Can you Dobble it? Yes, Catan!
I’ve played many a board game in my time, and although I love resource management, engine building and legacy campaigns; sometimes, a frantic after dinner game like Dobble Catan is what really hits the spot.
Now, Dobble and I have some history, which goes back to my very competitive flatmate nearly burning the house down when their pasta caught fire in the pan. But I can only fault his cooking skills there, Dobble was and still is amazing fun!
In this review, I’ll be looking at this exciting Catan themed twist to a classic game, and I might even share a few tips along the way to make your games a bit more successful.
Spotting Settlers
At its heart, Dobble Catan champions the familiar matchmaking gameplay that makes the original Dobble so easy to pick up and play and gives it a refreshing Catan themed twist. Simply put, identify the matching symbols between cards and be the first to do it.
It’s a deceptively simple concept which enables you to get players involved with very little explanation, but still leaves ample room to develop techniques and game plans. What do you look for when trying to recognise the symbols, how do you dart between the cards, how quickly can you declare the right symbol? Master all of these, and you’ll be crowned the royalty of the kingdom in no time at all!
Personally, I love how such a simple concept can get everyone involved with so little effort, and it really plays to the competitive side in our family. There’s no better feeling that knowing that you’ve just beaten someone to the punch who thought they had the round in the bag.
What’s in the box?
When it comes to quick paced family games, I always feel like the game should be ready to go out of the box or have as little setup requirements as possible. Thankfully, Dobble Catan covers all these points and more.
At face value, the game comes in a compact box which can easily fit in your bag or purse to take with you on journeys. Whilst inside you’ll find a set of circular cards featuring a variety of symbols that Veterans of Catan will recognise. And that’s all there is to the components!
One thing I really appreciate about the game components here is that even though there’s a limited amount, no effort has been lost of the quality. The cardboard stock, image quality and storage solution have been given thought and time, and it clearly shows.
Five ways to settle on Catan!
Something that really surprised me about this exciting take on Dobble, was how they’ve made it their own with the Catan theme. Rather than settle with the original Dobble gameplay, the rulebook outlines 5 unique minigames to play with the same deck of cards, which boosts the replayability and excitement tenfold.
Welcome to Catan is the first mode, which pits players against each other in a race to find matching symbols and cover as much of the island as possible with their cards. It’s a great introductory mode to get used to the game with.
Second up is Ports, which introduces the famous harbours of Catan. Whilst the third mode, Longest Route takes its inspiration from one of the most recognisable achievements in the original Catan board game.
The final two minigames are Barbarians, and Knights; both of which introduce new objectives to work towards whilst sprucing the game with more Catan themed features.
Final thoughts
After enjoying quite a few playthroughs of Dobble Catan, I’ve found it to be a great family game that can be played after dinner or on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Most importantly, it does what a family game should, keeps everyone involved, uses as little down time as possible and keeps you demanding one more game.
Naturally, this take on Catan won’t suit everyone, and those looking for deep strategy or a full Catan experience may find this version too lightweight. If you’re after an in depth game with all of the usual features I love, there’s a world of games out there that will sate you hunger, However, if you’re looking for a fast paced game that can only take a few minutes to play at home or on the move, this is definitely one to pack!
