Catan has lost it very first and most important settler...
... and the world has lost an amazingly talented game designer.
It was with tremendous sadness I read of the passing of my favourite game designer, Klaus Teuber. I have been, and will always be, such a huge fan of all his games, but especially Catan.
From the very first time I played Catan, the philosophy and design appealed to me. Later I found I was fascinated by the history of Catan and this created the desire to build a Catan collection that I like to think is a tribute to the great man himself.
For myself, one of my bucket list items was to one day meet my hero and show him my collection website. I really wanted to personally thank him for creating the game that has been such a huge positive influence for me.
I would have loved to tell him how Catan has helped me through difficult times, including the passing of my own father last year. Whenever I feel stressed or overwhelmed I lose myself in my collection. I love making up new scenarios and maps, I love researching the history of particular variations, and I love the hunt to find more items for my collection.
Twice I have tried to get to Spiel and each time my plans had to be delayed. I had hoped to get there this year and was excited I might get the opportunity to finally meet both Benjamin, who I have swapped some emails with, and his amazing, brilliant, awesome father.
It is very easy when you read of the death of a famous personaility to forget they are a normal person too. Therefore my primary thoughts are for his family and their loss. I hope they take solace in knowing that his passing has been felt and shared by millions of Catan fans around the world.
Finally all I can say is thank you Klaus, for your imagination and design. Thank you for the pleasure you have given me and my family for over 20+ years and thank you for giving me something I can passionately enjoy and collect. My collection is dedicated to you.
As a mark of respect to Klaus's passing, I greyed my website for seven days.
