Not everyone will appreciate a side of existential threat in their board game, but that’s exactly what you get with Catan: New Energies. It brings the beloved classic Catan into the present with fossil fuels and renewable energy, an inventive climate crisis mechanic, and a clever illustration of the consequences if we don’t work toward a greener world. This standalone board game for two to four players doesn’t require the original, though experienced players will find it easier to understand.
While the message is clear, the creators haven’t forgotten about gameplay or fun. Catan’s addictive appeal, the offerings, the room for multiple strategies, and the variety in playthroughs are all there and right. It’s familiar enough to attract old fans and fresh enough to give newcomers a look. New Energies also manages to get its message across, and our first game sparked a long and interesting conversation with my kids about why climate change is happening and why some people aren’t ready to fight it.
New Age Catan
In case you’re not familiar, Settlers of Catan was first released in 1995. The game takes place on a fictional medieval island where the hexagonal tiles are randomly placed, making for a lot of replayability. Players must build roads, villages, and cities by spending resources like wood and grain. Resources are collected and traded after rolling dice to determine which tiles will bring profit each round. A robber mechanism adds spice to the game when someone rolls a seven, and some additional achievements and cards award victory points. The winner is the person who collects 10 victory points first.
Photo: Simon Hill
Five editions and various expansions have been released over the years, and for the 20th anniversary edition in 2015, the game was renamed simply Catan. It has sold more than 45 million copies in all its various forms. Catan: New Energies is not an expansion game, but a standalone game. It was first conceived over a decade ago and then put on hold until creator Klaus Teuber and his sons decided to revive it during lockdown.
All the basic mechanics are still there: the randomly generated map with hexagonal tiles, the harvesting and trading of resources, and the race to 10 victory points. But there are several additions and a modern overhaul. Energy is a new resource, and you harvest it by building power plants; towns can support one, and cities can support 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 power plants cost three, and cards are scarce at the start of the game. The catch is that building fossil fuel power plants increases the risk of climate disasters, increasing what is known as the local footprint. Each player must draw brown event tokens from a bag at the start of their turn, and these add up to trigger climate events. Most have negative effects, such as hazards that prevent cities from earning resources for a turn, and they typically penalize the player with the highest local footprint.
Photo: Simon Hill
