Glancing around a local store, one could easily spot a vast collection of colorful board games. However, after purchasing and playing, one might find a lot of these seemingly “fun” games are actually a huge waste of time. But there is one game that radiates from the typical, drab cluster. Like a knight in shining armor, the game Settlers of Catan gleams with a one-of-a-kind sparkle, making it a rare source of fun for all types of board game lovers. By playing Settlers, a game initially designed in 1995 in Germany by Klaus Teuber, all of your secret dreams and desires of founding settlements and constructing roads can smoothly transition into reality. Anything is possible on the secluded island of Catan, where the main goal is to become the dominant settler by acquiring the most Victory Points. These VPs are achieved through building settlements and cities, creating the longest road or largest army, or purchasing specific Development Cards. After trading and collecting cards that represent resources based off the landscape, players can choose how they want to use their resources to snag more VPs. As dice are tossed and turns are taken, the game ends when the first player secures 10 VPs. Although Settlers is both time-consuming (an average game can last 2-4 hours) and somewhat difficult for first-time users to fully grasp, originality allows this strategy game to completely revolutionize the world of board games as we know it. Plus, Settlers provides many opportunities to brag about your triumphs to anyone within earshot. After all, there is obviously oodles of self-pride that comes with declaring you founded three cities or organized the largest army of knights known to mankind. If you’re ready to hurl yourself off the boat of dull board games, then go ahead and dive into the luscious waters surrounding the unpredictable island of Catan. Maybe if your natural survival skills prevail, or if your cheating tactics are just sneaky enough, you can become the ultimate Settler of Catan.