But watch out for buildings that can potentially be detrimental to your city’s growth, like factories. Then, the more you succeed at these, the higher your reputation will be. And as you take in more income, you’ll be able to spend it on better, more valuable properties. The larger your town grows, the more you’re potentially able to increase your income and reputation. In it, one to four players will work to build their city by adding buildings, creating a healthy income, having a high population, and maintaining a shining reputation.Įach turn, you’ll take actions to build up these elements. The tile-laying game has major Sim City vibes and puts you in charge of turning your small town into a booming metropolis. If you’re looking for something that provides an experience a little closer to home, Surbubia has what you need. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.Build the City of Your Dreams: Suburbia Bezier Games This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: A brick and a sheep for.Ĭopyright © 2020 NPR. UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Two brick for fare (ph) or two brick for anything. He says what he enjoys most is playing it and being there with his family, something millions of other families are enjoying, too. Teuber, whose two sons work for his company Catan Inc., says he still plays the game with his family, but he admits he's not very good at it and that he rarely wins. As the pandemic sent the global economy into a downward spiral, "Catan's" sales skyrocketed by 144% for the first five months of this year. SCHMITZ: And as families shelter in place, sales of "Catan" continue to climb. In my opinion, part of the success is that women play together in the family with their husbands and with their children. I think these are actually factors that women like. TEUBER: (Through interpreter) First thing, it's variable. He has a theory about why it became so popular. But instead of sales tapering off after a few years, they just kept climbing. Then in the early '90s, inspired by the history of the Vikings, Iceland and the age of discovery, Teuber created "Settlers Of Catan." It was an instant hit. He won three Spiel des Jahres awards, the most coveted prize in the board game industry. It was, for me, a little bit like a holiday to be at home and to develop games and, for me, to create my own worlds. TEUBER: (Through interpreter) And I had a lot of frustration.
Teuber was a dental technician, bored out of his mind by his job when he began creating games in his basement in the 1980s. He's 68 now, and he's just released his autobiography "My Way To Catan" to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the game. SCHMITZ: Teuber spoke with me over an old computer, and his voice sounded distant, so we asked one of our colleagues to read for him. KLAUS TEUBER: (Through interpreter) When I opened the box of the game, I liked the scent of the game. He still remembers receiving the game for Christmas. And he passed the time playing a board game called "Romans Vs. The country was picking up the pieces after World War II. SCHMITZ: "Settlers Of Catan" designer Klaus Teuber grew up in 1950s Germany. Play CATAN anytime and anywhere: the original board game, the card game (Rivals for CATAN), and the most important extensions in one app Go on a journey into the CATAN universe and compete in exciting duels against players from all over the world. It is just a remarkable achievement in game design. The ultimate, digital multi-platform version of CATAN. And even when it's other players' turns, you're not sitting around waiting. SCHMITZ: Erik Arneson is author of "How To Host A Game Night." In his two decades writing about board games, he's never seen anything like "Catan," a modular game where the board is different each time you play it and where the object is not obliterating your opponents but trading with them.ĪRNESON: Every player is involved throughout the whole game. It's one of the bestselling board games of all time.ĮRIK ARNESON: "Catan" was revolutionary, and its impact continues today. In its 25th year, "Catan" has sold more than 32 million units. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is a fan, as is LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, who plays the game in job interviews as a way to size up an applicant. UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Why in the world would I need brick?
Players compete for resources on an island and trade with each other in order to build settlements, cities and roads. SCHMITZ: It's a game of trade and development. UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Two bricks for anything. And my family has dusted off Monopoly, Scrabble, but we usually settle on "Settlers Of Catan." More brick.įamily game night - we've done this a lot this year, thanks to the pandemic. And as NPR's Rob Schmitz reports, many people are turning to a classic one from Germany.
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