| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | build new settlements around open grain and ore |
| The Settlers of Catan has been the flagship for | | | | hexes, or you will have a very difficult time trying |
| German Style Designer Games for many reasons, | | | | to build cities later on in the game (which can be |
| some of the main ones being its elegant simplicity | | | | crucial for a win). |
| and its depth of strategy. Your choice of | | | | Optionally, with your increased settlement |
| strategies will influence your initial setup and overall | | | | production, you can build on a number of ports to |
| game play. The separation of strategies that are | | | | get ore and wheat. |
| outlined in this series is a bit artificial, but it is | | | | With your increased road building capability, you |
| useful to understand the concepts behind them. In | | | | should build your roads to cut off other player's |
| practice, players will use a combination of these | | | | expansion. This can help in denying Ore/Grain |
| strategies during gameplay. This article, the | | | | players from acquiring enough building sites they |
| second in this series, will discuss the Wood-Brick | | | | need to win the game. This leads into the next |
| Strategy. | | | | variant, which takes this to more of an extreme: |
| The Wood-Brick Strategy is a strategy to get a | | | | The "Road Boy" variant works to build roads fast |
| lot of wood and brick early in the game, in order | | | | in order to block off other players' expansion. This |
| to build settlements and roads fast. | | | | strategy concentrates on building roads first, |
| A wood/brick port is very useful in this strategy, | | | | rather than on production. Only when you are |
| as finding a way to get ore/grain will be important | | | | done blocking people off do you work on getting |
| to build cities for the middle to end game. | | | | enough victory points to win the game. This |
| Lots of people think this strategy is less effective | | | | requires a lot of wood and brick, so your first |
| on a small or congested board, as you need room | | | | cities should be on these, rather than ore. Trade |
| to grow. Actually, it can be more effective, as | | | | aggressively for wood and brick, before it's |
| your increased road building capability gives you | | | | obvious you might be a threat. This is an |
| the advantage in reaching those limited number of | | | | interesting variant in that it violates my general |
| expansion spots first. An ore-grain player's worst | | | | philosophy of building up production first. It could |
| nightmare is playing on a congested board with | | | | work better on smaller boards with less people, |
| one or two wood-brick players. | | | | so you don't miss blocking anyone. In addition, it |
| This strategy naturally lends itself to getting the | | | | might not work well in many Seafarers scenarios, |
| longest road. | | | | as people could just build to islands. |
| For this strategy, it is very important that you | | | | |