Nice video! I like (and used before) this concept. But I think one doesn't have to keep the definition for blocking settlements that narrow, it can widened for broader application. At 5:27 and 9:34 you would block more settlement spots when placing at the 9/10/11 than on the 4/9/11. So one can consider here the 9/10/11 as blocking settlement although touching the center ring. It becomes blocking settlement due to the placed triangle settlements at 5/8/10 and 3/4/6. Also, sometimes even settlements touching the central hex might be considered as triangle settlement (the 4/9/11 here would not be the best example though, since in all cases it's either unlikely or unnecessary to build the two settlements with only two additional roads + starting road from there).

I started watching this just before I was last place on a low OWS board. You helped me win again!

Very useful video. I have thought of most of this intuitively before, but not so explicitly or systematically. And Not with regards to picking my first settlement from position 1 or 2. I made another set of comments below. I hope they don't come off as critical. I just don't know that "Triangle Settlements" is a good descriptor, because all settlements form triangles with their roads. Maybe "Outward Pointing Peripheral Settlements"? (because the settlement's pattern of potential roads forms an outward pointing arrow; Peripheral, to distinguish from "center settlements" which point outward too.)

@@michaellee4276 Yea that hardest part with the video was giving it a proper name. I'm glad you could take something away from this!

@@DyLightedCatan I call it the shuriken because it looks like a 3 pointed throwing star, and it's just as deadly

YES!! I realized that after I uploaded this and felt so dumb!!

lol!

Hahaha. So glad I could help out! Good luck out there.

Thank you! I always love reading your comments. That's what I hope to do with this game!

Thank you so much! I really appreciate you leaving kind comments for me. There was once a time where I wanted to be the best in the world, but I feel like helping others become better is a more noble and realistic goal. Thank you for caring. I do get burnt out from videos a lot which is why I take some breaks. I'll try my best not to!

Thank you so much for your appreciation! I'll make sure to make more videos for you!

Thanks! If enough people want this, then I'll make a video on it.

@@DyLightedCatan I would like this as well!

Yes i love dessert :)

@@DyLightedCatan I would love to learn about how to utilize the desert it would make an awesome video

I'd love to see each desert and dessert setup. Can't wait for a perfect execution of the banana split strategy 🏜️🍧🍰

It’s 100% a gem! I totally agree!

Is it an old gem? I had no idea. Board game cafes in my country have it as a top 3 pick, at least in the city I live. I assumed it was recently made or at least expanded upon.

Thanks! I appreciate it! I work really hard on these videos and spend hours and hours editing them to look good. I'd like to think I am the "next step" after people watch Neonate's videos. Thank you for watching!

For some reason I didn't catch this comment! Oops! I'm so glad you were able to counter OWS with my help! OWS is definitely a monster, but can turn into a dead player with the right counter strategy. Good job!

Thanks! I appreciate it!

Awesome! I'm so glad I could help. Good luck winning!

Thank you Alan! That's so kind of you to say!

Awwww what a sweetheart! Thank you Maria!

Thanks! It's all about the creativity that advances the strategy in this game!

Awesome! I'm so glad that you take something away from this video. I hope you implement this in your own game.

Thanks! I definitely recommend triangle roads for the OWS setups! Looks like you've got that down.

Thank you! I really appreciate the kind words!

Hello! We’ll have to see! I think there’s a good chunk of people wanting it to happen so I might put that on the list.

Hello Rama! I do not speak Spanish but I put your comment in Google translate. I am so glad I could give you a new perspective and help you improve! Good luck!

Great point, I thought about this too and did take a note of it. There's just so much wheat on the board and I think there's a good chance that Gray can get a trade for wheat. I also think it also is very detrimental to red's game if they lose the race as the free road is extremely important. Losing roads and delaying yourself to the wheat port really hurts.

Thanks! It's super cool to think about!

Thank you! I really do think there's a lot more in playing defensively. It really hasn't been discussed before. I think the 5/6/11 is definitely good, but getting to the brick port is the hard part.

Yep!

Thank you, Benjamin! There are many more secrets I'm going to expose... just wait!

Oops! I missed this comment! I think 4th can still play but they are severely hurt. Never give up!

Not really. 90% of the online strategy guides are really outdated and bad. Your best bet to learn more is watching my videos along with Neonate's Catan videos. I'd recommend starting out by watching Neonate's Catan videos then moving on to mine, as I assume most of my viewers have some prior knowledge of the game. Keep on learning!

I think of the board as 5 concentric rings of settlement spots. Calling spots "Triangle Settlements" isn't very descriptive, because all settlements form triangles with their roads Also these kind of settlements can gum up the game pretty bad if they are placed wrong too. The 1st ring is around the central tile. The 2nd ring is spots 1 road from the center tile. This is the ring of blocking settlements. The 3rd Ring is two roads from center tile(these are your triangle settlements). The fourth ring is the 12 two-tile coastal spots and the 5th, outer ring is 18 single tile spots. The 2nd, Blocking Ring is special because it can be filled to block the entire adjacent rings which make up all of the remaining 3 tile spots and create a board with as as few as 12 remaining legal spots (eighteen total). (the 4th ring when filled blocks the adjacent rings, but the 4th and 5th rings are less valuable and there are so many more spots here.) The maximized board with settlements 2-roads away from each other will follow a 1,3,2,3,1,3,2,3,1,3,2,3 circular pattern of three tile settlements (counting clockwise or counter-clockwise starting at the top or bottom) (the numbers correspond to the ring number).

Implications: As you say, If you want more expansionist possibilities, go in the 3rd ring. (for best results, go an even number of spaces from the nearest settlements). These positions work because they actively block the Blocking Settlements in the 2nd ring. Going in the 1st ring also works the same way, though you might get pinned in.

Hahah thanks for stopping by! This video is very advanced so some of it might not make sense 😅. However feel free to check out some of my other videos!

Super cool! I’m so glad that my videos can help you out. I love hearing from people that see visible improvement with their gameplay :).

I only play the 4p base game as that’s the tournament standard. If I can recall correctly, harbormaster is the same thing just with harbor points. Everything said can be applied in this version.

Haha. Thanks

No no! That's a fantastic thing to point out. Honestly I never noticed it myself but this definitely changes a lot! I still haven't thought of it.

Awesome! I'm doing my best to make as many as possible!

Hahaha yea I should’ve done that!!!!

Thanks for the kind comment! Great job on the win. Of course, I'll accept you. I really do hope I am helping people!

😅🤣

XD I think you should watch some videos on the basic rules before watching this! This made me laugh haha

DylLighted - Catan I actually did and it’s pretty fun

Love it haha. Only physics people will get it though 😁

At higher level play placements like this happen a lot more often and you can predict where your opponents will pick as they are more fundamentally advanced. With weaker lower level players this won’t work as much as you said.

@@DyLightedCatan do you understand the word "consistently"? Read again what I wrote. Thanks for reply but I disagree.

Of course! The social aspect of Catan is sooo important! I just haven't made any videos going over specific table talk, but I am going to go over it soon. I've played in a countless amount of tournaments (and won a fair share of them) so I totally get what you're saying. Table talk is essential. It's just a bit more difficult to make a video over this. Also, a lot of people's core strategy is flawed in general, which is why I make strategy videos! Thanks for the comment and concern.