Cheops - 1997 Scenario Map

This German language map is not only the very first Catan scenario map it also has an unusual story to its creation. It is also the very first example of Ancient Egyptian themed Catan. It would be followed by Historische Szenarien I (1998-2002) and the Collectors Edition Catan: Ancient Egypt (2014).

The unique story behind this map is that not only was it renamed during the production process, but it was also quickly withdrawn after its release. In the promotional announcement for this map (1997 Catan Club newsletter) the map is called Ramses and it introduced the idea of building pyramids as part of the game. However before the map was printed it was pointed out that the Pharaoh Ramses never built a pyramid. So the name of the scenario was changed to Cheops. Unfortunately when the map was printed the gold fields were accidentally omitted leaving blank white hexes. This production mistake meant many of the maps were never released. Of those that were sent out very few have survived in mint condition as the counters and cards for the game were part of the map and perforated so they could be easily removed. This example was sold in the USA and also came with a set of English rules that translated the German text on the map.

My own copy of the map was bought in the USA in the late 90's as a gift that ended up never being given. After sitting in storage until 2024, the owner almost threw the map out. Fortunately for me he did a search for the map and came across an article on my website. We swapped some emails about its history, uniqueness and possible value and I was asked if I would accept the map as a donation to my collection. Thank you Donald, I will be forever grateful.