I haven't played with the Cities and Knights expansion yet. I have it, but I hardly ever get a chance to play Catan as it is. Most of the games my wife like are fun, but there is not too much direct competition. Catan is a very cutthroat game and I can't just let people win.

Last night I did get a chance to introduce two new players to Catan and it went over very well. One of the players declared that it was the best game he has ever played.

I didn't do that well in the game I ended up second. I thought I was setup nicely in the beginning with a settlement setting on a brick (value 6) and pretty good values on wood and ore. The problem I had was 6 was only rolled 1 time over the course of the entire game and one of the guys I was playing with didn't get the concept of not trading with the leader of the game. He would give the leader 2 or 3 resources for 1 brick.

The leader had a sheep factory (two settlements on a sheep-8 hex) and the sheep port, while no one else seemed to ever have any brick besides the leader due to a brick-9 hex that seemed to be rolled once each round. I knew the game was slipping away early, but I couldn't convince the other player of that fact. He decided that I was just trying to manipulate him, so he started attacking me when he had a knight developement card.
](https://lotrtcgdb.com/forums/Smileys/classic/wall_bash.gif)
After the leader had 2 cities built on his sheep hex, the longest road, 2 other settlements (1 on the same sheep hex) and a development card that had been face down for the majority of the game, he decided that we may need to work together.

I told him it was too late at that point and there was nothing that could be done. He then realized the error of his ways.

Final Score: Winner 10, Me 6 and mr late realization 4.
It was a rowdy game with a whole lot of screaming and finger pointing. Good times. I figure a couple of more games with the basic game and we'll be ready for Cities and Knights.