I am normally not one for board games. This probably stems from my standing as a middle child with two brothers, and thus I endured much torture and failure while trying to play such games with them.

In Monopoly, I was the one who ended up with a single house on St. Charles Place after my brothers formed a joint ownership of all remaining properties, and every other turn landed on the Free Parking and collected the giant mound of fake money found in the center of the board. In Scrabble, I always seemed to be left for four Es, two Ms and the only Q, while they played words like “hypoxia” for 43 points and “zygote” for 58 points. Perhaps it was the competitive spirit (or can I say aggression?) of my family members that turned me off from what could have been a wonderful and entertaining pastime.

Then in college, after homework was completed and other responsibilities were taken care of, my friends and I spent more nights wondering what to do than actually doing anything at all. We could only watch so many episodes of The Office or How I Met Your Mother before we needed some activity. Frolicking in the Arboretum was only an option during the fall and spring seasons and didn’t really have a higher purpose other than admiration. We needed a task that many could participate in, that many could enjoy and that would take up many hours of our night.

Enter to the scene the board game Settlers of Catan. The epitome of board games, in my opinion, for various reasons, but first I will enlighten the readers who have not experienced the fun of this game.

Basically, Settlers of Catan is like a combination of Monopoly and Risk. You build settlements, cities and roads through obtaining resource cards like lumber, brick and ore. You get points for how many settlements and cities you have and also things like the longest road. First person to an established number of points wins and receives laud and honor.

But here are the reasons why this game isn’t a typical roll of the dice:
You can play as individuals or as teams. Thus, if we had a group of 10 people who wanted to participate in the evening’s fun, there was space for all.

The game, if played well, usually takes about two hours. Combine this with the social component of being with friends, and you have an entire night full of fun!

The “board” itself is different every time you play. You see, instead of a standard, unchanging surface, the Catan board is actually composed of hexagonal tiles than can be arranged in whatever shape you want! Want a circle? Want a long rectangle? Use your imagination!

The game is a combination of collecting and playing resource cards, constructing buildings, rolling dice and interacting with others. You need to be aware of where others are building and what resources they are collecting. Better yet, you get to haggle in the game! You can perform equal trades of resources, bribe people with resources or give the rights to name your firstborn child in exchange for, say, two brick cards.

You can play with the game or create your own strategy. Some players go straight for building as many cities as possible, as that is where the most points lie, while others go for the longest road. Some players aim to screw over as many other players as possible through blocking constructions or not participating in any card trades. These people suck.

Whatever your form of play, I choose most often to be the continuator of fellowship. You see, I am just thankful that my friends and I have found a purposeful activity that allows us all to participate. I will often, then, remove myself from any type of competition and simply not play by any strategy. My strategy is no strategy. I trade with all, I don’t screw anyone over, but rather promote the continuation of our time together. A friend who also shares a similar non-strategy said it best during our last game night: “I don’t care that I am losing. I’m just here for friends and fellowship.”

This is what I love about board games now, or at least my beloved Settlers of Catan: Friends can get together and play by whatever strategy they choose, and they can all have a good time in the process. It is casual yet purposeful. I want to thank my friends who I share such wonderful times with and encourage others to start similar activities (or come join ours!)