S-06 · Sublayer review
Colonist
A free online take on the island-settling board game: trade, build roads and race to ten points.
The review
Colonist is a free online version of the island-settling formula that the board game Settlers of Catan made famous. You place settlements, collect resources from the dice each turn, trade with the other players and race to ten points. The site says no download or sign-up is needed to play.
It shines with friends in a private room, where the trading banter is half the fun. Public games pair you with strangers and a turn timer keeps things moving. A paid membership adds extra maps and expansions; the base game is complete without it.
A way in
Set up a private room for three or four friends and play the base map with the default rules.
A place to stop
One game is a natural evening of about forty-five minutes. Agree before the first roll that it is a one-game night.
Before you play
- Public rooms have chat with strangers.
- There is a turn timer, which keeps games brisk.
- The membership is optional; nothing in it is needed to play.
Also on the shelf
- HexGL: A slick little futuristic racer that runs in the browser: one track, a hover-ship and a time to beat.
- PuzzleScript: An open-source engine for making small block-pushing puzzle games, with a gallery of games other people made.
- The Evolution of Trust: A short interactive guide, half game and half explainer, to why people trust each other and when it breaks down.