Designed by Klaus Teuber.

Formerly known as Settlers of Catan, in this game you will settle a new homeland, build some settlements, connect them with roads, and pound some sheep into bricks.

Catan is considered a classic game, and it’s popularity helped kickstart the era of modern board gaming.  I would consider it an Essential Gateway Board Games (i.e. games you can play with non-gamers in hopes you can turn them into filthy gamers).

Key Mechanic: Resource Generation.  My favorite mechanic is actually one I have rarely seen replicated in a game.  Each hex on the map corresponds to a different resource, and is pre-seeded with a number from two to twelve.  Players build settlements on the corners of hexes, and roll two dice at the start of their turn.  Whatever number they roll, every player who has a settlement next to a hex with that number gains the appropriate resources.   Clearly, sixes and eights are the strongest bets, but limited placement options may force players to make suboptimal choices (2, 3, 11, 12) and hope for a rare roll payoff.

Catan is an old game and has been surpassed in many ways, but it does do things no other game does well, and is considered a classic for good reason.

(Photo source: Board Game Geek)