The board games world is a lot poorer today as Klaus Teuber, the creator of Catan and a number of early-day games, passed away at the age of 70. The news was confirmed in a statement by Catan Studios, which said that Teuber passed on April 1 after a brief and severe illness.
Teuber Passes Away, but His Memory Lives On
He will be sorely missed. As a board game enthusiast and creator of Catan, Teuber’s legacy is bound to live on for as long as there are board games and even longer. He has single-handedly shaped what Catan Studios believe is the “German Game” that even to this day serves as the basis for tabletop games the world over, which are learning from Catan’s streamlined and inspired design.
We also list Catan as one of the best civilization games of all time to try, and with a good reason. Pete Fenlon head of Catan Studios, said that Teuber’s contributions to the tabletop hobby have been immeasurable and that he, as a human being was selfless, inspirational and above all else – a dear friend.
Teuber designed the game back in 1995 when it was first released as Settlers of Catan. This was his breakthrough in the hobby, earning him the accolades of fans from all over the world. Catan became a fixture game in many industry expos and events since the early days, with tournaments hosted and new players onboarded onto much more complicated games because of it.
As a game on its own, Catan was a product to copy and inspire others – and it still is many years after it was first released. Today, the game has more than 50 expansions and counting, with numerous spin-offs, revised versions, and a way to expand on the original game. It’s simply one of the most-played board games worldwide and continues to be reprinted and bought and played worldwide.
Great Game of Endless Inspirational Value
Catan’s success is partly owing to its simplicity, and partly owing to the fact that the game has an immersive theme and execution, along with a very simple mechanic of rolling dice, which more or less eliminates the tension. Of course, there is strategic depth to Catan and strategies that allow you to win more often. Settlements can be upgraded, armies mustered and dispatched, and victory points acquired so that there may be only one victor in a game of Catan!
In the meantime, the Teuber family has requested that fans respect their privacy. Catan Studios has urged people to honor Teuber’s memory by playing a game with their loved ones and pursuing their creative passions much like Klaus did when he was alive – fearlessly.