Hot take: Catan is actually better with 4 players than 3

I read a forum post last week saying 3-player Catan is more strategic and balanced. But I tried it twice and both games dragged on forever with no trading because nobody had what anyone needed. Has anyone else noticed that 4-player games at least keep the resource trading alive?

3 comments

3 Comments

iris57417d agoProlific Poster

Oh, I know exactly what you mean. It's funny how in 3-player Catan you end up waiting forever for just one more brick, but with four players someone's always got something to trade. That's kind of how life works too, I've noticed. More people in the mix means more chances to find what you need, even if it means dealing with a few more arguments along the way. Three people can get stuck in their own heads, but four forces everyone to actually talk and work something out.

rose_cooper16d ago

Yeah but five players is just a game of who can hoard sheep longest before someone yells at the table.

the_jenny17d ago

Nah, three player Catan is a completely different beast and not in a good way. Everything just stalls because nobody wants to trade and give someone else the win. Four players keeps the game moving because there's always someone desperate enough to make a deal happen. Plus the board actually feels crowded which makes the resource competition way more interesting. Five players is chaos and I hate it though, that's where it falls apart completely.