My favourite spin-off set in the Catan family is Catan: Ancient Egypt.
It is not just the artwork and theme that I like but also how the game contains three distinct playable versions smoothly within the one boxed set.
I am based in New Zealand but have been using my good friend Erwin, a Catan dealer in Germany, as my postal address to save on shipping. He has also sold me some of the rare games I have (well most of my rare games actually).
Below is the text from a cool little scenario I found in a box of old Catan bits from the Netherlands. Given the English used and the use of windmills to reclaim land I think it is safe to assume it was a Dutch Catan fan who created this. Rather than rewrite the rules I have kept them exactly as the creator originally typed them. They can still be understood and it also recognises the efforts of the unknown creator who put this together. Here goes.
Celebrating 25 years of Catan by adding 5/6 players to my 10th Anniversary 3D set
In 2006 I bought my first 3D 10th Anniversary Catan set. I still think this is one of the best designed and presented sets ever made for any game. The set comes with hand painted resin 3D hexes, cities, settlements, roads and knights and is set up for 4 players.
Here is another unsual hex called the Treasure Hex. Not sure of the source, but it is from a series of hexes I found in the Dutch collection I purchased.
Well it is now 2020 and my collection has grown significantly in the past few years.
So much so that I admit that even this website is out of date and I need to take some time to sit and photograph all the missing items that are on my shelves but not in my database.
I have been very fortunate to acquire what is apparently a 1995 pre-launch Catan set used to test and promote Catan before the first commercial set with the Franckh logo was released.