I’d heard about it off and on for a few years, but a few weeks ago I finally got my chance to learn and play Settlers of Catan!

Settlers is a board game that combines luck and skill in proper amounts, and is guaranteed to be different every time, because the game board looks different every time, being constructed at random with a few dozen hexagonal squares. You probably won’t find it at any old toy store; you’ll have to find a “specialty games” store, or buy it online. From the outside, it looks like one of those complicated strategy games that have a loyal following, but not broad appeal; in actuality, Settlers is a great game for any and all ages, with rules that are easy enough for a 7-year-old.

I wasn’t sure when I’d get the chance to play again, until Julie surprised me with it on our wedding anniversary! I got to play it with my family for the first time today, and we had a great time. We played a “three-player” game; Sarah (7-year-old daughter) figured out the rules fairly well, Bethany (5-year-old daughter) rolled the dice for Julie, and Rebecca (almost-2-year-old daughter) sat on my lap and looked longingly at the little game pieces. We decided to stop at 8 points instead of 10, as the sunny outdoors were calling, and the natives were getting restless.

I look forward to playing again, and will be happy to teach anyone that stops by! Hopefully we’ll start playing it enough that I’ll have to start saving for the expansion packs…