Settlers of Catan Resource Number Tokens

myminifactory

I just noticed that someone else has created a design from a few years ago that's similar in concept to mine. Sorry! I should have looked more carefully earlier on. They're not exactly the same, but the intent is pretty close. Credit where it's due: https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-catan-numbers-19344 I love Settlers of Catan. For me, like many others, it was the first step out of the world of Monopoly and Checkers into the world of mature and well-designed game experiences. I've owned both the original and the Cities and Knights expansion for almost 10 years at this point, and I've only lost one piece: The F-10 number chit. The number chits are one of the most important features of the game's design. They determine which locations and resources will be most plentiful or sparse. They're also tiny pieces of cardboard the size of an American quarter. And while I think Teuber's approach to procedural generation of the game map is inspired, for many players there is some difficulty internalizing which numbers represent the most valuable locations on the grid. My replacement parts address a few design considerations: 1) They can replace your chits if they have gone missing. 2) They're bigger and thereby harder to lose again. 3) The height of each piece is proportional to the likelihood of its corresponding roll. One pip translates to 5mm of height, so sixes and eights are 30mm tall and twos and twelve's are 5mm tall. Newer players or those without much experience considering the statistics of two dice rolls can quickly assess the most valuable areas of the map. 4) By removing the pips and rendering the letter information without contrasting color, the chits are much less visually busy and the numbers stand out with much higher contrast (compare the two in one of the print pictures). The pieces are pictured alongside the classic 3D Catan Terrain Pieces by JAWong: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:26979