While Settlers of Catan is not my favorite board game ( Puerto Rico takes that honor), it is still the first game I recommend to anyone when talking about board games. There is just something about it that makes it easily accessible to geeky board game fanatics (like myself) and "normal" people. I think the secret is the well-blended mix of chance and strategy which Klaus Teuber concocted. Though the rules may seem daunting to a new player, after the first couple of rounds gameplay comes as second nature.

In Settlers of Catan, you are a colonist looking to settle the newly discovered continent of Catan. To accomplish this you build settlements, collect resources, and negotiate trades with other players. Depending on where you place your settlements on the board, they will generate resources: either brick, wood, wheat, stone, or sheep. You then use these resources to build more settlements, upgrade your settlements, or build roads. In the game, each settlement is worth 1 victory point, while each city is worth two (a city is an upgraded settlement). The first player to get 10 victory points is the winner.

Now, there are two things that set this game apart from others, in my mind. The first is the way that the game board is set up. Each time you play Settlers of Catan the board is totally different. This aspect of the game makes the replay value extremely high. Players will have to learn to adjust their strategy based on the layout of each board.

The second part of the game which sets it apart from the rest is the resource generation mechanic. It keeps players interested even when it's not their turn (because a number might be rolled which gives them resources) and provides a perfect compromise between luck and strategy which keeps the game light, yet interesting.

One other neat thing about Settlers of Catan is the amount of expansions there are for it. While the original game is great in itself, you can also buy these extra packages to add more players or to even add new rules and units. The expansion I suggest buying first is the 5-6 Player Expansion, which (as the title suggests) adds pieces to allow for 2 more players to play. For more information on it check out my review. The next expansion I recommend buying is Cities and Knights of Catan.

Settlers of Catan is one of the best non-mainstream board games out there today. It's challenging for both casual and hard core board game players and since every game is different it will take a lot longer

Ok, time to focus on some strategy tips for those of you who have played Settlers already and are looking to improve your game. In this section I will discuss the three main strategies of the game. However, most people already know what is discussed here, so be sure to skip to the second section where I will provide more specific strategies that will give you an advantage over your opponents.

Settlers is a rich game, but, as most players will tell you, there are only three main paths to victory. First is the wood/brick path. Using this strategy your goal will be to get longest road and build a lot of settlements. Having access to a lot of wood and brick is essential for you to pull this off, as they are the two core resources for you to accomplish this.

The second major path is the ore/wheat strategy. When trying this, you should focus on building a lot of cities (eventually have three or four), and get the Largest Army. As the name of the strategy suggests, having access to a lot of ore and wheat is essential for you to pull it off, since these are the two core resources for building cities and development cards.

The third major strategy is a mix of the above two. Instead of focusing on getting a lot of a couple of specific resources, you focus on getting a lot of resources in general of any type. At some point, however, you are going to have to make a grab at getting Largest Army or Longest Road in order to win.

Knowing the above three paths to victory is pretty simple and almost every other player you meet will know them as well. So, you will also need to employ more specialized knowledge, which I will describe in four segments below, to win games against experienced Settlers players.

1) Remember to expand early. To win at Settlers, you need to immediately focus on building more settlements and cities. Ignore going for Longest Road or Largest Army until you have 5 or so victory points. The reason for this is the earlier a settlement/city is built, the more chances it will have to produce resources for you.

2) In a game of Settlers of Catan which does not include any major expansions, brick is the most valuable resource. There are only 3 brick and 3 ore tiles while there are 4 of every other type. While ore is necessary for cities (which you need at least one of to win), brick is necessary for roads and settlements, both of which are the cornerstone of early expansion, which is absolutely necessary to win. While brick loses some of its value in the end game, early on you should recognize its importance and use this knowledge in trading and your settlement placements. Finally, this advice is very general. There will be some games where there is a huge surplus of brick. Just remember that on average it is the most valuable of the five resources.

3) How you choose to place your starting settlements is the most important decision you will make in the game. It determines which overall strategy you should use and who your main competitors will be. Unfortunately, giving you good advice on how to make these initial placements is very dependent on the situation, so it's hard to give good advice in such a short space. For more information on this topic, check out the guide to placing your starting settlements which I wrote and put up on my website.

4) Finally, be sure to stay away from buying development cards unless you are going for largest army, or need to get rid of a couple of cards to have a hand of less than seven resources. Overall, they aren't worth the resources it takes to buy them, as you will get a soldier about 50% of the time you buy one, and a victory point only 8%.

I hope this tips have helped, and if you know any more leave a comment explaining them. For more strategy advice on Settlers of Catan, and all its expansions, follow the link to my website below.