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Ten! Hah! That's two sheep, three metal and one brick. Suckers. Ummm. Does anyone have wood? I have sheep for your wood? No? How about your two wheat for my two sheep? Two sheep and a brick? Come on you jerks! Don't make me flip this soldier and steal it from you!

No, I haven't lost my mind. I'm repeating an actual conversation I had last night while playing Settlers of Catan with my husband and two friends. Turns out, no one had wood - or so they said - bloody liars! So, I flipped my soldier card, and stole wheat from my friend, and built another card using that wheat, a metal and a sheep. The new card I built happened to be a monopoly card. On my next turn I flipped the monopoly card declaring a wood monopoly and every one had to give me ALL their wood. That'll teach the stingy bastards to not hold out when I offer a reasonable trade! Of course, the player next to me immediately rolled a 7 on their turn, and I had to hand over half of my cards to the bank. Drat. How I hate karmic backlash!

Still doesn't make sense does it? It will if you run out to your local gaming store - which you should - and pick yourself up a copy of Settlers of Catan. The game is easy to learn - should take you less than 15 minutes. In fact, by the end of the first game, you'll be an old pro. If you like to learn before you buy plug "settlers of catan rules" into your favorite web browser. The rules are also available on the official catan website.

Heck, you can even buy the game to play on your computer all by yourself - if you don't have friends, are sick of your friends, or just dislike socializing in general. ;) Seriously though, I find the board game version, played with other players, more fun then the on-line or computer versions. For one thing, the computer is smarter than your friends and family. Believe me, it's true. Meaner, too. And somehow, luckier. (Stupid computer version Catan.:P)

Anyway, the basic premise of the game is you are colonizing and building a new world on unsettled land. You are competing with other settlers who are doing the same thing. Whoever builds ten points (by various means) first, wins! Along the way you will blaze roads, build colonies, found cities, be attacked by pirates, trade commodities, steal commodities, hire mercenary soldiers, found universities and libraries, and likewise have a jolly-good time! (Make that a swashbuckling time if you've graduated to playing the expansion set - Seafarers of Catan.) All this in less than 90 minutes, at which point, you WILL start again. And again, and again...

The only downside of Settlers of Catan is the co-related sleep deprivation. Sure game play is short. Sure, the last game took only 45 minutes. Unfortunately, you started playing at 8pm, it's now 5am and you have to get up at seven o'clock in the morning! Or do you? You have sick days, right?

Addiction is a sickness. Maybe gloss over the specifics of your illness with your boss though? Or better yet, invite them over next time you play Catan!

Learn more about this author, Susan Huizinga.
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