Settlers of America: Trails to Rails (2010)

Catan is off the island and in America. Fans of Catan are eagerly anticipating the next release in the Catan Histories line.

The 19th Century has arrived and Americans are heading west. Wagon trains are forming up and heading out to settle new lands and build new cities. These new cities will need railroad lines to bring in new people and necessary goods. Some head west for the adventure, some to start a new life, still others to find work.

Settlers of America: Trails to Rails utilizes the familiar Catan hex-tile grid to present a map of the United States. Players collect and trade resources, in order to purchase, migrate and build settlements, forge railroads and acquire locomotives. Railroads are used to distribute goods to the interconnected cities. As westward locations are settled, old sources of resources deplete. The addition of gold adds to the depth of play and increases options for the players.

Awards

• GAMES Magazine Traditional Games 100 list of the 100 best games of 2010
• 2011 Origins Award - Best Historical Board Game

Description from NY Toy Fair coverage on BoardgameNews.com:

In June 2010, Mayfair and designer Klaus Teuber will branch the Catan line in new directions with Settlers of America, part of the Catan Histories series. The essence of the game is that players initially populate the East Coast of the U.S. with their depots and use the resources they generate to build railroad tracks to the west, building new depots along the way. As you build, goods are made available to you from your personal display, and these goods must be delivered to depots owned by the other players. Thus, you need to both build and deliver in order to win. Yes, Mayfair has crossed the streams of its two main product lines to deliver what might be referred to as “The Catan Train Game.”

One other interesting aspect of the game is that – somewhat in the manner of The Settlers of the Stone Age – as a player builds west he/she may build a depot in a hex that has no resource number. When this happens, they take a number chip from one of the existing hexes in the east to place on this hex, with the old hex having its production value degraded, mimicking deforestation or land going fallow.

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Settlers of America: Trails to Rails fan