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~ The Meta-Games ~ You’ve learned the rules for Catan and are familiar with the general and specific strategies. So, why do some players seem to win more often than you? Maybe it is because they try to take into account non-rule-specific elements of play. They examine what their rivals are doing in the current game, have done in the past, and what they might do in the future.
Catan’s primary meta-game seeks to identify what strategies the other players are using. Then you can play another strategy to take advantage of the situation. For example, if all of your opponents like to compete for longest road, go for largest army. If everyone buys lots of development cards, go in the other direction. Why waste resources racing when you could win uncontested in another area? ~ Take the Measure of Your Foes ~ Consider what you know about the other players. Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. Does Morgan usually try to maximize his production? Does William use a modification of the concentration strategy? Why does Donna call herself the Queen of the Road? How does Pete start every game in 4th place, behind in position and potential? ~ Never Lead, Only Follow ~ The last thing you want in Catan is to be the “Leader” — the player most likely to win the game. Players stop trading with you, you get the robber more often, others start fighting you for longest road, etc. If someone tries to mark you as the leader and there’s no clear leader, reply by noting why each other player is beating you, but be subtle and not defensive. A player might have more resources in hand or more pips of production overall. A player may have a face-down development card, allowing you to mention all of the ways it might help them win, even though that card can only help once.
Similarly, if you are slightly ahead in VPs, use the approach a bit more aggressively. If you’re ahead by a couple of VPs, pull out all the stops. If you’re winning big, just grin and bear it. Tell them how lucky you’ve been and how fortune has frowned upon them. After all, when you play again, you don’t want to be branded the leader from the get go! ~ If It Were Not for Bad Luck, You Wouldn’t Have Any Luck at All! ~ So, you’ve been having a run of bad luck? Don’t despair, this is Catan afterall; you always have a chance to win. Play up your bad position. “Why am I losing so badly!” “Game over!’’ “I can beat you, but I can’t beat these dice!” But, don’t get carried away. Remember the boy who cried wolf. We don’t want to call it whining, but if the shoe fits… ~ A Little Help From a “Friend” ~ Always subtly remind other players when you do something that helps them. Of course, usually it helps you more, but you don’t need to mention that. If you put the robber on one opponent, remind the other players that you could’ve targeted them. If you trade two resources for one in order to get below eight (and beneath the robber’s threshold), emphasize how good the deal was. ~ I Feel Your Pain ~ The player with the fewest VPs has been hit several times by the robber. When you move the robber onto one of the other players, tell the lowest VP player how unlucky he/she is, get them focusing on the luck of the game rather than the strategy. ~ 1:1 Trade, Good – 2:1 Trade, Better ~
Casually remind the other players that you’re there to trade. Promote yourself as a 2:1 port, ready to give one of most any resource for two others. Of course, you will not take every 2:1 trade — you just want to encourage players to think of you first when they want to trade 2:1. ~ Better the Robber on You and Not Me ~ Some view the robber as purely a random event. However, there are some things you can do to mitigate its effects.
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