Still, doesn't change the short game clock and punishing you for building things. If anything it makes it even more about "who has the most green plants wins"
@@3MBGHi, not a small one, you generate way more science cards and hence ability to build power plants. It’s an important missing piece of this otherwise great 3 minute explanation (hard to find!). I recommend playing it over with that rule in mind, it just might change your opinion of the game you shared at the end. Although I do agree that reaching the 10 is way harder and you will mostly run out of tokens before.
I had to keep checking and rechecking the rulebook to double check we were not playing this game completely wrong. I don't often talk about game balance in reviews, because i think those discussions tend to need a ton of plays. But this game feels underdone, undercooked and just nor properly thought out. Incredibly disappointing.
Like many, Catan was one of the first games that lead me to this wonderful hobby. I bought up most everything Catan because it was (is) a lovely game, and a way to switch it up. I never paid attention to the space one, American rails, Game of Thrones, 2p, card version, or Star Trek. I got the normal expansions, some 5-6p extensions, and loads of promo tiles. Then Rise of the Inkas came out and it changed aspects of the game that seemed so different I’d check that out. A string of scenario/campaign based versions came out like Sea Robbers, Crop Trust, and Treasures, Dragons & Adventures. Those were interesting because they gave stories or setups to the main Catan system, expanding Seafarers and Cities & Knights. Then Dawn of Humankind came out and I passed on that just because the map was set and not modular like base Catan - silly but whatever. Since that point, nothing Catan has done, Hawaii, New Energies, Soccer, none of it is appealing. It’s all a gimmick for advertising and selling purposes over true interesting evolutions on the Catan game system.
@@mbrochh82Yeah in a silly arbitrary way I thought the setting of the game (in space) was so removed from what everything else was, that it felt like nonsense, like the Fast movies doing it just because or something. I’ll play it, but I’m not going out of my way to do so; if it’s an option at a game night I won’t veto it.
@@3MBG Cities & Knights adds a bit more strategy, but it's still Catan at its heart. If you don't like randomness and losing to luck, Cities & Knights won't fix it, only mitigate it.
The fact that it's going right to the recyclable bin and not regifting or whatever speaks volumes from you, my dear. I wasn't planning on picking it up, but now I'll go out of my way to make it not happen (... which is about the same as not planning on picking it up? It just sounds more intentional.)
I'll be regifting or selling it, i never actually bin games unless its a legacy with no reuse. Think of that as a rhetorical flourish. This is still one of the bottom 10 games I've ever covered on the channel though.
If I'm hearing the rules and guessing the intent behind them right, the designers went into this looking to drag down any potential runaway leaders by way of those penalty tokens... and then didn't print enough tokens to compensate for the resulting inflated playtime? Baffling. Also, normal Catan can drag enough as it is, why deliberately make it mechanically longer but with a turn limit? Was this not properly playtested before printing, to jump on the eco-friendly theme trend?
I got the option to buy this game at a discount when it released but Catan isn't really a game I've put on the table in a long time. my favorite part of the game is seeing the board get filled with everyone's settlements and of course the random board setup every time you play. none of these game features excuse the 4 7 rolls in a row just making the game not move that is way too likely to happen
@@3MBGWhen you mentioned that in the video I thought, “they kept the robber idea”, and then you mentioned the real “robber” and wow some turns must suck if you are block in more than one way.
I was hopeful that this could have been a version of Catan I would actually enjoy, but before you were finished the rules explanation I was thinking, "This sounds like Catan with extra steps", and you said exactly that in the video. I do not like the base game, and I am not at all interested in something that seems more like Catan again but with an unnecessary expansion than a reimagining with a modern theme and visuals. Do you have any recommendations for games with similar complexity to Catan and a central board where everyone is building a network on? Besides Ticket to Ride.
Catan is one of those entry games for Boardgaming. it contains a lot of features and if you like some of those you could try to look into a game that does that feature better
I got it as a present, while the production value is higher than my base copy' I found this is unnecessarily ads more resources to handle, clunky and just not fun. You can play regular game of Catan with what you get. but just get a base copy and cities & knights expansion. You'll have far better time than this version
I'm not sure that's clear at all. This is the first Catan to come out after Klaus Teber passed away though. If i was to suggest a root cause, i'd look at that first and not the theme.
I think you've got a rule wrong, Page 11: cities produce a Resource and a Science card, not 2 resources like the original game
Ah, that does make a small difference. Makes it easier to get those green stations down for sure.
Still, doesn't change the short game clock and punishing you for building things. If anything it makes it even more about "who has the most green plants wins"
@@3MBGHi, not a small one, you generate way more science cards and hence ability to build power plants. It’s an important missing piece of this otherwise great 3 minute explanation (hard to find!). I recommend playing it over with that rule in mind, it just might change your opinion of the game you shared at the end. Although I do agree that reaching the 10 is way harder and you will mostly run out of tokens before.
Also, two energy gets you a resource card, not a development card 🙂 That's smaller though.
I had to keep checking and rechecking the rulebook to double check we were not playing this game completely wrong. I don't often talk about game balance in reviews, because i think those discussions tend to need a ton of plays. But this game feels underdone, undercooked and just nor properly thought out. Incredibly disappointing.
Like many, Catan was one of the first games that lead me to this wonderful hobby. I bought up most everything Catan because it was (is) a lovely game, and a way to switch it up. I never paid attention to the space one, American rails, Game of Thrones, 2p, card version, or Star Trek. I got the normal expansions, some 5-6p extensions, and loads of promo tiles. Then Rise of the Inkas came out and it changed aspects of the game that seemed so different I’d check that out. A string of scenario/campaign based versions came out like Sea Robbers, Crop Trust, and Treasures, Dragons & Adventures. Those were interesting because they gave stories or setups to the main Catan system, expanding Seafarers and Cities & Knights. Then Dawn of Humankind came out and I passed on that just because the map was set and not modular like base Catan - silly but whatever. Since that point, nothing Catan has done, Hawaii, New Energies, Soccer, none of it is appealing. It’s all a gimmick for advertising and selling purposes over true interesting evolutions on the Catan game system.
@@WhatUpRobyou got all that but not space farers? I think that one was actually a pretty decent standalone game.
@@mbrochh82Yeah in a silly arbitrary way I thought the setting of the game (in space) was so removed from what everything else was, that it felt like nonsense, like the Fast movies doing it just because or something.
I’ll play it, but I’m not going out of my way to do so; if it’s an option at a game night I won’t veto it.
Oh, man, I wish I'd been at this playthrough then. The science from cities would change the balance massively.
Catan peaked with Cities & Knights.
Can’t speak about Game of Thrones version as I haven’t played it, and I don’t care about the IP.
Or the Space one. Thematically how did the settlers get to outer space, just nonsense. I joke there but why is that version interesting?
I've never played Cities & Knights or any of the other Catan's for that matter. Until this one. Just the core game and New Energies for me.
My view too
@@3MBG Cities & Knights adds a bit more strategy, but it's still Catan at its heart. If you don't like randomness and losing to luck, Cities & Knights won't fix it, only mitigate it.
Thank you for helping me dodge a bullet and worse have my expectations let down.
The fact that it's going right to the recyclable bin and not regifting or whatever speaks volumes from you, my dear. I wasn't planning on picking it up, but now I'll go out of my way to make it not happen (... which is about the same as not planning on picking it up? It just sounds more intentional.)
I'll be regifting or selling it, i never actually bin games unless its a legacy with no reuse. Think of that as a rhetorical flourish. This is still one of the bottom 10 games I've ever covered on the channel though.
@@3MBGWow, bottom 10. It’s not great to focus on those downer lists, but I’m interested to know the other 9.
A few bottom tier ones include Risk: warhammer 40000 and Heroes of Tenefyr. Can't think of the rest off hand
Can you do a bottom 10 games video?
I've decided to add a bottom 5 to my year end awards. New Energies wont be in there, as this video was done after i did my awards list.
If I'm hearing the rules and guessing the intent behind them right, the designers went into this looking to drag down any potential runaway leaders by way of those penalty tokens... and then didn't print enough tokens to compensate for the resulting inflated playtime? Baffling.
Also, normal Catan can drag enough as it is, why deliberately make it mechanically longer but with a turn limit? Was this not properly playtested before printing, to jump on the eco-friendly theme trend?
I got the option to buy this game at a discount when it released but Catan isn't really a game I've put on the table in a long time. my favorite part of the game is seeing the board get filled with everyone's settlements and of course the random board setup every time you play. none of these game features excuse the 4 7 rolls in a row just making the game not move that is way too likely to happen
New Energies is worse than regular Catan when it comes to non-actions. The events cause damage which acts like the robber is in that space.
@@3MBGWhen you mentioned that in the video I thought, “they kept the robber idea”, and then you mentioned the real “robber” and wow some turns must suck if you are block in more than one way.
0:04 whoa is it still 2024?!
This video has been available to channel members and Patrons for a month ;)
@ phew I thought it was Groundhog Year
@@RobotShield It's gonna be 2024 forever. Good luck.
Also, our channel brand update happens in late Jan, because thats when the channel started, so that intro will be around for a few weeks yet
I was hopeful that this could have been a version of Catan I would actually enjoy, but before you were finished the rules explanation I was thinking, "This sounds like Catan with extra steps", and you said exactly that in the video. I do not like the base game, and I am not at all interested in something that seems more like Catan again but with an unnecessary expansion than a reimagining with a modern theme and visuals.
Do you have any recommendations for games with similar complexity to Catan and a central board where everyone is building a network on? Besides Ticket to Ride.
Maglev Metro perhaps? It's a small step up in terms of rules complexity, but not heavy by any means.
Catan is one of those entry games for Boardgaming. it contains a lot of features and if you like some of those you could try to look into a game that does that feature better
I got it as a present, while the production value is higher than my base copy' I found this is unnecessarily ads more resources to handle, clunky and just not fun. You can play regular game of Catan with what you get. but just get a base copy and cities & knights expansion. You'll have far better time than this version
Eh, I'll just stick with Daybreak, thanks
A very good call
the catan horse is 2 decades dead, stop beating it
I don't think this is it mate. Catan is still crazy popular out there, but this version is a miss.
You'd be hard pressed to find a game with more horrible expansions.
Clearly they were trying desperately to make a political statement over a good game.
I'm not sure that's clear at all. This is the first Catan to come out after Klaus Teber passed away though. If i was to suggest a root cause, i'd look at that first and not the theme.
@@3MBG Perhaps, good shout about that bit.
greenwashing doesn’t even work in boardgames…..