Shoutout to the guy who taught me the Catan robber is NOT a punishment tool

So I was at this game night last Saturday in Denver and this guy pulls out Catan and I'm already dreading it because I play super aggressive with the robber. Like I always put it on whoever has the most points or the best port, thinking that's how you win. Well this quiet dude in the corner, after I robbed him for the third time, just calmly says 'you know the robber is best for blocking resource flow long term, not just hurting the leader.' I legit laughed at first but then he explained how he watches what people are trying to build and cuts off their supply of whatever they need most. Tried it on my next turn and suddenly the guy who was crushing it on ore couldn't build cities anymore. It flipped my whole brain. Now I actually watch what tiles people are hitting instead of just being petty. Has anyone else had a game mentor just casually drop a strat that changes how you play forever?

2 comments

2 Comments

parker_jones507d ago

Learning resource denial changes everything in that game.

phoenix_adams607d ago

Yo @parker_jones50 absolutely nailed it with resource denial. That's the whole thing right there. Once you figure out that the real power move is cutting off someone's brick when they're trying to build roads to that sweet 3:1 port, it changes everything. I used to just throw the robber wherever and hope for the best, but now I'm sitting there counting everyone's hands like a weirdo, figuring out if they're holding wheat or ore. It makes the game way more strategic and way less about just being salty at whoever's winning. Honestly it's like unlocking a whole new level of Catan you didn't know existed.