Catan goes Complex ...

Although 'Cities & Knights "is officially titled as an extension, there is strictly speaking no. 'Cities & Knights "is about the expansion of the base game goes far. Because here and there game components and mechanisms from the base game to be replaced by new and unnecessary. If you overlook the whole coarse, you have to 'S & R' well look over a large and highly compatible scenario. But one with great gameplay.

By play:
With 'S & R' to Catan fundamentally changed. In principle, almost nothing remains unchanged, not counting the construction of roads, settlements and cities. As early as the start-up phase changes: the setting of two settlements is passé. Instead, now but a settlement is to usual mode first established, then a city. For the 'initial income' of raw materials, this has no meaning; However, for the rest of the game. So now no longer two cities provide raw materials of a variety, but in the case of timber, sheep and ore each a long-standing commodity plus a new merchandise paper, cloth and coins / precious stones. These merchandise are each associated with a particular landscape field (cloth -> Pasture, coins -> Mountains, paper -> Wald) and contribute to the expansion of cities in different areas. The expansion of cities is necessary to arrive at the new development cards; the old have completely outlived its usefulness. Also new are the knights who now no longer emerge through cards, but represent real characters and can do all sorts of tasks and need. Probably the most important is the defense of Catan against the barbarians army that swoops down from time to time on Catan to plunder cities and to destroy. Are many knights ready to defend the attacks of the barbarians are repulsed. And thus win points - otherwise the loss of cities threatens. Only cities that have expanded too metropolises, resist a successful barbarian attack. But these are difficult to build and to a maximum of three limited (one for each city expansion area), but bring it four victory points.
All these innovations Catan is very complex, but also much more strategic. The possibilities to increase its victory points (13 needed for victory!), A specialization are numerous and urgent. But take 'the Siedelei' also much longer than the basic game.

Go To Content:
DC First of all: new fields landscape looking at you 'Cities & Knights' vain. Nevertheless, lies in a box numerous new material ready. Merchandise in three different varieties, developing maps for the various expansion areas of the city, a great barbarian ship, and knight figures, city walls and metropolitan assemblies in the various players' colors. What's more a kind of development tree for the city expansions, which consists of a frame, are placed in the various platelets. This can be seen in the game though as reasonably clearly, but is also a bit fiddly to use. The ancient cities expanding calendar of wooden version there were a bit more comfortable. Qualitatively, the material is fine. The Knights of the 2003s version with movable arms flags were replaced in 2006 by knights with helmets, as moving the arms as proved not as convenient: nothing for Grobmotoriker! There is a risk that the arms either wear out, and then the flag will no longer get up (Ritter active!) Or even breaks something. Since 2006 helmets are at the Knights up or sold (how convenient it is, I sadly can not say, because I have the 2003s version). In my home, the inactive Knights are conveniently just put down ... the 'sleeper' of Catan. ;)

For Packaging:
Here I must really with KOSMOS 'sledging'. What to accommodate the frame parts was still really good and thought out in the basic game in terms, you have totally missed out here in the cities expansion tableaus. There are around the packing no recess in which this would certainly accommodate. Therefore, they fall loosely around the cardboard. That must not be !! The accommodation of the plate for the various city expansions is somewhat difficult: enough pockets for separate accommodation there are not, even though the place would be available. Who then also want to stow the material of the supplement for five and six players, better send a quick prayer to KOSMOS for a restructuring of the cardboard trays. The place for such subjects would be present (as in 'seafarers' and the base game), but is not used. Something's just annoying and difficult to playmaking and holding together all small parts. How fast is when Sortiererei constantly necessary before each game lost something ...?! ; (