Pop Alert: The Rivals for Catan
October 27, 2011, By Michael O. Varhola 0 comments
One of the best new games I have seen in a long time is unequivocally “The Rivals for Catan,” a terrific two-person card game that is similar in tone and theme to the popular “Settlers of Catan” board game (Mayfair Games, $20). It is suitable for adults and teens and for smart, game-oriented pre-teens. It has clean, elegant rules, and comes with high-quality components.
Each player in this game controls a fledgling principality and must build new settlements, upgrade them to cities, and then add urban infrastructure such as universities, taverns, merchant guilds and the like. The rivals accomplish these goals by collecting, storing, trading and spending various resources from the regions associated with their settlements. These activities are supported through constructing things like workshops that enhance the production of resources, launching trade ships, summoning heroes and playing various event cards. While the importance of military strength is implied, this is not a war game; the emphasis is on development and trade.
Learning “The Rivals for Catan” is made easy through an introductory game and then three thematic games, each of which introduces players to a different set of cards: “The Era of Gold,” “The Era of Turmoil” and "The Era of Progress.” All of these rules and themes then culminate in “The Duel of the Princes,” which combines them into a single game. Play time is about an hour for the introductory and thematic starter games and probably around an hour-and-a-half for the combined "Duel of the Princes."
Overall, a great game and a good value! To read a full review of “The Rivals for Catan,” check out Skirmisher Publishing LLC website.
