u/bprasse81

I am trying to promote a rule variant I have played with friends and family many, many times. It was very popular on the old jsettlers site about fifteen years ago. It turns a 2-3 hour game into a 20-30 minute game. One gaming session allows for multiple games, meaning everyone has a good chance of winning.

No trading means no trading between players. It takes away the endless haggling, alliances, people revealing their entire hand for a resource that hasn’t rolled, and so on. 4:1 trades and ports work normally.

Reverse robber on seven means that when you roll seven, the robber goes on an undeveloped hex. If that’s not possible, the robber goes on a hex owned by the player alone. If that’s not possible, the robber goes on a shared hex between the player and an opponent, and they get to steal a card. The advantage is that for most of the game, no thought goes into moving the robber. Soldier cards still work as intended.

All I can say is, don’t knock it until you have tried it. It’s faster, more fun, and you get to play a set rather than one long game.

Edit - I don’t understand the hate. I thought I would share something that keeps Catan alive and thriving among my family and friends for the last twenty years or so.

In the first season, the wind vane is blowing aft, which in a car, means you’re driving fast. In a wind-powered ship, it means you’re moving backwards.

Frequently, these wooden ships feature open flames in every form, which is pure insanity.

It’s hard to ignore.

People post questions about this challenge frequently. I have beaten this challenge several times, and it takes some time, but there’s a way to speed things up tremendously.

1. You are not playing to win. Don’t show up broke. Seeing as how you’re on Gambler 8, I’m assuming you’ve got some dough by now.

2. Sit to the dealer’s immediate left. You want to be the first in line. I think that chair is always available. An empty table is ideal, but not critical.

3. If you are dealt an initial value of nine or more, get up. Aces are always worth 1 for this calculation. As soon as you sit down again, the dealer will immediately start over, skipping any other players and the dealer’s own hand.

4. Hit three times and stay. If the dealer wins, it’s faster to get up and sit back down than to wait for the next deal, especially if there are more players at the table. If you won, you may as well stay seated, just to be absolutely sure, but the win should register as soon as the dealer finishes his hand.