Catan

Catan Overview

Catan is an institution.  It is a game with tons of replay-ability and has garnered a ton of praise.  Much like Ticket to Ride, it is a game that you will find at bookstores or a game that you might find next to Scrabble and Monopoly at your local department store.  It is a game that a beginner can enjoy without fully grasping all the rules but has many details that veterans of the game can leverage to victory.

The goal of the player is accumulate 10 points by creating villages, cities, development cards, the longest road or the largest army.  All of these are achieved by accumulating resource cards from dice rolls.  The game remains engaging since you can accumulate resources from other people’s rolls.  This keeps the game engaging and you are not just waiting for your turn to pop up again.

How to play in class (Difficulty: Medium)

The game plays 2-4 players but can be expanded to 6 with a expansion board.  This game is best with 4+ players because of the bartering.  The barter mechanic also makes it hard to estimate how long a game will last.  There will be players who try to trade at every turn which can slow the game down.  You are looking at 2 periods of class time to finish a play through of this game.

You may also choose to have a pair of students for each player to increase the amount of students engaged in the game.  The game could also run as a carousel with other games/ activities.

Courses you may consider for this game

• Economics
• Mathematics
• English
• Geography

Assessments Exemplars

• Grade 11, The Individual and the Economy
  • Catan CIE3M Assignment
• Grade 12, Mathematics of Data Management
  • Catan MDM4U Assignment
• Grade 12, The Writer’s Craft
  • Catan EWC4U Assignment