CATAN Rivals for CATAN Card Game - Build, Trade and Conquer! Strategy Game, Family Fun for Kids and Adults, Ages 10+, 2 Players, 45-60 Minute Playtime

I never played the previous 2 player card game version of Catan, but from what I read - this is a fair improvement. The cost is currently $20, and when you open the box you might be thinking "I just paid how much for this???" But the real value is in the incredible depth of the game rather than in the inclusion of several trinkets.Oh and an important note: In the rule book they keep talking about the shield icon or some such. My version has a knight icon instead. So after a few frustrating minutes, and the possibility of having to contact Mayfair, we realized the new piece just had a different icon! Update the rule book guys!I won't get too in depth into the rules. Basically the game is a card based strategy game. You take a starting set and lay out your territory. Then you select some cards for your hand. You then take turns rolling two die, one for a resource and one for an event. You have events such as plentiful harvest (players gain resources), bandit attack, draw event card, and celebration. Each has a unique function. The 1 - 6 die determines which resource(s) the players acquire.Next the active player uses resources or cards from their hand (typically costing resources). One can either build additions to the kingdom, or play action cards or lay out building or character cards. The action cards typically give the player an immediate bonus (a few can be used before rolling dice or before selecting cards for their hand or drawing region cards and so on). Green cards typically give a permanent bonus and are played on the town or city upgrade spaces. The final two actions are drawing cards up to three (or more if you have bonuses allowing more) and then exchanging one card with another random card from one of the draw piles.The game has a lot of complexity and a little luck. I would say the luck factor is much lower than people estimate. With smart planning, a character can acquire resources they need or exchange for those they need. There are a few strategies for winning, but the game is won when a person acquires seven victory points and ends their turn. Newcomers might find it easier to build up towns and cities for the inherent victory points. I found gaining trade the most fun and interesting method.Included are three small expansions. They all add an interesting dynamic to the base game despite just having a handful of cards each.It's an interesting and immensely fun two player card game with a lot of variety. I highly recommend it for fans of Catan and Dominion. It's easy to learn the basics, but has enough depth that it appeals to players even after several games. The box states 45 - 60 minutes, but I find that most games run about 30 minutes once the rules are well understood. But the length of each game varies and players will play at their own comfortable pace. My only one drawback if there is one is that the square cards are tough to shuffle.Highly recommended!

Ever want to play Settlers of Catan but you only have one other person to play with?If yes, then buy this game.The Rivals for Catan takes the basic elements of Settlers (roads, settlements, cities) and some of the expansions (trade ships, barbarians, heroes, city improvements) and creates an almost entirely different game. There is no board, just several cards, a standard die, an event die, and two tokens.Without going into the gameplay much, I'll say that the goals and mechanics are similar to Settlers: collect resources, expand your colony, and claim a certain amount of victory points to win. Also, as in Settlers, the competition in Rivals is often indirect. It's more of a race to get victory points than a one-on-one battle, though one of the themes gets a bit nasty (more on that later). However, many of the games I've played have kept the opponents neck-and-neck, so the tension of Settlers is still prevalent.Strengths-The basic game comes with three themes (Gold, Turmoil, and Progress). These are supplements to what is called the Basic Set. Each theme brings its own unique cards to the game and one's strategy must change depending on what theme is chosen. While they don't carry as much nuance as a Settlers expansion might, they certainly prevent the game from getting old. You can even combine all three themes for what is called Dual of the Princes. Mayfair Games sells more themes separately, too.-There are a variety of strategies you can take, regardless of theme decks. You can build a resource-efficient colony with grade trade ships, focus on strong heroes, or just expand as widely as possible before your opponent does, since you share the same pool of settlements and cities.-Many of the cards have special abilities that are a lot of fun to employ. Once you get to the second half of the game or so, your abilities have dramatically increased, adding even more variety to how you approach victory.-Games can range from 15-45 minutes, so it's shorter than typical Settlers.Weaknesses-You can't trade. Well, you can, but there's almost no point. Mayfair removed it from the rules when they revamped the game. Since trading is about 30% of the gameplay in Settlers, it feels like something is missing in Rivals. The bartering, begging, alliances, and betrayals aren't here.-Unless you're familiar with Settlers, I wouldn't recommend you play this game. The rule book will explain everything but I think the game would feel overwhelming. The game was essentially designed for people that already play Settlers.-While very portable, the game takes up a lot of space. There are several draw stacks and a lot of cards get played, so you might need more than a two-by-two foot table.-You may need to develop some house rules. It's hard to explain unless you've played a couple times, but there are a couple mechanics that can make the game very uneven.Overall: a wonderful Catan fix for two players and a very fun game.

I love it. I play it with my wife every week, and having so many different styles of gaming makes it super engaging, while the basic one is super easy to learn! So you'll never get bored. It's a bit bigger than expected. and I'm not willing to take it anywhere since the cards could get lost easily, so not a travel game but still amazing and easy to save.

My wife and I are huge Catan fans. We love the strategic gameplay and the thrill of building our little empires. But sometimes, when it's just the two of us, we crave that same Catan experience without needing a whole group. That's when we discovered "Rivals for Catan."It captures the essence of the original Catan beautifully. You're still gathering resources, building settlements, and trying to outsmart your opponent. But it's streamlined for two players, making it a perfect fit for a cozy evening at home.What I really appreciate is the variety. The "Theme Games" – Age of Gold, Turmoil, and Progress – add so much replayability. Each one presents different challenges and strategies, so it never feels stale. Plus, the card play is engaging, and the dice rolls keep things exciting and unpredictable.It's got that same Catan feeling of balancing strategy with a bit of luck. You need to plan your moves carefully, but you also have to adapt to what the dice throw your way. It's that mix of skill and chance that makes it so addictively fun.If you're a Catan fan looking for a fantastic two-player experience, "Rivals for Catan" is a must-have. It's a 5-star winner in our book!