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JAN 2010
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In This Issue
Catan for Blackberry/Catan for PS3?!
US Dollar Payments on PlayCatan.com
Catan Card Game Redesign
Australian Games Expo Catan Champ
Uncle's Games WWCC Report
Catan in the News
Event Updates
2009/2008 Releases
Quick Links
Catan Dice Game
Deluxe Edition
Out Now!
Catan Dice Game Deluze

 
Catan: The First Island for Blackberry Devices!

Catan BlackberyyAs of now, Catan: The First Island is available to Blackberry device owners.

Supported devices include: BlackBerry 8100, 8110, 8120, 8130, 8300, 8310, 8320, 8330, 8330m, 8350i, 8520, 8530, 8800, 8820, 8830, 8900, 9000, 9500, 9520, 9530, 9550, 9630 and 9700.

You will find the game in the BlackBerry App World for $4.99 USD - click here to be taken there!


For more information about Catan: The First Island for iPhone or iPod touch please visit the Apple App Store here.


Catan for PS3?!

Catan for PS3A popular electronic gaming news site, Kotaku, recently posted this story about Settlers of Catan coming to Sony's Play Station 3 platform. There are not a lot of details at this present time, but we will keep you updated about this exciting release!
Pacifica Announcing US Dollar Payments Now on PlayCatan.com!

Good news, especially for Catan fans from North America: With immediate effect, gift coupons, subscription packages, and monthly subscriptions for the Catan Online World can also be paid in US dollars!

For the US and Canada, the default payment option is now set to "USD"; for all other countries, it is set to "EUR." Independent of the default setting, purchasers will also be able to select their preferred payment option via selection box.

Important: Payments for already existing monthly subscriptions with automatic renewal will continue to be debited in EUR. If you have such a subscription and would like to pay in USD, please cancel your current subscription, renew it immediately afterwards and select the USD payment option. Automatic monthly renewals will now be paid in US dollars.

The latest install version of the COW and the online manual can be found on PlayCatan.com here:

Catan Online World - Latest Version


Catan Card Game Redesign for Fall 2010!
Read more from Klaus Teuber himself at Catanism: The Bloggers of Catan!

Catan Card Game
In 1996, a little over a year after the sensational success of the board game "The Settlers of Catan," the "Catan Card Game" (for 2 players) was published. Originally, the game was designed as an answer to the request of many players who also wanted to be able to enjoy the Settlers of Catan as a 2-player game. Soon, however, the game developed a life of its own: expansions were added that led the Card Game further and further away from the Catan Basic Game, made it more complex, and brought it thematically closer to - and, in part, even beyond - Cities & Knights.

For the fans of the complex Card Game, this was great - but newcomers who, having the background of the Board Game, now also wanted to learn the Card Game had a hard time getting started.

For Klaus Teuber, this was reason enough to completely revise the Card Game, right before its 15th anniversary.

"The Princes of Catan" (working title of the revised Catan Card Game) will make it considerably easier for players to get started with the game. The game features a reduced card pool that does not include aggressive actions and where each card may be used without restriction from the first round on. Against this backdrop, newcomers learn the basic game rules: building roads and settlements and filling the settlements with expansions.

Step by step - following a modular system - three Theme Games subsequently add more rules, city expansions, and aggressive cards. The Theme Games may be combined in a new variant, the Duel of the Princes - and, of course, in the Champions League of the Tournament Game.

The game revision is accompanied by a new thematic classification. While the whole storyline of the Card Game developed in a feudal world of the late Middle Ages so far, we now experience different eras on Catan that go from the Introductory Game to the Theme Games. In the Introductory Game, we are still in Catan's early period; the Theme Games, then, show segments from other, later Catanian periods.

The graphic design of "The Princes of Catan" is provided by Michael Menzel, which means that the Card Game revision will also be a visual treat for all Catan fans!
 
"The Princes of Catan" will be published in September of 2010. In his upcoming blog entries, Klaus Teuber will give an account of how this game came about, and we'll also release some teasers. Please visit our blog and read the first part of Klaus Teuber's Card Game article.

Also, read Klaus Teuber's blog entry on Catanism: The Bloggers of Catan to learn more about the origin of the Catan Card Game here:

http://blog.catan.com/2010/01/card-game-reform-2010-part-1/





Holiday header





Australian Games Expo 2010 Catan Champ


Congratulations to Danny Frahm!

Congratulations to Danny Frahm, the winner of the Settlers of Catan Tournament at the Australian Games Expo 2010! Danny played well in the tournament, securing the largest army for the win against some tough competition. He will be traveling to Germany to represent Australia in the World Wide Catan Championship 2010!

Danny is a member of the Queensland League of Extraordinary Gamers in Australia. Read more about Danny's victory at the Australian Games Expo 2010 on their blog here:

http://qlegs.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/congratulation-2/



Uncle's gamesUncle's Games WWCC Pre-Qualifier: Eastern Regional 1 & 2 Report Report

Congratulations to Brian Saccomanno, Chris Nickell, Marc Swanson, and Heidi Santone!

Eastern Regional 1: Uncle's Games 1st Eastern Washington Regional Qualifier started off strong. We had 16 players show up to play and compete for a seat at GenCon Indy 2010. The decks were shuffled and the boards set up to find a shortage in ore for the first round, and the second. Players were scrambling to find the precious ore needed to upgrade their settlements to the coveted city status. Spirits were high throughout the day as players attempted to satisfy their cravings for settlers (is that even possible?). Of the 16 players only two had what it took to progress onward to the Easter Washington Championship game. Brian Saccomanno and Chris Nickell took first and second with 2 wins, 37 & 36 points respectively. If you missed out on the fun there are still 4 more opportunities for you to secure yourself a spot at Washington State Championship Qualifier.

Eastern Regional 2: Uncle's Games second Eastern Washington Regional Qualifier started off strong last week with 39 players showing up to compete for a seat at the GenCon Indy 2010 World Wide Catan Championship Qualifier. The decks were shuffled and the boards were set up only to find the desert located smack in the center of the board. Players were struggling to find the best way to develop their settlements on such a crazy map!

As the day continued two players emerged victorious, each with three wins. Marc Swanson placed first, scoring 38 points, and Heidi Santone placed second, following close behind him with 37 points. Next week, both winners will face off against the winners of Uncle's first qualifier to see who will move on to the Washington State Championship taking place this month on February 27, 2010 at the SouthCenter Mall in Seattle.


For dates and times of Eastern Regional locations, please check our WWCC Player Events section or visit Uncle's Games special Settlers of Catan Tournament Page here:

http://unclesgames.com/settlers/


Catan in the News

The Future of Board Games

Roel's CatanRecently, a group of Queen's University researchers in Kingston, Ont., developed an entirely new type of platform to play table top board games electronically. While many are bringing board games from the table onto the computer, Dr. Roel Vertegaal and his team have created an entirely new type of game board which keeps these games on the table.

Dr. Vertegaal has reworked the Settlers of Catan on to a board made up of electronic tiles that appear on the outside to look exactly like regular game board pieces. However, the electronic version uses a computer, an infrared camera, an overhead projector and thin hexagonal tiles of cardboard embedded with infrared markers. The tiles are pieced together as the game advances. Images are projected on the tiles but the players determine what images are projected and how the characters interact.

Read more about Dr. Vertegaal fascinating work here on Cnet:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10441005-1.html

Here's a great video too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec4fYs2FtNo&feature=player_embedded

Here are some more notable recent news items about Catan as well:
 
Beyond Binary by Ina Fried:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10437733-56.html

Tech Flash - Tech execs trade brick, iron and wood in The Settlers of Catan
: http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2009/12/tech_execs_trade_iron_brick_and_wood_in_settlers_of_catan.html

Catan is a better business game than Monopoly from David J Dotson Blog:
http://www.davidjdotson.com/2010/01/settlers-of-catan-is-better-business.html

An older NPR story on Catan and Monopoly from 2006:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5079087



Player Events and WWCC Events Updates!

Dice

Mayfair Games has added several new pre-qualifying rounds to the 2010 World Wide Catan Championship program. Below is a listing of upcoming WWCC events, several new events have been added recently. Please visit the Mayfair Games website for complete event details and more WWCC and general gaming event information:

Player Events

Catan WWCC Events


World Wide Catan Championship Events 2010:

Uncle's WA Regional Qualifier: January 30, 2010
Eastern Washington Championship Game
Location: Uncle's Games, Puzzles and More!
Spokane Valley, WA 

Uncle's WA Regional Qualifier: February 6, 2010
Western Washington Regional Qualifier 1
Location: Uncle's Games, Puzzles and More!
Seattle, WA

Cat & Mouse WWCC Preliminary PQ - February 6, 2010
Preliminary - WWCC Pre-Qualifier
Winner of final round on March 6 travels to GenCon Indy 2010 WWCC Qualifier!
Location: Cat & Mouse Game Store
Chicago, IL

Uncle's WA Regional Qualifier: February 13, 2010
Western Washington Regional Qualifier 2
Location: Uncle's Games, Puzzles and More!
Bellevue, WA

Total Confusion: February 18-21, 2010
WWCC Pre-Qualifier Event
Winner travels to GenCon Indy 2010 WWCC Qualifier
Location: Holiday Inn
Mansfield , MA

Cat & Mouse WWCC Preliminary PQ - February 21, 2010
Preliminary - WWCC Pre-Qualifier
Winner of final round on March 6 travels to GenCon Indy 2010 WWCC Qualifier!
Location: Cat & Mouse Game Store
Chicago, IL

Con Nooga: February 19-21, 2010
WWCC Pre-Qualifier Event
Winner travels to Origins 2010 WWCC Qualifier
Location: Chattanooga Choo Choo
Chattanooga, TN

PREZCON: February 24-28, 2010
WWCC Pre-Qualifier Event
Winner travels to Origins 2010 WWCC Qualifier
Location: Charlottesville Doubletree Hotel
Charlottesville, Virginia

Uncle's WWCC Pre-Qualifier: February 27, 2010
WWCC Pre-Qualifier Event - Washington State Final
Winner travels to GenCon Indy 2010 WWCC Qualifier
Uncle's Games, Puzzles and More!
Seattle, WA 

Cat & Mouse WWCC PQ Final - March 6, 2010
WWCC Pre-Qualifier Event
Winner travels to GenCon Indy 2010 WWCC Qualifier
Location: Cat & Mouse Game Store
Chicago, IL

Anime Central - The Thirteenth: March 14-16, 2010
WWCC Pre-Qualifier Event - Memorial Day Weekend
Winner travels to GenCon Indy 2010 WWCC Qualifier
Location: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
Rosemont, IL

All The Kings Men WWCC Pre-Qualifiers: March 13, 2010(Pre-Lim)
WWCC Pre-Qualifier Preliminary Event - $10 Entrance Fee
Winner travels to Origins 2010 WWCC Qualifier
Location: All the King's Men Chess & Games
Pitman , NJ

All The Kings Men WWCC Pre-Qualifiers: March 20, 2010(Pre-Lim)
WWCC Pre-Qualifier Preliminary Event - $10 Entrance Fee
Winner travels to Origins 2010 WWCC Qualifier
Location: All the King's Men Chess & Games
Pitman , NJ

All The Kings Men WWCC Pre-Qualifiers: March 27, 2010(Final)
WWCC Pre-Qualifier Final Event
Winner travels to Origins 2010 WWCC Qualifier
Location: All the King's Men Chess & Games
62 S. Broadway - Pitman , NJ 08071

PAX Boston (events run by a local retailer) March 26-28, 2010
WWCC Pre-Qualifier

Strategicon/Gamex: March 28-31, 2010
WWCC Pre-Qualifier Event - $10 Entrance Fee
Winner travels to GenCon Indy 2010 WWCC Qualifier
Location: Radisson Hotel Los Angeles Airport
6225 West Century Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90045

Caribbean Gamer Cruise: March 28-April 4, 2010
WWCC Pre-Qualifier Event
Winner travels to GenCon Indy 2010 WWCC Qualifier
Join Gamer Adventures and Mayfair Games aboard the Carnival "Glory" for gaming, cruising, and a WWCC pre-qualifier!
Details

Gnome Games WWCC Pre-Qualifier: April 24, 2010
WWCC Pre-Qualifier Event
Winner travels to GenCon Indy 2010 WWCC Qualifier
Location: Gnome Games Tournament Center
2160 Ridge Road
Green Bay, Wisconsin 54304

AnCon: Another Game Convention May 21-23, 2010
WWCC Pre-Qualifier Event
Winner travels to Origins 2010 WWCC Qualifier
Clarion Inn Hudson
240 East Hine Hill Road Hudson, OH 44236


World Wide Catan Championship - Sept 17-20, 2010 Leibertingen, Germany
WWCC Finals - Winners from both Origins and GenCon Indy travel to Germany to compete in the World Wide Catan Cahmpionship 2010
Burg Wildenstein Castle, 88637 Leibertingen, Germany



* Uncle's Games, Puzzles and More! has come up with a great idea of deciding a winner for their WWCC Pre-Qualifier event. Uncle's is holding a Washington State Catan Championship which pits East against West. A complete list of their event schedule can be found on in Player Events on MayfairGames.com.


Games Available Now!


Catan Dice GameCatan Dice Game Deluxe Edition 
Discover, explore, and settle Catan anywhere and anytime, with the brand new Catan Dice Game Deluxe Edition.

Catan Dice Game Deluxe Edition




Artisans & BenefactorsArtisans & Benefactors 
The 7th Catan Card Game Expansion Set! The seventh expansion to Klaus Teuber's Catan Card Game™ is now available! The Artisans & Benefactors Expansion Set™ contains 30 new cards that can help you enhance the "happiness" of your principality's residents. Visit the product page for more information.


Artisans & Benefactors


Catan Geographies: GermanyCatan Geographies: Germany 
Explore and settle the storied land of Germany using the elegant, award-winning game design from The Settlers of CatanĀ®. Here, you will find great social interaction, simple rules, beautiful German geography, rich history and lore, and 12 wonderfully-sculpted landmarks.  Catan Geographies: Germany is a game about trade, building, and settlement. Start with town halls in 3 cities.

Catan Geographies: Germany


Catan Portable EditionCatan Portable Edition
This Portable Edition is perfect for friends or family on the move or away from home. The playing pieces peg securely into place. All the cards and accessories fit into the tray in the compact game box. So, whether you're hanging out at a school or a coffee shop, cruising on the road, riding the rails, outside in windy wilds, or simply stuck in a tight place, you and your friends can now enjoy The Settlers of Catan!

Catan Portable Edition


2008 Releases

Catan Traders & BarbariansCatan: Traders & Barbarians
Immerse yourself in the world of Catan with this rich set of 4 variants and 5 compelling linkable scenarios.

For more information about Catan: Traders & Barbarians please visit the product page below:

Catan: Traders and Barbarians.


Until next month...
Thank you for reading the Catan News Wire. We appreciate your readership!

Sincerely,

The Catan Team
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