Swapped from team play to free-for-all in Catan and it completely changed the vibe

My group always played teams (2v2v2) in Catan because we thought it was more strategic, but last week I made us try a 6-player free-for-all and EVERYONE was trading and backstabbing within 5 minutes. The tension was way higher and no one could hide behind a partner. Has anyone else found that free-for-all brings out a totally different game in standard board games?

2 comments

2 Comments

martin.vera13d ago

Gently disagree with the team thing a bit, but yeah trading gets way more cutthroat when you can't just feed your partner resources. The backstabbing ramps up instantly without a teammate to cover you.

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umaf4413d ago

Ever notice how this same thing plays out in regular conversations? Just like in trades, people are way more likely to help you out if they know you're looking out for them too. But the second it's every person for themselves, like in a group project where one person stops pulling weight, the claws come out. I see it all the time with friends borrowing money or favors. Everyone's nice until you ask for something back and they realize there's no safety net.