ice cream, and for your wife to feed your 5 month old; playing a Catan game is more of an event than a quick diversion. The pieces are a very sturdy wood, and the board and box are hefty enough to last; but, the pieces are small, so, make sure to keep them away from little mouths (human or otherwise). In a world of fast paced do-dads and gadgets that tie us to work 24-7, Trails to Rails (and other Catan games) is a great diversion that allows for fellowship and fun.
Altogether, this game will keep its space on my shelf next to Agricola, Puerto Rico, Twilight Struggle, and Settlers of Catan for those days we want to relive the romanticized days of the Oregon Trail, Trans Continental Railroad, Robber Barons, and Little House on the Prairie (at least for my wife). Pros:
- Great theme for anyone that is a fan of U.S. History and Settlers of Catan
- Appealing artwork; U.S.A. made out of Catan hexes looks better than expected
- Simple game mechanics that allow for solid strategic game play
- More balanced game play than a random map and numbers game of Catan
- Extraordinary building phase (can build on other persons turn)
- Rail system and a built in compulsion to move West (similar to Seafarers island scenarios)both historical and interesting
Cons:
- Not modular like the original Catan, so the game becomes less varied (only some of the numbers can be changed, others are printed on the game board, but this can be modified with a little help from other Catan number pieces)
- Some geographical historical inaccuracies (Las Vegas being a destination for early settlers for example)
- Although problematic in regards to being P.C. it would have been nice to see the Native Americans have a larger role in the game (in all fairness though, they are used on one card and mentioned in the history section of the rule book).
- Unlike the product features suggests, it does not have as near as much the replay value of Settlers of Catan and its expansions
- My wife does not like losing
*Why only four stars? Because next to Agricola, Puerto Rico, and the original Settlers of Catan, which are in the category of games that I would place Trails to Rails, this game, although very fun, is not quite at the level of these others so for the sake of differentiation I gave it a very well deserved four stars.

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The 19th Century has arrived and America is heading west. Settlers form wagon trains and create long trails as they leave the east behind. Their goal as they strike out towards the fertile land of the vast prairies is to grow crops and claim grazing lands for their hungry herds of cattle. As more people head west, new cities pop up. But the vast distances between them require a new form of transportation for vital goods...the railroads!
In Settlers of America: Trails to Rails, you'll experience the pioneer days of the old west! A large and beautiful map of the United States utilizes the simple yet fun Catan hex-tile system of play. Players collect and trade resources in order to purchase and move settlers, build cities, lay rails, and acquire and move trains. Rail links allow them to acquire gold, which allows them to buy resources and use other player's rails. Fulfill your manifest destiny by being the first to use your trains to deliver 8 goods to your opponent's cities and win the game!
Contents of Settlers of America: Trails to Rails:
120 Rails
48 Cities
8 Train Engines
8 Settler Wagons
1 Outlaw
40 Goods Cubes
40 Gold Coins
4 Building Costs Cards
1 Map Board
12 Number Tokens
95 Resource Cards
24 Development Cards
2 Dice
1 Rulebook

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Mayfair Games Catan Barbarians and Traders Expansion Review

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(More customer reviews)First of all, you must already have the original Settlers of Catan to be able to play this expansion. If you are here reading this than chances are you do. With this expansion it presents different campaign scenarios to the Catan story. Many scenarios. This is like having several games in one box! You can choose to play the Fishermen of Catan, or the Rivers of Catan, or the Caravans, or Barbarian Attack, or Traders & Barbarians. The new pieces include wagons, bridges, camels, etc. You also get new game hexes with rivers, swamps, etc. But the best part is you can now play with just two players. It gives you the tools and rules so you and a friend can play Catan for two! All these campaigns are available in a two player version as well as up to 4 players. The only game you can't play in a two player version is Cities and Knights if you own this expansion (sold seperately). Another great thing is that if you are not lucky at rolling dice it has event cards that replace having to roll dice if you choose to do so. Not mandatory but it eliminates the randomness of dice. On your turn you don't roll the dice but instead you turn the top card of the Event Card deck face up. Not only does the card determine what number is "rolled", but it also causes an event. There are 11 different events, and almost half of the cards have events. (36 event cards are included) The statistically correct distribution of the numbers on the cards reduces the randomness produced by dice rolls. In exchange, the events inject new elements of chance into the game. Producing a slightly different ambience. The events are: Robber Attacks!, Epidemic, Earthquake, Good Neighbors, Tournament, Trade Advantage, Calm Sea, Robber Flees, Neighborly Assistance, Conflict, Plentiful Year, and New Year (you reshuffle). You can also use these "dice cards" with any of the different campaigns including Cities & Knights if you own this expansion already. Now on to the new campaigns...in Fishermen of Catan you get a new lake hex, 6 fishing ground tiles which you place along the coast, 20 fish tokens and 1 old boot token. The fishing ground tiles allow you to produce "fish" when your coastal settlements or cities are adjacent to them. So now coastal settlements can mean more than they did in the origanal Settlers of Catan. In Rivers of Catan you receive 2 sea frame pieces, 3 river tiles: a 3 hex river on 1 tile, and a 4 hex river on 2 tiles. You also get 12 bridges (3 of each color), 40 gold coins, 1 Wealthiest Settler tile, and 4 Poor Settlers tiles. For each road and settlement you build adjacent to a river hex, you receive 1 coin. You can trade 2 coins for any one resource of your choice. If you have the most coins, you are the Wealthiest Settler, which earns you a Victory Point. If you are a poor settler you lose -2 victory points. So you can see how this can affect the outcome when you are trying to win. You have to build bridges over the rivers instead of roads. (there are dotted lines on the hexes indicating which ones require bridges)Building a bridge takes 2 bricks and 1 lumber whereas a road only takes 1 and 1. Game ends at 10 victory points. The Caravans campaign includes 1 oasis hex and 22 camels. The camels make up the caravan and you use them to carry certain resources. I haven't played this one yet. The Barbarian Attack campaign includes 24 knights, 40 gold coins, 30 barbarians, 1 castle hex and 26 development cards. Haven't played this yet either. The last campaign Traders & Barbarians include 2 sea frame pieces, 3 terrain hexes, 36 commodity tokens, 4 wagons, 40 gold coins, 30 barbarians, 20 Baggage Train Cards, and 25 development cards. Haven't played this yet either. So you can see there are many different games all in this one box! If you have Settlers of Catan, this is the perfect expansion because of the many different scenarios included. More importantly the ability to play with 2 people up to 4.


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Immerse yourself in The Settlers of Catan, with this deeply rich set of four variants and five compelling linkable scenarios. Delve deep into Catan! In Catan: Traders & Barbarians, you'll find lots of cool new ways to explore Klaus Teuber's award-winning game series. Add a harbormaster, a friendly robber, or special events. Play with a wealth of new wooden pieces and capabilities. You can even link your games to create an intriguing campaign. For use with The Settlers of Catan board game, sold separately.

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