After weeks of organization and anticipation, two of the university's board game juggernauts met in Love Library on October 24, for a lunch hour throw-down. With scrupulous strategy, and a little luck, the University of Nebraska Press handily defeated their strong University Libraries opponents in a hard-fought game of Settlers of Catan.

Ultimately the game went the only way the UNP team could have predicted—with Terrance “the Bandit” Boldan, known for stealing games, doing what he does best and snatching victory from Richie “Cunningham” Graham and his fellow Libraries teammates at the last minute. This win represented the culmination of many Thursday lunch hours spent with fellow UNP staffers behind the board.

Going into the game, Graham and company held a strong aura of confidence. Even to the game’s final moments Graham could be quoted as saying, “Put the champagne on ice.” Graham and his team’s resoluteness would soon be silenced.

Settlers of Catan can be a ruthless game, and the UNP team proved it early. To start the game, Boldan cut Graham at the knees with a settlement placement that would attempt to cut off Graham’s plans for longest road. Library Representative Kane Click was also bested when UNP’s Weston Poor, after being denied a trade for wheat with Click, dropped the bandit in Click's lap and pilfered the wheat he needed.

The game really heated up when Graham decided to buy a development card, at which point the gloves were off. After edging out Poor for the coveted wood port, he went on to construct the longest road. Graham’s dominance would help set him up for what seemed a sure victory.

However, the tides changed when Boldan remarked that Graham was acting magnanimous with nine points, a reaction to Graham placing the bandit on a desert, hindering no one. This would ultimately prove to be a mistake on Graham’s part.

With seven victory points to Graham’s nine, Boldan made a series of genius plays that would go down in figurative history books. First, he built a civilization, or “church” as the UNP team liked to call it, boosting him to eight points. Then Boldan played the series of resource cards to gain himself a new settlement that tied the game. And not to be defeated, he made two last-minute trades with his teammates for one final move to purchase a development card.

When Boldan purchased the development card, he could only hope it would be good enough to steal a point from Graham, but the fates dealt him one better. Boldan drew one of the few development cards that yield any significant reward: a victory point.

This gave Boldan the ten victory points needed for the win and the photo finish that the University Libraries squad thought would be theirs to gloat.

Needless to say, Graham was shocked by his defeat but remained professional and classy. He and the Libraries squad would have to wait for the next meeting to earn their victory.

This loss is not a point of despair for the Libraries squad; they played a formidable match. From the beginning of the game Graham was surrounded by UNP settlements, but he still managed to gain the longest road and the largest army—two feats not easily obtained. Graham’s game play allowed him to dominate, and he will surely be looking for revenge the next time the two teams meet.

This competitive season opener was one of the most exhilarating games I’ve experienced in my short “Settlers” playing career. Many thanks to the Libraries for challenging us, and we look forward to our next encounter at the UNP library.

Other notable performances;

Kane Click of the Libraries squad, who dominated the resource trade system, was determined to exercise his "ringer" status on the Press's team with sheer dominance and overpowering will.

Weston Poor of the UNP team attempted to bring his 2-0 win streak to the table by planting two additional civilizations on the map, giving him six points, and the early lead. Regrettably, Poor made some poor… choices and stalled at six points to end the game.

Erica Corwin of the UNP team, known for her methodical marches to victory and irrational disdain for the sheep commodity, worked her way up to seven victory points before aiding her teammate, Boldan, to the win.

David Arredondo of the Libraries squad attempted a daring but ultimately unsuccessful strategy of hoarding resources.

“Coach” Shirley Thornton helped her UNP team to victory with rousing criticism, fierce scrutiny, and sharp officiating. Coach wasn't afraid to call out any player on infractions or lackadaisical game play.

-Weston