Hey folks! Comms Hawk Brianna here to celebrate German board game designer Klaus Teuber, creator of Settlers of Catan, aka the catalyst of roughly 43% of all my family arguments.

In case you missed it, Teuber passed away on April 1 at the age of 70. We at Trivia Mafia were pretty bummed — coincidentally, co-owner Chuck competed in a tournament the day Teuber passed — so we wanted to take time to talk about this gaming titan.

Teuber created his game as an escape from his career as a dental technician. When those of you who have played think about how painful it felt to learn Catan’s intricate rules for the first time, knowing this man used to work on teeth adds up.

His hope was that Catan would become a classic alongside iconic games like Monopoly, and it’s safe to say he achieved that. Board game aficionados will likely describe Teuber’s magnum opus as the gateway into “gamer” offerings (e.g., anything beyond Monopoly, Clue, Sorry, Game of Life, etc. No shade to those games, though!). It was a favorite of Ben Wyatt’s on “Parks and Recreation,” possibly providing inspiration to the character’s own complicated masterpiece The Cones of Dunshire.

For those who have never played, the board consists of hexagonal pieces that represent five different geological resources and one single desert space, which can be shuffled and placed in myriad combinations during game setup. Each hexagon represents a resource where you can build settlements and obtain resources to spend as you try to build the best civilization on the island. First to hit 10 points wins. It requires 3-4 players, and you have to purchase extensions to add a fifth and sixth player.

There are, to date, six different expansions, seven extensions, and 12 add-on scenarios. I fully recognize all of this may send you running for the rolling, sheep-laden hills, and I respect that.

Throughout the game’s history, fans have held differing opinions on the game’s pronunciation: Is it “ka-TAHN” or is it “ka-TAN”?

So I opted to go to the source himself. In this interview celebrating 25 years of Catan in 2020, the game is very clearly pronounced “ka-TAHN.” As a Bree-AH-nuh who has always pronounced Catan this way, I have to say I’m feeling pretty vindicated.

While we are on the subject of pronunciation, he pronounces his name “TOY-buhr.” This is one I’ve gotten wrong for decades, so those of you who were also saying “TOO-buhr” are not alone.

While Catan Studio said the best way to honor Teuber is “being kind to one another, pursuing your creative passions fearlessly, and enjoying a game with your loved ones,” anyone who has played a game of Catan knows that the first request is…not always easy during gameplay.

Am I still holding a grudge against my brother for a really jerk move monopolizing all the sheep right before I won the game while we were visiting him to celebrate his graduation from the Air Force’s boot camp nearly 16 years ago? Yes. Do I still resent fellow host Marcus Woodard for an illegal settlement placement at the beginning of the game that no one else, including myself, noticed until it was too late? Of course. Teuber may have left us, but our Catan grudges live forever.

That said, despite how soul-crushing Catan losses can feel, the game does have a magnetic power to bring people together. As referenced in the New Yorker article linked at the top, Teuber recalls a letter he once received from an attendant at a sanitarium for children, who shared that one of the boys there had never spoken to the other children. Some time later, the boy noticed a group of kids playing Catan. “He came to the other children and started to play,” Teuber said. “Now he gets contact with other people. Catan is the medium for that.”

Thank you, Klaus, for the years of plenty on the longest road some of us have ever taken with a game. Ten victory points to you.