Old copy of Settlers of Catan I found in my parents' basement last month had a folded rulebook and no hex borders

I was cleaning out their storage closet in Omaha last month and pulled out my old Catan box from 2005. The hex tiles were just solid colors with no borders, and the rulebook was folded like a map. Three years ago I would have tossed it, but last week I played a round with some friends using those clunky pieces and we actually had more fun than with the fancy 3D edition. Has anyone else gone back to an older version of a game and found it plays better than you remember?

2 comments

2 Comments

luna_wells576d ago

That "eyeball the hex shapes" thing is right, the lack of borders actually makes water and desert tiles harder to spot from across the table which forces everyone to pay closer attention and keeps the game moving.

rose_murray9d ago

Whoa, I actually read somewhere that those early Catan sets were printed without the borders because the creator thought players would just eyeball the hex shapes. Something about the first US run being a total budget move. My buddy still has that version and he swears the game goes faster without the borders cluttering up the table. Funny how less stuff can mean more fun sometimes.