Settling Catan

We've had several occasions to play the German game Settlers of Catan while living in India. We have our set here and there are several other enthusiasts on campus, so we decided to host the First Annual Woodstock School Settlers of Catan Tournament yesterday. We ended up with 22 people on the bracket, but only 20 were able to play in the tournament. It was a good mix of people who have played a lot, people who have never played, younger, and older. The first round consisted of five separate games.

Beth decided not to play so that she could entertain the children who were a bit below the recommended age on the game box.

There were some heated moments during the evening and several references to the official rules to see whether a play was legal.

In the end, the final championship was contested by our friends Tami, Moryam, Cookie, Greg and Nate.

The final was a close match watched by several of the losing players. Cookie got out to an early lead which is not always a bright move in Settlers. She was then targeted by the other four players, and was easily knocked down a few pegs. After some monopolizing that displayed questionable moral fiber, Tami and Moryam looked to be the main contenders and in the end, Moryam was crowned Lord of Catan. You can see from the photo below that not all of the other settlers were ready for Moryam’s benevolent rule of the Island.

It was a very successful evening of fun and fellowship. Several people suggested that we make the tournament quarterly, but we certainly won't be able to host such a large gathering that often. We'll keep you posted on the results of the second tournament...

Dave and Beth