# German game appreciation thread (Die Siedler von Catan, und Freunde) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 1, 2002, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-game-appreciation-thread-die-siedler-von-catan-und-freunde/101266 "2002-04-01T20:48:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2002, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-game-appreciation-thread-die-siedler-von-catan-und-freunde/101266/1 "2002-04-01T20:48:44Z")
What’s your favorite German game? For those who might be unfamiliar with the term, “German” games refers to a recent explosion of board games, well-made, with quality wood counters and well-designed boards, usually fairly abstract, typically emphasizing strategy. The prototypical example is [Settlers of Catan](http://www.coolgames.com/mfg/catalog/catpages/soc/SoCatan.htm), which is number one on my list of games that I will probably still be playing fifty years from now. [Java](http://www.riograndegames.com/games/rio165.html), with its ever-changing board, is another perennial favorite, but it’s only midway up the scale of elegance. The obsession-of-the-moment is [Through the Desert](http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ttd.html), an absolutely fascinating pure-strategy territory-taking game. Depsite its apalling pastel-colored camel pieces (which look like Smarties but are, alas, inedible), it promises almost infinte replay value. [Elfenland](http://www.boardgamegeek.com/viewitem.php3?gameid=10) seems very interesting, but I’ve only had the chance to play it thrice. The major flaw I see with it is that it’s very frustrating when you get screwed over–you’re stopped dead, and have nothing better to do for the rest of the round than fume.