We had March game night at Casa Beej. Dennis, Landry, Joe, Paul, Pete, and Tony joined me for Mega Catan. After the December game night with a large table that seemed like it needed candles and a servant to reach the opposite side, I just used the large table without a card table extension. I moved furniture away and made my best effort to establish surfaces around the perimeter to set food and drinks. This seemed to work much better. And I can still expand the length about 16" more to accommodate more players without requiring us to use phones to communicate around the table. We're not kids staring at our phones while physically present!
We dined on four types of pizza, small muffins and brownies plus cookies, the usual house swill (Labatt Blue Light), and assorted better beers left over from prior events. And then guests added numerous high quality beers. Paul and ... Dennis? ... added more salty snacks. Thanks!
Thanks Pete, Dennis, and Tony for the beers! If I missed somebody my apologies. Let me know and I shall add you to the credits with deep appreciation. Gifts really are totally unnecessary, as long tradition has established. I enjoy hosting. Thank God I don't have a drinking problem. Not with so many leftovers! But will somebody please drink the IPA still left from Die Hard Christmas 2024?
I liked Devil's Mist. The Solace was compared--not favorably--to Malort for those who tried it. And I will not forget to activate the nitro in the milk stout when I try that.
And Tony's wife sent delicious lemon cream puffs on a colorful plate festooned with a paper doily. Ugly rumors that they were smashed en route by falling beer, and needed to be eaten with a spoon or straw are nonsense. They were delicious. As were the alleged beers after they were allowed to sit undisturbed for a while.
Also, somehow I managed to end the night with a new bottle of gin. I suspect Landry and Joe. Thank you anonymous donor(s)!
My tactical plan for Sadie during game night failed. Moving her litter box to "her" room (sorry, children) permanently is very helpful. But I also temporarily moved her food bowl to the stair landing for the duration. She rewarded my concern by puking up whatever she snuck down to eat in her by-now signature move of three separate targets of diminishing size on the carpet. At least I didn't discover them the hard way. You pet owners know what I'm talking about.
Anyway.
We played two games. The games weren't actually that long (2:10:00 and 1:45:00), but we started a tad late and had a gap between games. By the time we finished the second game a little after 9:00, it was too late to start a new game. We played with harbor master, longest road "3:1 port" bonus, and desert robber's lair variants; plus the usual Mega Catan rules of an expanded safe zone for robber-proofing your card hand and extending the distance from main player to interstellar build player by one. With seven players the VP level needed to win was eleven.
Also, prior to game night I redid and upgraded the Mega Catan resource value chits so they are more visible on the photos as well as reducing the chances for adjacent red values.
The major features of the night were two extinction-level monopoly card plays, one in each game. It was amazing how that affected the games after with an almost complete lack of the collected--and spent--resources removed from play in an instant. My newest meme for the game night slide show telegraphed the night:
Also, it is with deep contrition that I stand corrected on Game Night etiquette. The Tenth Catanment of the Eleven in the Sacred Traditions and Relics clearly states:
Thou shalt not hold a grudge from previous Game Nights.
My apologies to Brother Pete. Game-to-game grudges are allowed without penalty from Klaus. Which is not to say such a thing is encouraged.
Let me start with a summary of a hypothetical resource paths to victory. Assuming you can expand to build 4 new settlements before running out of room to expand, what do you need to win? For a not-necessarily typical situation, assume you need four cities, two settlements, and a victory point to reach eleven points. You might need to build six roads for 6 brick and 6 wood. Four new settlements require 4 wood, 4 brick, 4 sheep, and 4 wheat. Promoting four cities requires 8 wheat and 12 rock. And the magical VP card requires (without adjusting for percent of deck) 1 wheat, 1 sheep, and 1 rock.
That's a total of 13 wheat, 10 brick, 10 wood, 5 sheep, and 13 rock.
You can see why the general rule is that you can trade for sheep if you have to make choices on what to go without. Having a sheep port changes the value of sheep, of course. And different strategies require changes. A lottery ticket strategy--for points, knights, or alternate resources--requires more sheep, too. And if you want to get and defend longest road, wood and brick needs skyrocket. Harbor master is interesting given that it requires no additional resources like getting largest army or longest road. But by forcing resource commitment to coastal areas, you are stuck with build sites on two or even just one resource rather than up to three inland.
Still, I think my scenario is at least useful as an example of resource needs. You can see why staking out rock is so important given the demand and the low supply compared to other resources. Brick is close behind on that score.
GAME ONE
The order of placement and movement was Pete (pink), Joe (orange), Landry (plaid), Dennis (Michigan), myself (mint), Tony (blue), and Paul (green) in the always coveted double placement position.
The board was really only substandard for wheat. But the good rocks were coastal, which was a problem.
Resource production is the foundation of all games. Let's look at the TONY (total original number yield) scores of each player, representing their chances of getting resources at the start of the game. It's always a contest between appropriate resource diversity and raw TONY potential.
Pete placed on 20 TONY. He had weak wheat and no sheep, but had a wood port. That let him use wood to get sheep and supplement wheat but reduced wood supply for wood uses. Player trades would be highly preferable. More rock for his rock port would be key. He could go either way on expansion opportunities.
Joe placed on 21 TONY. I can't remember how I handled this last month, but I'm counting a desert robber's lair hex as 6 points. This can never go up unlike settlement- and city-based points. But at start that's the value. For the most part. If you don't hurt yourself by going over the safe limit of cards in you hand because of a 7 roll. That happens. Joe lacked sheep and wheat was weak, but the "wild card" robber's lair would help in the early game.
Landry placed on 21 TONY. Brick and wood were great. Wheat and rock were poor. There were no sheep. but building to more resources was possible. Unless "probability" or foes got in the way. From from the coast, longest road would also be a valuable trade tool with its 3:1 trade bonus (which is not a port point, of course). But his expansion options were tight. He'd need to thread some needles.
Dennis placed on 25 TONY. He had no sheep and no rock. The robber's lair he built on would need to be productive. Perhaps surplus wood could help out in trades.
I placed on 21 TONY. My brick and wood supplies were barely adequate but had the advantage of being efficient. A four was a road roll. Or half a settlement. And I started my first turn with a road, essentially. I was happy with my rock, wheat, and sheep.
Tony placed on 22 TONY. He went without wheat and had poor rock. But his plentiful sheep would be useful if he reached the very close sheep port early.
Paul placed on 20 TONY. He had great brick but no wood. Adequate wheat and good rock, under the circumstances. And more than adequate sheep. But expansion options were tight.
On to the game.
Joe and Tony established enclaves. Tony had room for two more settlements, which is my minimum for decent victory potential. And one more on his border with Landry. Joe had his five settled area with two cities at the interior desert and resource hexes. He had a shot at another settlement. And maybe more depending on Paul. Joe also fueled three cities with one more likely. And if on the coast it would lead to harbor master. Pete's rock-rock port combination was not the power house he needed it to be. He did block two attempts by Dennis to outflank is inland push. But that success denied resources to a needed southern expansion around his rock.
Landry managed to threat needles out of both of his initial placements. The western advance was impressive but was ultimately blocked by Joe. The need to promote cities stopped one more immediate settlement chance. Paul threaded the needle to the sea. but his other outpost languished. Yet his push to the sea threatened settlement options for both Pete and I. Dennis, after his northern expansion was halted by Pete, turned south and advanced toward me while he cemented longest road for a bit. I offered a territorial DMZ but he needlessly (Dennis will object to that characterization, no doubt) advanced past to build on the wood 11 rather than the double-11 wood-sheep to deny me the 11-8 wood-rock site.
I was able to thread the needle from my eastern settlement to the south. With so much needed there, I had limited resources in my western outpost, thinking I would have more time there. Dennis forces me to move one more road south in my eastern region to build on a port on the 8 rock. I played my monopoly and requested rock. I got 14 or 15 to add my 3, and had a rock port to turn rocks into wheat to promote a couple cities and get harbor master. Playing the monopoly caused quite the kerfuffle, with Joe's city building plan cut short and everybody else mightily vexed at my perfectly reasonable move. Only Dennis escaped my wrath as he had no rocks. Pity. Anyway that was 11 points and the win.
Joe followed with 8; Dennis with 7, including longest road; Landry, Tony, and Paul had 5 each; and Pete had 4.
"Probability"
If you chose wisely, you picked 5, 9, and 10 resources. And ends of the bell curve were a nice bonus. The robber was slightly above expected. While 8 under-performed, 6 was only slightly under expectations.
GAME TWO
The order of placement and movement was Landry, Dennis, myself, Tony, Paul, Pete, and Joe in the always coveted DP position.
The board was problematic for all the hard things. Sheep and wheat were quite good. Wood was adequate, I suppose. The double desert was intriguing.
Landry placed on 16 TONY. With no rock or sheep he'd really need to expand and trade well. Rock was completely out of reach, however. Starting with a 3:1 port would help.
Dennis placed on 16 TONY but had a wheat port and 3:1 port as the benefit. And 2/3 of the harbor master. No rock and weak wood were handicaps. Sheep was adequate.
I placed on 26 TONY. I was surprised when I was the first to settle on a spot at the rocky core of Catan and decided to place a bet on the adjacent robber's lair when I couldn't find a good pure resource option. This might be the only time where placing on the desert at start is a good idea rather than being a consolation prize option. Starting the game with only one card did hurt, I admit. But I needed 7 rolls for all my wheat and sheep needs plus reinforcements for my poor brick. And my expansion options were problematic.
Tony placed on 20 TONY. Brick was poor, but everything else was relatively adequate. And expansion options were good. If roads were to be had.
Paul placed on 22 TONY, including a robber's lair desert. His brick was good. He had no sheep. Expansion options were potentially good. If roads were to be had. His cut of the robber heists would be important.
Pete placed on 22 TONY. His full suite of resources was at least adequate. Expansion options looked okay but could go pear shaped real fast. He was nowhere close to the coast--the price of getting rock at the core--for his favorite harbor master objective.
Joe placed on 12 TONY. It was all rock with a rock port. Joe had pushed all his rock chips to the middle of the board.
On to the game!
Landry's lack of brick doomed his southern expansion options after just one new settlement, and denied him early access to good brick in the north. Paul and I squeezed his expansion options in the northwest. Tony's poorly performing road resources led to him being cut off at his initial expansion in the west and he'd only begun to reach the southern coast where more settlement lots beckoned. Joe promoted a couple cities to exploit his rock hold and had the chance to link his road networks. He also had a good shot at a fifth build site. Dennis was unable to expand in the north before Paul and Landry tightened the noose. And in the south Joe ended expansion hopes to the interior. His last build site option would be a race against Joe. But as anticipated, Dennis did get harbor master.
Paul made two long marches to the sea. With six settlements and cities combined, it was a solid foundation. So more settlement sites farther away were probably a waste with two city upgrades and development cards an option for his last needed points. Still, two roads could get that last build site, too. Pete took by briefly held longest road, knocking me back to 7. And when he played the monopoly and collected 20 wood to add to his two in hand, his fist full of cards looked ominous. But with only 3:1 ports, his efficiency of trade allowed him to "only" get to 10 points! Even with numerous cards in his hand left! Pete needed either a city upgrade to get harbor master or a victory point card. And so he began buying lottery tickets in wholesale lots. Well, three in two buys. But each time we held our breath as he drew. He struck out on the walk-off VP swings. But time would likely give him largest army ...
In the southeast I managed another settlement that added no resources but did get me a sheep port. At my other settlement, the 7 pair helped get me some early roads to break out of the center to eventually reach the coast. And I even added some decent sheep. While early 8s were rare, by the time I built a city on my 8 rock, the 8 rolls started to flood the game. I only rolled three of the 14, so thanks! Longest road got me to 9 before Pete knocked me back to 7. But more rocks and sheep helped me build up to 9 again. And with my assumption that Pete would beat me to the 11 punch, a sheep roll gave me enough to get the cards I needed for two city promotions! Whew.
Pete followed with 10, including longest road; Paul had 8; Dennis had 7, including harbor master; Joe had 6; Tony had 5, including a victory point; and Landry had 3.
"Probability"
The robber was only slightly above expected output, while 8, 10, and 12 over-performed and 6 was just sad. Eleven was a no-show despite its reputation for punching above its weight.
We wrapped up before 9:30 and called it a night. Thanks to all for making it another great evening of games, trash talking, and shockingly warm moments amidst the carnage that Catan represents. Even from Dennis.
Nobody won the Grim Reaper of Catan award for rolling the most 7s (three-way tie between myself, Tony, and Dennis), so Dave retains the honor of watching Catan burn. I shall present Dave with the trophy in April. If he shows up.
Thanks to Joe for his statistical work again! Without him our ongoing project to disprove faith in "probability" would not be going so well.
Sadly, I failed with my responsibilities with my new statistical measure of times a player was hit by the robber during the game to quantify relative misery. I forgot after noting the first three cases. Please help me remember until it gets second nature!
The meme for the month is earlier in the post.
Also, next month we will have Game Night in the grim wilderness of South Lyon. Landry will be our host. Details are in the email that included the link to this post. And of course, there will be a couple more emails in April ahead of game night.
Please feel free to add your comments below on the game. As we confirmed last month, the comments do in fact work. And I'd love the input of other players on how the game worked and/or your strategy for victory. And if you'd like to confess your Beejphobic attitudes (or simply amplify and confirm them), that would be cool, too.
Thanks for attending! Great to see everyone and hoist some drinks.
