At this year’s Comic Con Africa, Unplug Yourself will be hosting the 2023 Catan Nationals event where the winner will be jetting off to the 2024 Catan World Championships.

“There are only a hundred places, and we anticipate a scramble for tickets. Winning this Catan tournament will be a very big deal, a prestigious accolade, because the victor will represent South Africa at the 2024 Catan World Championships,” explains Philip Galliford, spokesperson for Unplug Yourself.

A game of strategy and chance

In the words of the late Klaus Teuber, the designer of Catan: "When I play a game, I play intuitively. I don't like games where you have to think too much, where luck plays no part and the better player always wins. Chance makes things more exciting. If I know exactly what is going to happen tomorrow, things get boring. It's the same in a game. I prefer it that way."

Since its release in 1995, Catan has grown into one of the world’s favourite tabletop games.  Fans understand that it is not simply a game of strategy but one of chance. One does not need to be a board game savant to win at Catan, and this is part of its enormous appeal.

2024 will see the next Catan World Championships taking place and Catan players the world over will be vying for their spot to represent their country. The same is happening on home soil – the best player from 2023, together with the best player of 2024 will be sent to the Championship.

Brett Fish played for South Africa in 2022. He placed eighth overall and was the first South African in history to go through to round two.

To enter the Catan tournament at Comic Con Africa go to:  https://www.quicket.co.za/events/230638-unplug-yourself-catan-nationals-south-africa/?ref=events-list#/ A ticket to Comic Con Africa for the 23rd as well as your Quicket ticket will be required to participate in this event.

For more information go to https://www.unplugyourself.co.za/catan-road-to-worlds-2024/ 

Catan Fun Facts

The game was previously known as Settlers of Catan.

The designer – the late Klaus Teuber – used to play anonymously online. He did this because once people knew who he was they were reluctant to have him as an opponent.

Catan has been recognised for introducing German-style games to the United States and is enjoyed  by people from all walks of life, from pro athletes to Silicon Valley CEOs.

In 1995 the game took fourth place in the Spiel des Jahres awards, credited for its excellent concept, design, rule structure and layout. In the same year, Catan took home a number of other prestigious board game awards, including an Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Board Game, first place at Deutscher Spiele Preis, and a Meeples’ Choice Award.

Silicon Valley insiders love to network over a game of Catan. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, and former Mozilla chief executive John Lilly have all been known to network over a game of Catan. It is believed to be similar to entrepreneurial strategy.

It is one of the most popular boardgames worldwide and has been translated into 30 different languages, selling over 18 million copies.