Rivals Card Game Deluxe Edition - Build, Trade, and Conquer with Enhanced Components! Family Game for Kids & Adults, Ages 10+, 2 Players, 45-60 Minute Playtime

First off, I wanted to talk about the 2 other reviews for this game. The 1 star review mentions buying the game from a 3rd party seller and missing some of the pieces. While this is a total bummer, I wonder if this review would be better suited for the individual seller rather than docking the game stars. Usually if you contact Amazon they will help you resolve the issue. Plus, I noticed that Catan customer services commented on that review and offered to send free game pieces that were missing. On the second review, I don't have a problem with them scoring it with 3 stars, but I will totally disagree that games are generally the same and that the first player to have a turn has a significant advantage. If you play without using any of the expansion sets, yes games can tend to be very similar. However, the different themes offer 4 additional ways to play that can significantly alter player strategy. And lastly, I don't think that the player with the first turn has a significant advantage. They might have an advantage in certain strategies, but this is why there are multiple paths to victory. But it is important to note that luck and using all available strategies can make a big difference. If you want more opinions about this game, I suggest that you look up the Amazon review for Rivals for Catan . The other version is not the Deluxe version and does not come with the card trays (a must in my opinion). But at least you can get some more opinions. FYI, if you are curious, there are other expansions for this game that are not included in this Deluxe package. With that out of the way, let me give you some background about me. I played lots of the classic board games growing up (Monopoly, Life, Chess, Checkers, etc.). I have only played Settlers of Catan once, and that was years ago. My wife (my second player) also has a similar gaming history. We were looking for something fun that the two of us can do after the kids are in bed. First, I will say that the instruction manual is intimidating. If you are a "gamer", then you will probably have no problem with this. The manual is long and takes some time to absorb all of the rules. I suggest watching an instructional video on Youtube as that will help you learn the game quickly. You will probably have to consult the manual as you play and read some of the fine print after watching the video, but totally worth it. My wife and I have played the game about 10 times. Our time playing probably ranges between 1 - 2.5 hours. If you are playing with a theme, then your game is going to be much longer as you need 12 victory points to win rather than 7. You also need lots of space as we essentially fill up an entire card table with our set up. I also want to throw in that I love the set up and the way you turn your cards to indicate how many resources you have. Its also nice that you don't have to worry about losing tons of little game pieces as the only items in the box are game cards, card trays, two plastic coins, and 2 dice. As far as the gameplay goes, it is very fun. There can be slow moments, but usually I am so busy thinking through my next few moves and all my options that I don't care. I could see how the game might get old after many playthroughs, but we are far from that point. I could also see how the time commitment or barrier to entry could be a problem for some, but I think it is totally worth it. Great game. I am thinking about buying additional expansions already just for the heck of it.

Absolutely one of the best board games my family has ever played. Huge thumbs up from everyone in my family. Even the 10 and 11 year old kids in the family love this game. I like that it is teaching them to be mindful of what is going on, be strategic but sharing, and of course, good sportsmanship manners.

Super fun game that’s relatively easy to learn. Takes everything you love about Catan and makes it viable for two players. Very easy to travel with, but it does take a decent amount of space to actually play.

Now that the kids have moved out, my husband and I were looking for a fun game for two. We like the board game and found this alternative to be a fun and competitive game we enjoy. So far we have only played the original version, but look forward to trying the other expansions once we have mastered the original. I highly recommend this game if you like playing Catan.

My wife and I have been playing Catan, settlers, for over 2 years now and have been somewhat obsessed with it. This card game is more involved, with with cards like characters, various ships and other buildings that can tweak your strategy as you go, this game steps out of the comfort zone for me and my wife. If you play RPG and games like that you'd have no problem with it, but it took my wife and I a few times reading the instructions before we even thought we knew how to play LOL. I truly believe that's just because of us and our gaming background, because others have had no problem learning the game. In fact, now that we know it I could train somebody to play it much easier than I could expect them to learn from the instruction booklet. This deluxe edition has several expansion games with it which will make this purchase very well worth our money. I seriously recommend this. Important, this is just a two-player game.

I have played this game for a couple times with my 9 y.o. daughter and we think it is a great version for two players only. The original Catan is one of our favorites games and I must say I miss the board of Catan in this 2 players Catan version, but at the same time cards are well prepared to "move the board to another form". So still the game play is nice :) But I contented that I read before some comments and bought the Deluxe version of the game, cause the basic card game would be to simple and repeatable. Oh, and one more thing - you really need a looong table to play this card version of Catan :p

Me and my partner played this a few times and found what a lot of others have: that as-is, the rules heavily favor the person who takes the early lead and it's often impossible for the other person to meaningfully catch up. This is especially true for the trade advantage, which with a Marketplace card and other buffs, can essentially let you start stealing resources from your opponent and building up resources at an amazing rate. It's impossible to catch up as the opponent once this process starts. We decided that one way to rectify this was to make a few additions and subtractions to better even out the game. First, we weakened the trade advantage to only give you the equivalent of the celebration or bountiful harvest-- that is, if you role the trade die and you have the trade advantage, you get to choose any additional resource that you want rather than stealing from your opponent, which can be a devastating blow. The second was to create a victory point for the holder of the harp/celebration advantage acquired through the heroes (I'm forgetting the real term for it at the moment). Without this alteration, the harp advantage (I think it is called skill points?) is essentially useless because the event die will only land on it one-sixth of the time and lets you get only one additional resource. It is vastly overpowered by the trade advantage, which provides both a victory point and the opportunity to steal resources (without our alteration, of course). This is on top of the many special abilities you unlock through cards that count towards your trade advantage, such as Marketplace or various resource-specific boats. With these alterations, we essentially even out the Harp/Skill/whatever it is called and the trade advantage a bit. We have found that the game is much more enjoyable with these alterations and makes for a significantly more competitive game. Obviously, doing these alterations or "house rules" is not for the Catan rules purist, but we would rather alter the rules slightly and enjoy the game rather than get bogged down in the same issues time and time again.

We enjoyed this version of Catan. It’s nice to have when we only have 2 players.