17 Years of Catan Knowledge in 25 Minutes

[@Treeckosaurus]

Thanks to colonist for sponsoring this video! Check it out here: colonist.io/?ref=treeck

[@dandydrew]

The community is lucky to have you Treeck. Great video as always and don't stop posting! 😎

[@Treeckosaurus]

Thanks so much Drew!

[@shadesonbroadway]

Keep the content coming brother! Very insightful, love the references to the more uncommon terms in the online / tournament scene. Hope this video blows up even more, its clear how much effort you put into it.

[@Treeckosaurus]

Thanks so much Josh! :)

[@jycegaming8530]

It’s always fun to learn the intricacies and advanced strategies of a game before I even know the rules of the game. Thanks for the video, now I just need to learn how Catan is played

[@Treeckosaurus]

My pleasure!

[@Hoyawolfgang]

Awesome video!! It’s like unwrapping an early Xmas present 😊 These are the kind of Catan videos that get me most excited. Yep, I’m always up for more strategy. Thanks for keeping them coming.

[@Treeckosaurus]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@petecampbell6117]

Fantastic video: high-level information, clearly explained. Thanks Treeck!

[@Treeckosaurus]

Glad it was helpful!

[@thomastwin2-Catan]

This is a great video, thanks for sharing the different aspects of the game.

[@Treeckosaurus]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Tjdj0430]

I only watched 7 minutes so far, but everything you’ve said is 100% accurate and well put

[@Treeckosaurus]

Thank you! It took MANY revisions to get the text exactly how I wanted it.

[@NukeOfficial-l2d]

It's kinda funny how you mentioned that the american meta is not really something you see, but most of those things my friends and I have been doing for *years* (in Germany) even without ever looking up strats or competitive matches :D

[@Treeckosaurus]

That's cool! Most of it has been popularized from 2020 on. When did you start doing it? Perhaps you should join a tournament and see how you do, you might have some tactics the rest doesn't know about yet then!

[@NukeOfficial-l2d]

@@Treeckosaurus I'm not sure, I know I played a bunch of Catan around like 2010(?). Can't remember much about that though. There was also a long period of time where I didn't really play any board games. I do know that we've done those trading tricks pretty consistently whenever we did play Catan in the last 7ish years. Idk how much truth there is to this, but it might be because of playing a rather excessive amount of video games (both singleplayer and multiplayer, almost always with strategic aspects).

[@Reashu]

How is upgrading to a city (5:25) supposed to balance resources when it will also double the wheat?

[@Treeckosaurus]

You're right, that's a mistake, so thanks for bringing it up. The example shouldn't be a shared wheat ore spot. The ore should be increased more than the wheat production with the city.

[@Reashu]

@Treeckosaurus ok, thanks for clarifying!

[@ryanammenheuser4788]

I got my Year of Plenty, I got my hand of bricks, I'm ready to plow!

[@felipegallardo1551]

This is all I need to start losing less than before haha 😍

[@Treeckosaurus]

Awesome!

[@ReeseBrooks-l6o]

Fantastic video!

[@Treeckosaurus]

Glad you liked it!

[@pknepps]

Its funny how I realized most of these tips on my own, except the primary strategy I use, which is to go for all numbers, regardless of resources, knowing I will take resources every roll. I guess I figured out why I lose so much

[@Treeckosaurus]

Number diversity is important, but I believe most people overrate it

[@lQQk-out]

Cities and Knights makes this game 100% better. Even then it's still just ok after you discover other really great Euro-games

[@Treeckosaurus]

I love C&K online, while I think I don't have the patience for in-person. Which other games do you prefer? I'm a huge fan of Kingdomino, Carcassonne, Wingspan and 7 Wonders. Also, I think Catan sometimes brings out the worst of people.

[@FuturisticFunk]

Also interested in the other games!

[@Treeckosaurus]

Do you mean for videos?

[@FuturisticFunk]

@@Treeckosaurus nah to play with mates :D we love strategic games like catan

[@chetnics2607]

Can you give some recommendations?

[@claymichael3711]

Super great video but if possible it might be worth changing the thumbnail so you can read the word masterclass in full

[@Treeckosaurus]

Great you enjoyed it, and thanks for the feedback! I've added it as a '2nd thumbnail' to be able to compare the data.

[@maxhamstad8886]

great vid

[@ilbene7922]

Ah the american meta games were already very popular 5 years ago in my group of friends. So funny that I discover they have formal specific names ahah

[@Luwi1996]

I've noticed, that every Catan video I see is only talking about the base game. Can someone tell me why? Are the expansions not liked in the community?

[@Joker22593]

I think it's like chess. People prefer the game as it came out. The additions can be fun, but not for tournaments.

[@Treeckosaurus]

For videos it's mostly because KZbinrs want people to watch their videos. There's more people watching base game than Seafarers and C&K. However, I have a few videos on them. It's just that they cater a different audience.

[@Luwi1996]

I don't really get the comparison to chess. I don't know of any chess expansion. ​@Treeckosaurus I get that, but why are those videos less popular. Do most people really just play the base game?

[@Treeckosaurus]

Yeah, Base is by far the most popular, and it's (mostly) the only game mode that's pushed in the USA. There's also tournaments for C&K though.

[@nnnn3563]

why do you say "how often is sold"? instead of "how many units/how much" ?

[@Treeckosaurus]

In which sentence? I'm not a native speaker, so it's likely a mistake I make

[@hilel-pathi]

Amazing video, Im the champion of my country. worrld championship Germany soon.

[@Treeckosaurus]

Thanks and well done! Which country do you represent?

[@hilel-pathi]

@@Treeckosaurus Israel

[@zelderan]

​@@hilel-pathinever heard of that country before

[@Ptr_Jms]

Funny how Catans most popular website isn’t even affiliated with the brand.

[@Treeckosaurus]

People go to the best product. That's how colonist got big.

[@Ptr_Jms]

@ 💯

[@vladyakubets]

Did anyone else need to watch this video at .85 speed? 😅

[@Treeckosaurus]

I change the speed for almost all videos I watch too haha

[@adamdude]

What is this "ore" you speak of? It's called "mountain".

[@Treeckosaurus]

Or "rock". I've also heard "diamonds", "metal", "mineral" and "stone". People generally call it "ore".

[@Digiphex]

Can you explain why it is fun to you? To me it looks like punishment to sit at the table but I just got the game and that could change.

[@Treeckosaurus]

I've given the question quite a bit of thought today, and my answer will be complicated. At first, I didn't like Catan. I thought it was a game that took way too long and was decided by luck. Then throughout my late-childhood I became smarter (mainly learning how economics and more complex social dynamics work and how they impacted Catan) and once my family chose to play Catan again, I asked myself: "well, let's assume it's not luck, what could I actually do to increase the odds of me winning?" I decided to try to keep track of each card going to and from players hands, which gave me something to do on other players' turns. I also realized the only time my dad won was when he focused on building many cities and settlements before going for points, so I copied that. I know you didn't ask for my life's story, but that's when it started to become fun for me. Partially because I started progressing/learning, partially because I started winning, but mainly because it didn't feel like a 'waiting game I have 0 control over'. Compared to other board games, Catan feels like chaos at first. It's because the board changes every time and there's many unpredictable things you don't control. Once I started focusing on the things I can control, I started enjoying it. Right now, my mind is just as active on opponents' turns as my own turns, while my experience and my studies as a creator allows me to have frameworks to simplify complex topics, making room for more attention to questions like 'who's the in the lead?', 'should I take this trade or not?', 'what happens if I do or don't?', etc. I also enjoy social play a lot more and I know what to do and don't. The social aspect can be a pain or a blessing depending on who you ask, I suppose. Does that answer your question?

[@abramosia]

​@@Treeckosaurus Seems your answer can be translates to the far more general "Why do you enjoy life?". Like "At first I thought success was just a matter of luck, but later I learnt how to focus on things I could control. Things started to getting better and I started to enjoying playing Life".

[@Treeckosaurus]

There's truth to that. But I guess that life in general doesn't have a clear goal or at least not many people agree on what it is. And that success in life has different meaning to different people. With games success is a lot more quantifiable.

[@cake.1344]

Hello I know you didn't ask but I like catan because there are a variety of viable strategies, trading is incentivised (unlike monopoly), the board is randomised every time so each game is different and I love games where you can have fun messing with people

[@Digiphex]

@@TreeckosaurusYes, great answer. My next question is if they made a 2.0 version, what would you change?

[@ethandowler4669]

Please help me beat that one friend of mine that ALWAYS wins SOMEHOW no matter how far behind he is!!!

[@Treeckosaurus]

I'm available for (paid) coaching if you want

[@Breezmusic1]

I’m just trynna beat my boys tbh

[@the-neo]

Waarom mer die bordspellen zijn het altijd nederlanders 🤣 Ook met risk kijk ik een gast dacht dit is geen nederlander Ik zat ernaast zijn moeder is een nederlander 🤣🤣

[@Treeckosaurus]

🤣

[@TheNoorVIG]

😎👍

[@celeste1013]

Number 1 player 🤔... I think Danny drew would disagree 🤣. Dylight might also give you some competition

[@Treeckosaurus]

I'm not saying I'm the best Catan player in the world. I'm saying I hit the no. 1 spot on colonist in 2022. I think Rayman is the best Catan player.

[@joeycrunch]

I hate a “dirty Mono” so much that I house-ruled it out in home games 😆 anyone who knowingly does it is penalized by losing the Monopoly card as well as the named resources 😂

[@Treeckosaurus]

That's a great counter! I wouldn't use it in friendly settings and in competitive it's a risk, because not getting the trade could expose that you hold the mono

[@DudeNolann]

Great video!

[@Treeckosaurus]

Thanks!

[@grando2750]

Excellent video!

[@Treeckosaurus]

Thank you! Cheers!