Random Catan tips

I have been doing pretty well in Settlers of Catan Online (current rating, 1771 with 22 wins in 49 three-player games, or 44.9% wins). I enjoy the game for a number of reasons, one of which being is pretty fast: most games end in 20-25 minutes. Not surprisingly for those who know me, I also enjoy being able to track my progress, and rank.

Lately I have been thinking of some "best practices" for playing Settlers, online or f-t-f. I have a document that I pour tips into when they come to me. Here's a sample:

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Catan Strategy tip #4 from Phuntomx:

When placing your City or Settlement, if all things are equal, make sure to place them on a number shared by your opponent. It would be VERY unlikely that your opponent would ever place the thief on a number that he shares with you. Sharing a resource location with at least 1 other player significantly reduced the odds by which you will have the thief placed on you, and great increases the odds that when he does, you will be able to remove it.

Also, be wary of the 6 and 8 locations, as these often attract the thief, as they are rolled 14% of the time. Five's and nines come up 11% of the time, still quite frequently, and are somewhat less likely to draw your opponents thief.

Catan Strategy tip #6 from Phuntomx:

When playing for the Longest Road, do not settle for simply having a tie in length, or even 1 extra link. If the game is on the line, make sure to add 2 or even 3 extra links in the chain, to prevent your opponent from playing a “road building card”, and stealing your 2-point advantage in one more. Also, it’s rare, but be aware of the 13-road limit, and if you are in a race with an opponent, make sure you get to 13 first so he doesn’t steal it from you.

Also, remember that it is extremely difficult to win a game of Settlers without having the Longest Road, or Largest Army. Very few games will be (or even can be) won without one of this. Decide in the first few turns which one you will go for, and build your strategy around it.

New players will almost always go for the longest road immediately, so use this to your advantage as well, by demanding favorable trading terms with them (when they are asking for Brick and Wood every single turn it can give you a clue). Also, cut their two initial Settlements in half immediately. This usually reduces their chance of having the longest road by 50% or so, and they will not always go right after the Largest Army, usually choosing to continue to find a path to the longest road. Sometimes this makes sense based on their setup, but often new players are playing other new players, and have not experienced as many Army wins are not as fearful of it as they should be. Use this to your advantage, especially at the lower rankings (i.e. below 1600).

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There is a lot more to say about Settlers in terms of tactics, but I feel that I'm starting to reach the cap of what I can learn about the game. There are fewer tactics to explore, and many of them are begining to be flushed out. Against a well positioned player who does not make any mistakes, it often comes down to the dice, in my opinion.

Still waiting for Tab's feedback on when he 'never loses' (see July 25th post) in Settlers!?