Game Night Light 28

This is a non-specific game "night" report that was done over multiple days instead of the fixed (now-Thursday) weekly beer exchange and game night.

I decided to address the concern that Mega Catan might take too long to play. You know:

So I made new rules for Mega Catan rules that I already wrote. Some are now optional for smaller games. These additional rules are at the end of the rules.

These are the new pieces I added (not including the circular resource value chits in the bad with other parts):

Other pieces are added from the second game I purchased for parts.

MEGA CATAN

Mega Catan board 

I made two extra small pieces for the border--one 3:1 port and one blank. So there will be alternating port and blank extensions. This makes Catan 4 hexes on each side, totaling 37 hexes. 

Place a 3:1 small border piece between section 1 links; a blank piece between section 2 links; a 2:1 sheep piece between the 3 links; a blank piece between the 4 links; a 3:1 piece between section 5 links; and a blank piece between section 6 links. 

Mega Catan circular resource distribution chits 

I added 7 new circular chits marked Zd throuh Zj. Because the expansion pack adds 10 chits with a total point value of 31, I made the 7 new chits equal 22 points. But I arbitrarily assigned them numbers. From Zd as a 12, with subsequent chits 5, 3, 6, 2, 9, and 8. 

Mega Catan buildings and roads 

One day I may spray paint the buildings and roads, but for now the extra sets have roofs painted black; and the ends of the road segments painted black. 

The Trade and Build Phase 

For any Mega Catan game of 7-10 players I modified the revised special building phase for 5-6 players that now has a Trade and Build Phase with a Settler1 phase and a Settler 2--who is three players to the left of Settler 1--special building phase. 

The Mega Catan Trade and Build Phase will have a Settler 1 and a Settler 2 who is four players to the left of Settler 1. 

In addition, your hand is safe from the robber with 9 cards instead of 7. So the robber takes half (rounded down) when you have 10 cards in your hand instead of the 8 in other games. 

Victory points 

For victory point levels I looked at the maximum theoretical points per player, using 13 points for building per player, plus 5 victory point cards and 6 points with the harbor master, largest army, and longest road bonuses. This ran from an average of 16.75 points per player with 3 players to 14.8 points per player at 6 players. I set a rounded 15 as the threshold for 10 victory points for a regular game and 11 victory points for harbor master variant. 

Calculating theoretical points per player from 7 to 10 players, I was looking at 14.6, 14.4, 14.2, and 14 points. So I established the victory points needed for victory at 10 and 11 for 3-7 players; and 9 and 10 points for 8-10 players. 

I hold open the option of going to 8 and 9 points for 10 players because I did not factor in players to space. 

Additional pieces 

Playing Mega Catan requires the basic game, plus the expansion kit pieces, plus the following additions:

One small blank frame and one small 3:1 harbor frame (which I had to make using my copier and cardboard). 

Two new Robber’s Desert Lair hexes for use in all Mega Catan games. Replace original desert pieces with these after hexes are flipped and revealed. 

One 3:1 harbor piece.

Six knights, and one each of year of plenty, monopoly, road building, and victory point cards. 

Six each of bricks, rocks, sheep, wheat, and wood. 

Seven circular resource value chits Zd (12), Ze (5), Zf (3), Zg (6), Zh (2), Zi (9), and Zj (8). 

Four sets of building pieces and building cost cards. 

One Robber Baron variant card. 

One Longest Road variant card.

Additional rules 

Longest Road Bonus. Anybody who holds the longest road card is considered to have a 3:1 “port” for trading purposes only. This does not count toward Harbor Master. This rule is mandatory in Mega Catan and optional in smaller games. 

Robber’s Desert Lair. Whenever a 7 is rolled, after the effects of the robber and placement/resource card taking of the robber segment is completed, each player who has at least one settlement (or city) on a desert hex—beginning with Player 1—may choose one resource card for their hand, if they choose to. This is one total and not one per settlement or one per desert hex. This rule is mandatory in Mega Catan and optional in 5-6-player Catan. 

Robber Baron Variant. The first player to play 3 economy cards (road building, monopoly, and year of plenty) gets the RB card. Another player who plays more economy cards takes this card. It is worth 2 victory points. This variant does not increase the number of points needed to win. It is required in a 9-10 player Mega Catan game and is optional in a 7-8 player game. 

/END RULES/

Hopefully the additional rules help move a larger game along by correcting the more inland nature of Mega Catan, prevent too many players from being locked out of having available victory points to win, and prevent the robber from slowing down the game too much.

May 2022 Game Night

Saturday was game night! After missing April from a certain unspecified illness of unknown origin, I'm tanned, rested, and ready to host Catan! We're back, baby!

We started with a 3:00 happy hour and started playing a bit before 4:00. We played 4 games with the harbor master variant, ending at 9:00. We hung out for another half hour for coffee and talk. No big whoop.

We dined on Sliders, potato chips and dip, some Hostess-like products, lemon cake, some miscellaneous leftover cookies, and M & Ms brought by Joe to replenish my supply.

Beer was the house swill, Labatt Blue Light. For those unsure of what wine goes with Sliders, the perfect pairing was the Fireball bottle. Also, some bourbon.

GAME 1

Pete (white) placed and moved first, followed by Paul (red), Joe (blue), and myself (orange) in the coveted DP spot.

The only decent rock was poorly placed. Pete snagged one and denied anyone else the chance for it. An unfair person might call it a "dick move." An unfair person, of course. I thought I had room to expand in the west and the northeast with decent road-building resources to stake out territory.

I managed to expand to a minimum necessary footprint with 2 or 3 settlement spots still available. My early shortage of road-building material allowed expansion into what I thought would be open fields in the southwest. I  was relieved to have promoted a single city. 

Paul was stuck in his southern settlement so expanded in the north. He too managed to promote a city and he competed with me for coastal sites.

Joe Pushed into "my" eastern zone from the north and east. He built the most roads this game. But no cities.

Pete amazingly built only 3 roads this game. But he road his 9 rock and productive wheat site into four cities, getting harbor master and adding a victory point to reach 11. Congratulations Pete!

END MAP

After Pete, Joe had 7 points, including longest road. I had 6. And Paul had 5.

This game began the trend of the entire night of very frequent "8" rolls. And in a statistical but ultimately meaningless shock, after I put the robber on Paul's 2 rock, we rolled 2 three times ...

GAME 2

Pete again went first, followed by Paul, Joe, and me.

This map didn't suck, although bricks were a problem. Paul jumped on that when Pete passed it by. And how I grabbed a good rock settlement is beyond me. Although obviously bricks were a severe shortage, making my theoretical open northwest likely beyond my grasp.

Paul's ample brick supply did indeed allow him to march across the north into "my" sphere. He promoted three cities, too! Harbor master was within sight. Oh, and at one point Paul put the robber on my lottery ticket 12 hex, but 12 was not rolled while it sat there.

Joe's brick situation was worse than mine and like anybody not named "Paul" playing, built few roads--3 to be exact, tying him for second place in road building. He challenged for harbor master, with a city on the coast that provided zero port points that came up short.

Pete looked like he could repeat his last game and built four cities on four sites, using just two roads that he built. The difference is that he had just two port points this game.

I tied for second in road building with 3. And with sheep (just stop ...) and a sheep port, plus a generic port (my brick port was useless except for denying it to brick-rich Paul), I built 4 cities and a settlement. The harbor master bonus pushed me to 11.

END MAP

Pete and Paul followed with 9 points each, with Paul having an unchallenged longest road while Pete had a victory point. Joe had 7 points.

Sorry about the rock card stack, Dave. 🤯

GAME 3

For the only time in the night, Pete did not place and move first. Joe went first, then me, Pete, and Paul.

Rock was a horror show. My second pick went to get more rock despite the desert. All I lacked was sheep. But despite decent road-building resources I was penned in by the Andersons.

I was able to escape the noose in the south. But getting a sixth build site would require the skills of Xenophon to reach the sea and beat Pete and Joe with massive road building. And my preference was to use any roads I got to connect my enclaves for longest road.

Despite decent wood and brick, Joe built few roads but challenged for harbor master. He also denied me my build spot at the 8,4 wheat space.

Paul once more began building toward a Catan-spanning longest road that he claims he never wants.

Pete expanded to the coast in the north and south, grabbing the harbor master, building a city (one of only three build total this game), and managed to string 5 road segments to get longest road, too, and 11 points! Congratulations Pete.

END MAP

I followed with 6, Paul had 5, and Joe had 4.

GAME 4

We reverted to the usual order of Pete, Paul, Joe, and myself in the coveted DP spot. Paul continued his evening record of not rolling higher than a 1 on the initial order rolls.

Rock was hit or miss. Sheep were great. Otherwise nothing too bad for resources.

I forgot to take the picture--or my finger failed to register the push--of the start map on this game. Bad host. I blame the Fireball. But imagine a small Catan map with each player placing two settlements and two road segments, on a map with unequal hard substance distribution and only adequate sheep. With the desert in the center.

My options were so bad for getting multiple resources that I resorted to choosing the wood port and building on wood and sheep in the west. Only a doctor's prescription for little blue pills would erect a victory path for me.

I must say, while others kindly mentioned I didn't get much production from my wood resources, I can't really complain. I needed great results. I got probably normal results. Still, I at least managed to build on 5 sites and was beginning to build cities, with my first on my wood resources. I had hope. I thought of connecting my enclaves to challenge for longest road. Harbor master was even possible for a while.

Paul built his usual Catan highway network.

Pete built along the coast in the south and again managed to build 4 cities on four sites. He had one more build site, so one more map point possible. But his four harbor points weren't enough because Joe got 4 first.

Joe built two good enclaves and by getting 4 harbor points, locked in the harbor master card because nobody had more than two ports available. And with three cities--despite Pete beating Joe to a port building site based on a trade just completed with Joe (who won't be walking right for a few days)--reached 11 points and victory. Congratulations Joe!

END MAP

Paul followed with 9 points, including the longest road and a victory point card. Pete had 8 and I had 6.

Of note, I was the only player not to buy a development card the entire night. I also got a Catan hat trick, coming in first, second, third, and fourth over 4 games.

So that was it. A fun night!

Your host, however, made a rookie mistake during game night. One I discovered when I woke up at 2:00 a.m. with a gurgling stomach that telegraphed gut-wrenching pain to follow.

It's been a while since I had Sliders. I forgot to scrape off most of the onions. The onions do me in every time in any volume. 

 

But a little Pepto and a gallon of water cured all, and I woke up Sunday bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Next month game night will be at Casa Joe's in South Lyon. Details to follow in June.

And a Catan meme!

Thanks for coming by. It's always fun. I missed it in April.