Adventure Time Fluxx. Batman Love Letter. Monopoly… everything. Many seminal tabletop games have reskinned themselves with pop-culture variants. Often, they’re the exact same game as before, just with your favourite characters shoe-horned in. Taking that one step further, Fantasy Flight Games will bring the fictional Westeros to Catan. Or, the other way around, I’m honestly not sure.
Putting a spin on the classic Settlers of Catan with a new theme, and new rules, A Game of Thrones Catan: Brotherhood of the Watch is a stand-alone game from your normal Catan. If you’re worried about just a basic reskin though, don’t be. The addition of unique heroes for each player, wildling breaches to fend off with guards, and alternative victory conditions should make for a far enough departure from regular Catan to make it worthwhile.
In charge of the adaptation is Klaus Teuber, the genius game designer behind the original Settlers of Catan, and his son, Bejamin Teuber. A Game of Thrones Catan: Brotherhood of the Watch is scheduled for release in Q4 2017, with demos due to take place during Gen Con 2017.
The Brothers of the Night’s Watch seek a new leader from among their ranks. Jeor Mormont wishes to promote one who can improve the infrastructure of the Gift, the bountiful and undeveloped area south of the Wall bestowed to the Watch by the Starks thousands of years ago. Drawing sustenance from the unforgiving landscape of the north offers enough challenges, but whomever takes up this task must also man and defend the Wall against the onslaught of Wildlings fighting their way into Westeros. Many brothers now compete to build, defend, and do what they can to protect Westeros, but only one shall rise above their brothers to become the new Lord Commander. But be wary—the north holds many dangers, and winter is coming.
miaau
Board games with hidden and or differing victory conditions per player are fun, if handled properly.
This game does look like more fun than most and I am saying that ignoring the Game of Thrones plug-in, just the game-play description, seen on top of normal Settler of Catan, seems fun.
Koko
my favourite hidden victory condition board game still is Discworld: Ankh Morpork.
Tracy Benson
I love and hate that game so much. Never won a game so far. Playing as Chrysoprase is SO DIFFICULT. It’s so obvious what you’re up to!
Koko
Haha. yeah, Chryso is difficult. I think I won once with him by making it extra obvious that I was him, and no-one believed me 😛
miaau
One game, my wife won. I would would have on my turn, after her. And our friend would have on his turn, after me. Just like that.
And yes, after a while playing it is mostly, pretty obvious what your victory conditions are. BUT, in that game, both my friend and my wife had my victory condition wrong BECAUSE I spent time and effort land grabbing, when that was not what I needed.
Sageville
Never played any of the Catan games, I might want to give this on a go though…
miaau
They are the perfect “starter” and “ender” games, simples, easy and , without expansions, 1 to 2 hours, in theory, a game.