Settling Zion (2004)

This game is what I would consider Settlers of Catan on a square grid. There are no roads needed to place the settlements, but you have to pay for them by using resources collected from a die roll that corresponds to a number on the area. Because the grid is used, the players place settlements on the cross of 4 corners, and have access to all of the resources touching it. The main goal of the game is to build your settlements, advance them from branches to wards to stakes (settlement to city) so that you can collect more resources (1,2 or 3). Then along the way the final goal is to pay for certain cards with resources and money(gold resource). After all the cards have been collected by the players the one with the most of these special cards (3 different kinds) wins. Along the way there are special cards that allow for the "robber" (every player rolls on the end of their turn to see if they are robbed [on doubles of the dice]) to not influence you, the black crickets card to unaffect you via the seagulls card, missionary cards, divine inspiration cards, paying tithing bonuses, etc. The components need some help, being that it does look like a first production. Thicker cardboard than normal games might have. Instead of a deck of cards, they come in a sheet you have to pull apart. For a first try it wasn't bad, except the trench (folded area of board), which makes placement on that area annoying.