On day 1 of Intro to Game Design, the class as divided into four separate groups. Each these groups was given one of four games, and this week my group was given Settlers of Catan. Groups were tasked with taking an objective look at the mechanics of the game.

In my group of four, I was the only person with prior experience with the game, although it was minimal. My initial thought while we were going through the rules of the game was that the system was complex to the point of not being friendly to new players. However as gameplay progressed the group as a whole seemed to get more comfortable with the rules and strategies began to emerge.

One thing that pleased me about the game was the amount of variability that is involved with the game. I’ve recently been getting more interested in the rogue-like indie game scene, and with that a fondness for maps that change with each playthrough. The way the game plays has players rolling 2d6 to see which tiles on the board (pictured above) will produce resources that turn.