Monticello in Charlottesville, VA

We arrived at the headquarters of Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) and were greeted by the company’s CEO, Pete Fenlon. At the time, ICE was the largest shareholder of Mayfair Games, Inc., the US publisher of the English language edition of The Settlers of Catan. Pete and his crew at ICE were responsible for the creation of the Mayfair edition of the game. While Mayfair had published an earlier version of the game in 1996, Pete and his team created the version that made it a sustainable international success.

The Settlers of Catan (1st edition)

The Settlers of Catan (2nd edition)

Pete introduced me to his team members, who were busy putting the finishing touches on The Settlers of Catan basic game. In 1997, Mayfair started with a print run of 5,000 Catan basic games. At this time, I always kept up with my father’s game designs, but we had not yet formed a company. Despite Catan’s relatively modest start in the US, I was optimistic that the game would have a great future in this country. And indeed, under the prudent and careful guidance of Mayfair Games, Catan eventually took off and thrived.

By contrast, in 1997, The Settlers of Catan was already a popular bestseller in Germany. In its release year, 1995, the game was awarded the prestigious German Game of the Year award, which propelled its success. The success of Catan in Germany was a surprise even for us. For sure, we were confident that the game was great and would indeed be selling well; however, we did not anticipate its broad appeal. We were lucky that the release occurred at a time when board game reviews had become common in large German newspapers. Moreover, by 1995, the board game hobby had become a mainstream leisure activity in Germany.

In comparison to Catan’s immediate stratospheric rise from the time it was launched in Germany, the game took longer to spread in the US. Initially, only a small group of European board game enthusiasts had heard about Catan. However, the game quickly gained a following on board game related hobby websites, such as www.boardgamegeek.com. Soon, college students and families became aware of Catan. Mayfair has always been a cautious and prudent steward of Catan and grew the brand patiently and steadily in North America, mostly by relying on the power of word-of-mouth marketing.
In 2002, my father and I founded our own company, the Catan GmbH/LLC. This allowed us to better manage rights protection, licensing agreements, game development, marketing, etc. Since then, I have been involved with Mayfair on an even closer, day-to-day basis.

One of my favorite non-fiction books is Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point: How little things can make a big difference.” In his book, Gladwell describes how various small factors can bring something to the surface. For instance, Gladwell describes how products can suddenly become successful. When reading the book, I immediately thought about the development of the Catan brand. Mayfair did a lot of little things right with Catan, on a consistent basis. Over time, this eventually led to the tipping point, i.e., now the mainstream audience increasingly knows about Catan.

The Settlers of Catan (4th edition)

Catan is an ever-evolving gaming and entertainment world. It is hard to imagine any limits in terms of its creative potential, and there is a plethora of possibilities to explore the world of Catan. I am always reminded of this potential, when visiting Pete and his team in Charlottesville. While Catan has settled comfortably in the US, I never feel complacent. There are always new frontiers to explore about the game, the people who play it, the way they interact, and how they play (for instance, increasingly, people play Catan online on www.playcatan.com).

Similarly, I feel comfortable with the American way of life after having lived here for 12 years. And yet, I am not complacent either, but still driven by curiosity and the eagerness to learn about this great country, its history, culture and people. In this sense, I consider Catan as a travel companion on my American journey.

Guido Teuber

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New acquaintances always seem to ask this kind of question. Over time, I have tried different responses.

At first, I used to say: “I’m in the board game business.” Usually, people reacted with a wide-eyed “Oh ….”

I always wondered what people meant by “Oh ….” Perhaps they meant to say, “Oh … I am so sorry,” or maybe, “Oh … can you really make a living this way?”

Indeed, the more generously inclined often gave me a compassionate look, as though they were equating the board game business with a state of long-term unemployment. I often suspected that some of the people with this sort of reaction were on the brink of writing me a check, in order to supplement my unemployment benefits.

I quickly realized that I needed to come up with a different answer if I wanted to improve my perceived financial status. “I am in the video and PC games business” – I tried this when I applied for a mortgage. This answer received more “ahs” than “ohs.”
“Ah, …” as in “Ah, how interesting,” or “Ah … I heard that there’s a lot of money in this business!”

While the latter answer elicited more positive and accepting responses compared to the former, I felt that such a reply betrayed my roots. The bread and butter of what I do is undeniably related to board games! It’s true – today, our games can be played on several platforms, such as PC, Xbox, PS3, Nintendo DS, mobile phones, and more. However, it would be unfair to say that the electronic Catan manifestations are at the core of our business.

For a short while, I veiled myself in vagueness when replying: “My dad and I run a media company,” “I’m in publishing,” or worse, “I’m in the entertainment business.”
Upon being introduced to Craig, nowadays one of my best friends, I said I was in the gaming industry. For the longest time he thought I was working for a casino.

Tired of my evasive responses, I eventually stated: “My dad and I run a board game company. We also do video and PC games.” I am immensely proud of what I do and indeed very happy with my work, but I still uttered this response defensively and with a tinge of irritation.

It is really interesting that one of the first things many people ask you relates to your work. The answer to this question seems to be the nearly all-defining basis on which people judge and evaluate you. I realized that I needed to dig deeper to find a true and appropriate answer.

While digging, I asked myself why I liked board games, and why I am in the gaming business. I have to admit that I am only a casual gamer. I say “only” because I am probably not attending every single game convention, I don’t have a gigantic board game library, and my 7-year-old son beats me handily in most video games. Moreover, I am not starting my days reading the great gamer resource www.boardgamegeek.com (though I probably should).

Cooking and rollerblading before game night

Instead, I prefer pursuing various hobbies along with gaming, such as Yoga, reading, running, rollerblading, rock climbing, skydiving (admittedly, I’ve only done this once), traveling, cooking & entertaining, wine, keeping up with international affairs, and of course, dedicating myself to my family (Emily, Liam, Leif, dog, cat & chickens, which lay amazing eggs). I have a great time having good friends over, sharing a nice dinner with a bottle of wine, followed by playing board games.

While I am a casual gamer, I have been around games for most of my life. In this sense, I have always lived with what I do for a living. In my childhood, my dad would test his game designs in the inner family circle. By doing so, he invited us to experience new worlds, learn about history, be creative, and train our critical thinking skills.

My first guitar

My childhood was filled with these wonderful game creations.

At age 15, my parents gave me a guitar, which abruptly yanked me away from gaming for a while. A few years later – after I had emerged from my taciturn, somewhat confused and rebellious teenage years, which were filled with a passion for folk punk – I rediscovered the joy of board gaming.

Highly focused in the game “Bausack”

Board games connect me to the past as well as the future.

They allow me to bond, spend quality time with family and friends, explore, win, lose, and experience new real and imagined worlds.

These days I simply state: “We make board games.” I can say this with great poise and pride, because my dad’s passion for board games instilled in me an infinite sense of curiosity for life. I am happy about the fact that I have an opportunity to pass on this sense of wonderment to people of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life.

Guido Teuber

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