catan travel edition review

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Catan: traveler - compact edition review - with tom vasel.

Tom Vasel takes a look at this travel edition of the classic game from Mayfair Games.

Catan: Traveler – Compact Edition

Other Reviews of this game

Catan: traveler review - with andré nordstrand, other videos.

Look Back - February 8, 2017

Catan Traveler with the Game Boy Geek

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CATAN Traveler COMPACT EDITION Board Game | Strategy Game | Adventure Game | Travel Game | Family Game for Adults and Kids | Ages 10+ | 2-4 Players | Average Playtime 60 Minutes | Made by CATAN Studio

• PORTABLE CATAN: Enjoy the beloved settling, trading, and building game of Catan wherever you go with the CATAN Traveler Board Game, featuring a convenient travel box that securely holds all game components without spillage or mixing.
• READY IN NO TIME: Set up and start playing in moments with this highly transportable version of the best-selling board game, making it perfect for gaming on the move.
• SECURE GAMEPLAY: Experience hassle-free play with roads, settlements, and cities that feature small pegs, allowing you to securely plug them into the holes in the unique fold-out board.
• COMPACT AND EFFICIENT: The game components fit in a case that occupies only half the space required to store the CATAN base game, ensuring maximum portability.
• 2-PLAYER ADVENTURE: This compact version includes the tried and tested 2-player rules along with corresponding game components for a fantastic gaming experience for duos.

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Product information

Product description.

Whether you're on the train, in the ski lodge or picnicking in the woods: This compact edition lets you take CATAN everywhere!  The space-saving box unfolds to reveal the variable board. Roads, settlements and cities are safe in their locking drawers. Cards are held securely in holder trays. Even the dice, thanks to the practical hex-shaped shaker can't get dropped and lost. CATAN compact is handy, fits easily into your luggage and contains all of the components and fun of the "big" CATAN.

From the brand

Trade, Build, Settle!

Guide your settlers to victory by clever trading and cunning development.

Delve Deeper with Expansions!

Visit the Store

Explore, Trade, Discover!

Discover the Universe in CATAN Starfarers.

Explore Standalones

UK Games Expo Awards

Winner 2023 UK Games Expo Judge's Choice Award - Best Variant - CATAN Dawn of Humankind

Origins Award Winner

1996 Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Board Game Winner

Organize Your CATAN Games!

From the manufacturer.

What's in the box

Product guides and documents, videos for this product.

Click to play video

For true Catan lovers... check this out...

Caitlin Best

Customer Review: Broken

George saikali

CATAN Brand Video

Asmodee North America, Inc

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Customer reviews.

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 73% 18% 5% 2% 2% 73%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 73% 18% 5% 2% 2% 18%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 73% 18% 5% 2% 2% 5%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 73% 18% 5% 2% 2% 2%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 73% 18% 5% 2% 2% 2%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers like the quality, portability, appearance and stability of the board game. They mention that it's a great game, excellent for playing on the airplane, train or car and that it is a fantastic portable game. That said, opinions are mixed on size and ease of setup.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers like the quality of the board game. They say it's a great, enjoyable game with excellent gameplay. They also say it is a fun little game that is excellent for playing on the airplane, train, or car. Customers also mention that it is an intelligent and rewarding game that provides fun entertainment for the entire family.

"... Full game play + the rules and cards to play with just 2 players! So easy to set up and take down...." Read more

"...Not only is it sturdy and has all the game components, it’s wicked fast to setup and the enclosed dice is an amazing invention...." Read more

"...It's challenging and looks like it is an intelligent and rewarding game ." Read more

"...+ Can play with 4-players+ Well engineered in the sense that everything fits in the travel unit and you can even "roll dice"..." Read more

Customers find the board game great for travel, easy to take on trips, and perfect for travel. They also appreciate the compact design and easy storage.

"Super duper cute, and awesome how well everything packs up neat and compact. Full game play + the rules and cards to play with just 2 players!..." Read more

"... Packs fully away back into its lunchbox sized containers- Small and easy to store- The best game ever createdCONS-..." Read more

"...+ Well engineered in the sense that everything fits in the travel unit and you can even "roll dice" with the dice shaker..." Read more

"...this kit packs well and is of high quality. The dice shaker is sealed so there is no risk of losing the little dice...." Read more

Customers are satisfied with the appearance of the board game. They mention that it's well-designed, cute, and easy to take on trips. They also appreciate the brilliant dice container.

" Super duper cute , and awesome how well everything packs up neat and compact. Full game play + the rules and cards to play with just 2 players!..." Read more

"...This is the first time our family has tried this game. The package design is good ...." Read more

"...Actually prefer the setup to the full-sized game- Dice container is brilliant ...no dice flying off the table!-..." Read more

"...A small price to pay for such a great compact and well designed set ...." Read more

Customers like the stability of the board game. They mention that the pieces lock in place on the board and all the components stay put even in windy conditions.

"...+ Pieces lock in place on the boardCONs-- No way is this worth $50!!--..." Read more

"... Everything stays in place nicely and turns or bumps on the road do not jostle the pieces; The only non-pegged piece is the robber...." Read more

"...We have played at the beach, parks and in hotels. All the components stay put even in windy conditions." Read more

"...Some of the drawers on this game have stuck permanently . This could be a design flaw or just a defect in this one game piece...." Read more

Customers are satisfied with the storage space of the board game. They mention that it has nice compartments to store all the pieces in, and that the drawers under the game board are handy for loose pieces.

"...and got my money's worth out of this little set; Everything stores nicely in the drawers under the game board, although sometimes it is hard to get..." Read more

"...It works GREAT! Nice compartments to store all the pieces in . The rules are basically the same except in the 2 person game...." Read more

"Awesome for travel and all pieces in pullout trays very organized . Well pleased with this for camping out, airplane, etc...." Read more

"...Pieces lock in place on board. There are handy drawers for loose pieces ." Read more

Customers are mixed about the size of the board game. Some mention that it packs up neat and compact, making it perfect for travel. They say the pieces fit easily into the compartments built underneath the board. However, some customers feel the cards are small and the dice roller could be 25% larger for a better feel of the roll.

"...The best game ever createdCONS- Cards are tiny and print is small...we don't mind, but a bit hard to play on this smaller board..." Read more

"Super duper cute, and awesome how well everything packs up neat and compact . Full game play + the rules and cards to play with just 2 players!..." Read more

"... Pieces are a little small , but they fit easily into the compartments built underneath the board...." Read more

"This smaller form factor is great for playing on a small table with 2 players. It also makes clean up super easy." Read more

Customers are mixed about the ease of setup. Some mention that it's easy to set up and take down, and the game components are wicked fast to setup. However, others say that the instructions are a bit of a learning curve for a newbie, the small pieces and complex setup make playing awkward and difficult, and opening and closing the drawers isn't always the easiest process.

"... So easy to set up and take down ...." Read more

"...The instructions are a bit of a learning curve for a newbie...." Read more

"...Opening and closing the drawers isn't always the easiest process and it's just plastic that I'm afraid I'll breakOVERALL:..." Read more

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CATAN | Catan Travel Edition | Board Game | Ages 10+ | 3-4 Players |... › Customer reviews

Customer reviews.

CATAN | Catan Travel Edition | Board Game | Ages 10+ | 3-4 Players | 60 Minutes Minutes Playing Time

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings, help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.

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Everyone should own this cult-favorite board game—here’s why

It will be the best $40 you ever spend

Updated December 16, 2020

Products are chosen independently by our editors. Purchases made through our links may earn us a commission.

Am I being dramatic? Sure, but Catan is undoubtedly one of the best items I’ve discovered through work, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. I’ve turned dozens of people onto this board game, creating quite a few intense rivalries (and lots of memories, of course), and I regret absolutely nothing.

Editor's Note: Camryn convinced me to play Catan in 2018 and it's been my favorite board game since.

What is Catan?

Catan is a German-style board game that's played with three or four people.

Catan was first released in 1995, and it was originally called “Settlers of Catan.” The game was rebranded simply as Catan on its 20th anniversary in 2015, and today, the cult-favorite game is available in more than 40 languages and has sold over 32 million copies. So yeah, I’m not the only one who’s obsessed.

Statistics aside, Catan is a multiplayer “German-style” board game designed for three or four people. (If you’re not familiar with the concept, German-style games or Eurogames are generally focused on gathering resources rather than direct conflict between players.) It’s recommended for players aged 10 and up, and one game typically takes between 45 and 90 minutes to complete.

How do you play Catan?

During the game, players race to build a settlement on the board.

To give you an idea of how Catan works, I’m going to give you the same spiel that I use to teach new players. (I’m not kidding when I say I’ve taught the game to dozens of people, so I kind of have the speech down pat—not to brag, or anything.)

The basic premise of the game is that you’re settlers on the island of Catan, and you’re competing against each other to see who can build their civilization the fastest. As you build your settlement and unlock achievements, you’ll earn victory points, and the first player to reach 10 victory points is the winner.

There are three ways to earn victory points in Catan. First, you can build settlements and/or cities on the board, but you have to collect the necessary resources to do so. Second, you can earn accomplishments such as the “Longest Road” and “Biggest Army,” but these accolades change hands throughout the game if someone overtakes your record. Finally, you have the option to purchase “development cards,” which may also award you victory points.

This fancy resource card holder isn't included with the game, but you can buy one for cheap on Amazon.

As you might have figured out by now, resources are the key to winning Catan—the more resources you have, the more you can build and/or buy. How do you get resources, exactly? Every tile of the board has a number on it, and at the beginning of every turn, the player rolls the dice. Everyone who has a settlement on a tile with the number rolled is awarded the resource depicted by the tile.

For this reason, it’s important to place your settlements strategically—you’ll want to be on tiles with varied resources, as you’ll need all five types to progress, but it’s also beneficial to build on numbers that have a higher probability of being rolled (ie. 8 comes up significantly more often than 12).

After resources are given out, the active player can then build settlements or roads, buy development cards, and even trade resources with other players, if desired. There are lots of other rules that I won’t get into—for instance, there’s a “robber” who can be used to block resource collection, as well as docks that give you better trade deals—and while it may sound confusing, it usually only takes two or three turns for new players to figure out the gameplay.

I absolutely love this game—and you will, too

There are many ways to earn points in Catan, including by building the longest road.

Catan might not sound groundbreaking, but I promise you that it’s extremely fun and quite addicting. I introduced it to my close group of friends, and it’s become a ritual for us to play every time we get together.

We’re not the only ones who can’t get enough, either. Here’s one of the game’s 14,000+ Amazon reviews: “Beware! Don't try this unless you plan on getting addicted. Your life will forever be altered. You'll find yourself begging strangers to come over to play. Watching youtube videos to improve your game, bribing your children. Your spouse will become a tricky, sneaky person you hardly recognize.”

What makes it so special? For one, the board, which is made up of hexagon-shaped tiles, is arranged in a different layout every time you play. (The manual provides a few “easy” layouts for beginners, but as you get more confident with the game and want a challenge, the board can be laid out randomly.) The number tokens get placed randomly, as well, which can make it quite challenging to get certain resources. When this happens, you’re forced to rely heavily on alliances and trading—or find alternate routes to victory.

Speaking of which, there are numerous ways that you can earn the 10 victory points needed to win, which keeps things interesting. Some strategies, such as building settlements and cities, can be tracked by your opponents, so they know exactly how many victory points you have. However, if you choose to buy development cards, you can keep them hidden, stashing away secret victory points that can allow you to silently overtake other players. It keeps everyone on their toes, because you never really know who’s in the lead.

Of course, no board game is complete without a little bit of rivalry. Things can get intense fairly quickly in Catan, with players ganging up on each other to sabotage whoever they believe to be winning. This can be done by refusing trade deals, repositioning the robber, and cutting off their settlements from expansion—and I speak from experience when I say that grudges often carry over from previous games.

Oh, and did I mention there are expansion packs?

I own the Catan 5 to 6 player extension, as well as own expansion pack.

That’s not all, either. There are several other Catan expansion packs I have yet to purchase (“yet” being the operative word). They include:

Certain expansion packs can be layered for even more complexity, but keep in mind that if you want to play with more than four people, you’re going to need the extension pack for each expansion pack. (Got that?)

In summation: Buy Catan if you haven’t already

Catan deserves a spot in everyone's game cabinet.

Basically, I think everyone needs to own a copy of Catan—while it might not have the same name recognition quite yet, it’s well on its way to becoming an all-time classic board game in the same league with Monopoly and Scrabble.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at the game’s thousands of reviews—it was a 4.8-star rating on Amazon, and the vast majority of negative reviews are due to counterfeit products, not the game itself. Virtually everyone agrees it’s ridiculously fun, and unlike a lot of board games, it can be replayed again and again without getting old. Really, what’s not to love?

function ga4_link104() { window.dataLayer.push(JSON.parse('{"event":"default_event"}')) } Get Catan on Amazon for $43.88

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

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CATAN - Traveler

Was it too windy on the beach for a game of CATAN? Was the table too small to set up the island? Were you unable to settle Catan because there were only two of you? Or did you always have to leave CATAN at home because there was no room left for it in your suitcase?

CATAN - Traveler  would have prevented all this from happening.

With additional rules for 2-player games!

About the Game

• Differences

CATAN - Traveler  is based on the same rules as the CATAN base game , its "big brother." At the beginning of the game, you and your opponents each build 2 settlements on the island of Catan. If the numbers of the terrain hexes your settlements are adjacent to are rolled, you receive resources. You use these resources - ore, brick, grain, lumber, and wool - to build roads in order to reach new settlement sites, to upgrade your settlements to cities, or to buy development cards so you can, at the right moment, turn the tide in your favor. If you lack a particular resource type, you trade with your opponents. If you trade cleverly and have a little bit of luck, you have a good chance to win the game.

The most important differences between CATAN - Travele r and the CATAN base game :

• All of the game components fit in a case that occupies half the space required to store the CATAN base game.
• The game pieces are stored in drawers. During play, you can take the pieces directly from there as needed, and you can put them back into the drawers after the game has ended. 
• Roads, settlements, and cities have small pegs that allow you to securely plug them into the holes in the game board. That way, gusts of wind or an accidental jostle won't jumble up the pieces you have placed on the game board.
• The two dice are stored in a dice shaker with transparent cover, which is why they practically can't be lost. You can roll the dice everywhere - even if no flat surface is available or there isn't enough space to throw the dice with your hand. 
• It takes only a couple of seconds to set up the game board for  CATAN - Traveler.  Open the case and place the 6 double-sided game board pieces. Since you can randomly combine the board pieces, there are hundreds of different ways to set up the island. As with the  CATAN base game , besides completely balanced terrain hex distributions the compact version also allows for set-ups containing very few hexes of a particular terrain type, for example, mountains or hills. 
• People frequently travel in pairs. In order for you to settle Catan together with your partner, the compact version includes the tried-and-tested 2-player rules and the corresponding game components. 

CATAN - Traveler  cannot be used with the CATAN expansions; however, it is a nice and elegant alternative when traveling or on vacation – particularly if you want to settle Catan with a partner.

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Downloads for the Game

CATAN - Traveler - Rules

More Questions?

We have collected important questions and answers about the CATAN base game . Just follow the link.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then   View saved stories .

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Review: Catan: New Energies

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more . Please also consider subscribing to WIRED

Not everyone will appreciate a side of existential threat with their board game, but that is exactly what you get with Catan: New Energies. It drags the beloved classic Catan into the modern day with fossil fuels and renewable energy, an inventive climate crisis mechanic, and a clever illustration of the consequences if we fail to work toward a greener world. This stand-alone board game for two to four players doesn’t require the original, though experienced players will grasp it more easily.

While the message is clear, the makers did not forget about flow or fun. The addictive hook of Catan, the deals, the room for multiple strategies, and the variation in playthroughs are all present and correct. It is familiar enough to entice old fans and fresh enough to demand a look for newcomers. New Energies also succeeds in making its point, and our first game provoked a long and interesting conversation with my kids about why climate change is happening and why some folks are not on board with fighting it.

New Age Catan

If you are unfamiliar, The Settlers of Catan was first published in 1995. The game takes place on a fictional medieval island with hexagonal tiles placed randomly, ensuring plenty of replay value. Players must build roads, towns, and cities by spending resources like lumber and grain. Resources are collected and traded after dice rolls to determine which tiles pay out each turn. A robber mechanic spices things up when anyone rolls a seven, and some additional achievements and cards provide victory points. The winner is the first person to amass 10 victory points.

Five editions and various expansions were released over the years, and the game was rebranded as simply Catan for the 20th-anniversary edition in 2015. It has sold more than 45 million copies in all its various forms. Catan: New Energies is a stand-alone game rather than an expansion, and it was first conceived over a decade ago, then shelved until creator Klaus Teuber and his sons decided to resurrect it during lockdown.

All the basic mechanics are still there: the randomly generated map of hexagonal tiles, the resource harvesting and trading, and the race for 10 victory points. But there are several additions and a modern-day makeover. Energy is a new resource, and you harvest it by building power plants; towns can support one, and cities up to three. The energy you generate can be spent on resources, including the new science cards needed to build power plants.

Fossil fuel power plants cost one science card, while renewable plants cost three, and cards are scarce at the beginning of the game. The catch is that building fossil fuel plants accelerates the risk of climate disasters and increases what’s called your local footprint. Each player must draw brown event tokens from a bag at the beginning of their turn, and these add up to trigger climate events. Most have a negative impact, such as hazards that block cities from earning resources for a turn, and they tend to punish the player with the highest local footprint.

Conversely, as you build renewable plants, you free up green event tokens to go into the bag. Pull enough green tokens out, and you trigger positive events that tend to reward the player with the lowest local footprint. This new bag and token mechanic also serves as a kind of timer, because an empty bag triggers the catastrophic end of the game. When that happens, only players with more renewable plants than fossil fuel plants can win, but it still feels like a collective failure.

This may sound like a lot, but Catan players will likely need just one game to grasp the new mechanics. As part of the makeover, the robber has become an environmental inspector, and the knights are now cleanup cards. There’s still the longest road (now trade route) worth two victory points, and a cleanest environment card replaces the largest army card from the original. These changes are cosmetically clunky but surprisingly seamless in gameplay.

Catan is undoubtedly one of the best family board games of all time, and we have played it a ton, so the prospect of a fresh twist was enticing. What we liked best about New Energies is that it allows for different strategies and also adds a cooperative vibe. Most folks will want to work together to ensure that the game does not end early because of climate crises. I say most folks because my eldest is intent on winning with fossil fuels and a Mr. Burns-esque cavalier attitude to pollution.

While most players build fossil fuel plants to get started, you can begin to shut them down and replace them with renewables in the mid-game, but this does require some sacrifice. Some people will prefer to race for those victory points, hoping to hit 10 before the world burns, and it is possible to do so. But, as we found in our playthroughs, a polluting player is a thorn in everyone’s side and can cause frustration and even arguments.

The clever thing about this is that it invites comparisons with the real world. The nations and politicians who continue to deny climate change and pollute the planet demand greater sacrifice from those trying to redress the balance, and there’s a tipping point where it can’t be done without consensus. This may sound like heavy-handed moralizing from a board game, but it never feels like the game is hammering the message. It simply becomes clear as you play.

Because Catan: New Energies plays much like the original, dice rolls are crucial, and luck plays a big role. There is always a player (usually me) grousing about how their numbers never come up or complaining they get blocked more than everyone else. For this version, the counters that trigger events blend in with the board a little too easily (it would be nice if they stood out). It also feels too tough to get science cards early on, and if folks don’t get on board with renewables, it can start to feel like a race to the end of the world.

The original Catan usually takes us 45 to 75 minutes to finish. Catan: New Energies is generally longer, at around 90 minutes. It is harder to get to 10 victory points, and while the climate event mechanic puts a kind of clock on things, the game can be extended if folks pull together to remove pollution. This can make for some exciting endgames that feel very different from the original, but it is a massive bummer when you fail (like a disease winning in Pandemic).

Ultimately, we must remember to ask the most important question: Is it fun? Catan: New Energies can be a lot of fun. Polling my opponents from the last few games, almost everyone enjoyed it. (My youngest did not, but the original is not her bag either.) Fans of Catan will probably like it. If you did not like Catan, give it a miss. I don’t think it improves on the original, but Catan veterans ready for a new challenge should give New Energies a go for game night. Just don’t invite Mr. Burns.