There is a board game.
Created in 1995, but before my reincarnation… that is, until the early 2020s, it maintained its position as the top-selling board game and the most awarded game, a monstrous achievement.
It dragged countless people into the world of strategic board games, a game where luck, strategy, cooperation, betrayal, and competition blend together fantastically.
Some might not like it, but once you get hooked, it’s hard to escape.
The history of board games can be divided into before and after this game, as it exerted a massive influence worldwide.
“It’s Catan.”
“Ca…tan?”
“It’s a board game where you build a civilization on the fictional island of Catan. You strategically use limited resources and compete intensely with others on a small piece of land.”
“Just listening to it, it sounds…”
“Wouldn’t it be faster to just see it for yourself?”
It would be great if the Third Prince joined, but Catan isn’t fully developed yet, and it’s just to show what kind of game it is.
We sat in a circle with Sally, Adela, and Water Tiger, who had briefly explained the rules beforehand.
“The game board looks like this. It’s a hexagonal shape, also representing a giant island. You fill it with these small hexagonal tiles, like a honeycomb.”
“So… it’s an island. The small hexagons have different pictures on them.”
“Exactly. There are five types: forest, mine, mountain, pasture, and wheat fields. And on each of these tiles, we place a number token.”
From the smallest, 2, to the largest, 12.
Once all the number tokens are placed on the tiles, the setup is complete.
“Simply put, each player rolls two dice on their turn. If the sum of the dice matches the number on a tile adjacent to your village, you collect the corresponding resource.”
“Hmm…?”
For example, let’s say you roll a 3 and a 5, totaling 8.
Then, players can collect resources from the tile with the number 8.
Forest gives wood, mine gives brick, mountain gives ore, pasture gives sheep, and fields give wheat. But you can’t just take them freely.
You start by building a village at the intersection of three tiles, and naturally, if the numbers on those tiles match the dice roll, you can collect resources.
“Here, it doesn’t matter who rolled the dice. As long as the number on an adjacent tile matches, you get the resource.”
“Then… naturally, 7 would be the most advantageous, followed by 6 and 8.”
The Third Prince is right. Since you’re rolling two dice, the most common sums are 7, 6, and 8.
But on this game board, there is no number token for 7.
“6 and 8 are there. They’re highlighted in red because they come up often. But when a 7 is rolled, you move the robber in the center of the island.”
“The robber. It’s standing on a desert tile.”
“It’s a worthless land where you can’t get any resources.”
That’s exactly why the robber stays there.
When a player rolls a 7, they can move the robber to any tile they want.
And once the robber is on a tile, no one can collect resources from it, even if the corresponding dice number is rolled.
Moreover, there’s one more thing.
“If the robber is placed next to a specific player’s village, the player who moved the robber can randomly take one resource from that player.”
“…So, rolling a 7 not only disrupts others but also guarantees you can steal a resource.”
“That’s an important part of the game. There are more detailed rules, but in short, this is how it works. What do you think?”
“…I see.”
While the Third Prince closed his eyes and pondered, Sally, who had been staring at Catan, muttered.
“Wow, the Young Master is a genius! He understood such a complicated game in an instant…”
“Your thinking is too shallow.”
“…What?”
“Just because it’s complicated…”
“It’s not a good game. This board game called Catan is structured so that everything depends on the dice, but it’s not purely a game decided by luck. Since you can also gain resources from other players’ dice rolls, it actually minimizes the element of luck as much as possible.”
“…………….”
“On top of that, you place roads between hexagonal tiles and build new villages at the ends of those roads to expand your influence. The more villages you build, the higher your chances of gaining resources, so inevitably, players are forced into competition within the narrow confines of Catan Island. Isn’t that right?”
“…………….”
“Rather than blindly praising it as genius just because it’s complex, a detailed analysis of the board game would be much more helpful to Kyle Byron.”
“………….”
“Indeed, it’s Adela we’re talking about. There’s a reason she holds a high position in the tower and was appointed as Master Olfin’s top disciple.”
The rules she explained to everyone were almost the same as what she had just explained to the Third Prince. Even though she didn’t go into more detailed rules, Adela seemed to have already grasped the essence of what Catan is about.
After hearing Adela’s words, Sally bowed her head deeply, but she had no reason to feel ashamed. After all, what I want is a player to enjoy board games with, not a board game analyst.
And in that regard, neither Adela nor the Water Tiger can keep up with Sally. After all, we’ve been playing board games together for over ten years.
However, Adela isn’t entirely wrong. Such feedback is actually very helpful for me, as I need to adapt board games from the original world to fit this one.
So instead of comforting Sally with words, I just quietly patted her shoulder.
“Adela, is there nothing more?”
“……Huh?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Still, it’s a bit disappointing. With that level of analysis, I thought she might figure out the most important rule of Catan on her own, even though I didn’t explain it.
As I patted her shoulder, Sally immediately raised her head and grinned, so I quietly turned my gaze away.
To the Third Prince, who was still deep in thought.
‘Adela didn’t notice, but the Prince might be able to figure it out.’
That was a vague belief. A glimpse of the talent the Third Prince has shown through his actions so far.
The showmanship in Abracadabra, and the political acumen that hints at……’insight.’
And the Prince did not betray my expectations.
“The game feels a bit stifling.”
“Could you elaborate further?”
“Kyle, if the game progresses as you say, the maximum number of resources players can obtain early on would be limited to three types, right? Isn’t that so?”
“Correct. Since a village can only be adjacent to up to three types of tiles.”
“But Catan has five types of resources. And since some tiles overlap, there are villages that might not even get three types. This means players would have to build new villages to obtain other resources, but.”
*Tap.*
The Third Prince tapped the ‘production chart’ prepared on the table and continued.
The fatal contradiction in the current Catan.
“Building a road requires one wood and one brick. That’s manageable. But building a village is a different story.”
“Go on.”
“Building a village requires one wood, one brick, one sheep, and one wheat. That’s four types of resources. According to the rules, that’s impossible, but……Kyle Byron?”
“Yes? Why is that?”
“Well……aren’t you grinning too much? Is there something odd about what I’m saying?”
“Not at all! I’m completely satisfied, Your Highness!”
“Hmm……?”
The Prince is right. If the game progresses as I explained, Catan would be a very stifling game.
Of course, I didn’t mention the rule about starting with two villages, but even if I had, the Third Prince would have raised this issue. The game would still feel sluggish.
‘Even if you start with two villages and cover all five resource tiles, the numbers are still a problem.’
In the end, to gain resources, you need the dice.
The sum and numbers must match. But if the numbers are 2 or 12, can you really get those resources? You have to roll two dice and get 1-1 or 6-6, right?
This is why Catan inevitably leaves players chronically short on resources. Either you’re missing a specific resource or you’re just generally lacking.
And because of that.
Catan has one crucial rule.
“There’s a rule I haven’t mentioned yet.”
“A rule? What kind of rule…?”
“Players can trade with each other.”
“…What?”
“That means, on your turn, you can trade resources with other players.”
“Ah…!!”
Now it all makes sense. Why Catan is designed in a way that makes resource scarcity inevitable.
Catan is a game where you can’t fully gather all five types of resources on your own. But if you consider the resources of other players, the story changes.
And that means.
“Competitors… and collaborators.”
“That’s the core of Catan.”
Catan encourages competition. It’s essentially a land-grabbing game, and since the board isn’t that big, it’s only natural.
However, unlike other board games, you can’t just treat your opponents as enemies and compete. If you want to expand your influence, you inevitably have to trade with other players.
A board game where interaction, dialogue, persuasion, and negotiation are key. A game that caused a seismic shift in the board game world with its entirely different gameplay.
That’s what Catan was.
And I couldn’t help but want to applaud the Third Prince for instantly grasping this.
If Adela gathers fragmented information and pieces it together, the Third Prince sees something *else* in that information.
In other words, he has a talent optimized for board games.
But even after hearing the full explanation of Catan, the Third Prince still looked somewhat puzzled.
“Kyle Byron, I have one question.”
“Ask away.”
“From what I’ve heard so far, this game of Catan… seems more likely to drive people apart than bring them together.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Well, deliberately refusing to trade certain resources, openly blocking road or settlement construction, colluding with other players to isolate someone… aren’t all these plays legal within the rules?”
“Exactly.”
“If I played this with my brothers, I’d be worried about my life rather than getting closer to them!”
From the Third Prince’s perspective, it’s absurd. He was called here to bond with his brothers, who might one day kill him, only to find out the board game created for this purpose is a friendship-destroying game.
Of course, I didn’t do this to mess with the Third Prince on purpose.
“Calm down, Your Highness. This is just the first game.”
“…First?”
“Of course, I have many other board games in mind. But rather than just hearing explanations, I thought it would be better to show you the results directly and let you decide while playing, especially since you’ve promised unlimited support.”
“I see… That’s fair.”
It’s just that I really wanted to play Catan.
‘No, that’s not it.’
A figure as significant as the Third Prince promised unlimited support. Did you think I’d just make one board game tailored to his taste and call it a day? Not a chance.
Catan was a game I really wanted to make, but the process was tricky due to the need for various illustrations, miniatures, and tokens, so I put it on hold. But now I can make it so easily, right?
Of course, I’ll fulfill the Third Prince’s request. I already have a suitable board game in mind. But still.
‘If not now, when will I ever make it?’
Mass production isn’t the goal. Making just one is enough. I can play it with Sally, Water Tiger, and Adela.
So I made Catan under a convenient excuse, fully aware it doesn’t align with the Third Prince’s goals.
And the next few games will also be…
It was supposed to be a simple plan.
“Didn’t you say you’d support me endlessly? Are you really going to use that much?”
Since we’re making it anyway, should we call in some Dwarf engineers? I heard they’re treated as honored guests by the imperial family, being master blacksmiths and all.
Why not even summon a group of court painters to create a giant board game board? Plus, we could use artifacts to maintain Hardening Magic.
Smirking at this dream-like reality, I picked up the dice.
“Alright, let’s give it a try!”
“Uh……….”
“You’ll understand once you see it. Here we go……!!”
*Rolling sound.*
The dice rolled.
After 20 years since my reincarnation, I couldn’t hold back my laughter while playing Catan.
‘Huh? Come to think of it, wasn’t there someone who asked me to find something earlier?’
Hmm… I don’t know. It couldn’t be more important than the board game anyway.
I just forgot about everything and stared at the rolling dice.
Today, I’ll enjoy Catan all day, and tomorrow, I’ll look forward to creating another board game.
*
The night in the imperial palace isn’t really night.
Even when the people of the capital slept beneath the floating imperial palace, the palace itself shone brightly. It wasn’t something to be worshipped like the sun, but more like a place where people were just working overtime.
Those who worked in the imperial palace were either the empire’s top talents or high-ranking officials, but even they were forced to work overtime under the emperor’s strict orders.
If it weren’t for the palace, they could’ve at least cursed freely. But they couldn’t. That’s why the palace was both a place of respect and a place some dreaded.
Yet, in the eastern part of the palace where the Third Prince resided, the lights went out early. The Third Prince believed that keeping the lights on late could provoke the First and Second Princes.
So, on this night when the lights went out early and everyone, including the Third Prince, was asleep.
In a place more spacious and luxurious than the guest rooms of the Magic Tower, Kyle Byron was deep in dreamland.
“Sleep tight… Young Master……….”
After hours of focusing on Catan, it was only natural he’d be tired. His maid, who had cast a simple Sleep Magic spell, thought so.
She admired the sleeping face of her beloved Young Master for a while, then giggled softly while standing guard.
Covering Kyle’s blanket again, she swallowed her drool unconsciously, her face filled with pure happiness.
“And then……….”
[………….]
Right next to Kyle Byron.
The moment her gaze fell on the Water Tiger shamelessly sharing the same blanket, the atmosphere quickly cooled.
Her happy expression turned blank, and she drew a dagger she had been hiding all along.
Despite the clear threat, the Water Tiger didn’t move. It was too close to Kyle Byron to act recklessly.
Was what seemed like an advantage actually a fatal mistake? The Water Tiger couldn’t respond at all.
Without making a sound, the maid circled the bed and walked to the opposite side.
She whispered quietly.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
[……….]
“If you followed……….”
[………you.]
“I’d kill you.”
And then.
*Thud.*
