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My game group keeps calling 'Catan' a heavy strategy game and it drives me nuts.
We played it twice last month and someone said it was 'like chess with dice'. That's just wrong. Real heavy games take hours and have rulebooks thicker than your thumb. I know because I own 'Twilight Imperium' and it's a full day event. How do I get them to see the difference without sounding like a snob?
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aaron_perry2mo ago
Look, Catan has more going on than most people give it credit for. You're managing resources, blocking opponents with roads, and making deals under pressure. Calling it "chess with dice" might be a stretch, but it's definitely a step up from casual party games. For a lot of groups, this is their first taste of real strategy.
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riverh492mo ago
What if the real weight of Catan is in the social pressure, not the board? You can know the perfect spot and still lose because you can't talk someone into a trade. The game forces you to read people, to bluff, and to handle getting cut off by a friend. That mental load is what makes it feel heavy, even if the rules are simple.
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nancyjones2mo ago
I get saying it's a step up from party games, but calling Catan heavy is like calling a kiddie pool deep water. The strategy is pretty basic once you see the best spots to start. It's a light game that just feels heavy if you haven't played many others.
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