With the release of Dawn of Humankind, we have another old Catan game that has been updated and re-released. This article is my brief way to compare the old and the new, ie Catan: Dawn of Humankind (2022) vs The Settlers of the Stone Age (v1 2002, v2 2008)
(you can click on any image in this article to see a larger version)
Here are the two games displayed with their components.
Simple Questions/Simple Answers
- Is Catan: Dawn of Humankind simply a reprint of The Settlers of the Stone Age?
No, far from it. - Is Catan: Dawn of Humankind the same rules as The Settlers of the Stone Age?
Not quite, but not that far from the original. - Does Catan: Dawn of Humankind feel the same as The Settlers of the Stone Age to play?
A much harder question to anwer and I think I am going to say sort of yes, with the proviso I may change this blog post in the future after playing a few more games.
OK, nothing too decisive yet so read on, it may help answer some questions... or it may not but feel free to read on any way.
A Brief History
The Settlers of the Stone Age was first released in English in 2002. The English version was reprinted with a new box design in 2008. In 2002 the German and Dutch versions were also released. Each of these games featured custom artwork on the outer boxes, while the contents were all similar. My favourite artwork of these early sets is the Dutch version, however I must admit I think Catan: Dawn of Humankind artwork has all the early versions beat.
There is also a Russian version of the game using the German artwork, but I do not know the release date. I presume it is also around 2002. The original version of this game is one of the Catan series that I enjoyed so much it made my international sets list, I shall have to wait and see if Dawn of Humankind also makes the list. While it is only in English, Dutch and German at present, I would imagine it will be released in a lotl more languages than the original over time.
Whats Included in the box?
Here are the two games and thier game contents.
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The Settlers of the Stona Age 1 game board |
Catan: Dawn of Humankind 1 game board |
Game Descriptions
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The Settlers of the Stona Age Man's Epic Struggle. The cradle of modern humans, called Homo sapiens by scientists, was located in Africa more than 100,000 years ago. The first branches of this family began a journey that spanned thousands of years. Eventually leading them to Australia and America. The enormous difficulties of this journey were overcome because of Homo sapiens' unique ability to adapt to its environment. Their highly developed brains and their mastery of crafts enabled them to flourish in even the harshest conditions. In this exciting game, you will guide the journey of one of these branches. You must strive to spread your people over the whole world. In order to expand your branch of humanity, you must develop certain talents: advances in the preparation of food will allow your people to spread faster and wider, while new hunting techniques can protect them from dangers. And your people will need warm clothes to cross the ice deserts of the north and boats to settle Australia. Of course, all of this is possible only if you have enough raw materials: meat, hides, bones and flint. There are many paths that you may follow to victory. But it is certain that the player that settles in the most productive lands, trades for missing raw materials with the other players most skillfully, and is able to best penetrate the lands of Australia and America, will end the game with their nose in front! |
Catan: Dawn of Humankind The first branches of the human family tree sprouted in Africa up to 300,000 years ago. Over the millennia, humans journeyed out, putting down new roots in all areas of the world, evolving, adapting, and innovating as they went. In Dawn of Humankind, you will guide one branch of the human family to gather resources, migrate, and settle in new areas, all while advancing their technology and culture. The player who is best able to grow and develop their thriving civilization wins! This fresh and vibrant reboot of the original game The Settlers of the Stone Age is rooted in the classic CATAN gameplay system with plenty of new game mechanisms, strategies, and adventures to discover. |
My own thoughts on the two games
These comments will be expanded in the future as it is some time since we played The Settlers of the Stone Age. Our plan is to play a few more games of Catan: Dawn of Humankind and get familiar with this, then go back to the old game and play a few of that as a comparison.
My initial impressions though are ...
Cosmetically the new game is well ahead of the older version. Even though the playing pieces are plastic, I much prefer the newer figures over the old wooden ones. The squares and cylinders of the old game never really made sense to me.I would note a caution with the plastic pieces though. When scooping up the Explorers to stick them back in a plastic bag after use be careful as the tips of the spears are a bit fragile.
Another aspect I like is the redesign of the map and cards. Also it makes sense that that the progress chart/tracks are not printed onto the frame. as it allows you to place these where best suits your table. Sadly the map is no smaller with these removed so it still takes a chunk of table space.
From the first play of Dawn of Humankind it is clear that the two games are very similar, but Dawn of Humankind is definitely improved. The greatest difference for me centres around the exploration counters/markers. The use of numbers and the removal of these for desloation, rather than desert hexes and desertification is just one example. Given change can be hard for me, I may just pinch the desert hexes from a copy of Stone Age and place one of these when a number is removed.
As noted ablove I will add more comments on game play to this blog in the future after playing a few more times.
Finally, some images of the games side by side
The front and back of the two game boxes
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The playing pieces for each game.
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