Startup founders, ditch your idols and learn Catan

The pandemic challenged my work-life balance. A cool habit I picked up to decant after a long day is playing a game called Catan. It’s a board game created in 1995 that’s sold millions of copies and grossed billions of dollars. The online version is fun and free. It’s also a stellar, neutral strategy tutor.

I’m floored by the parallels to business. I’ve learned a lot from Catan: here are my highlights.

1. Don’t quit.

Number one lesson: it ain’t over till it’s over.

Folding early is silly. I learned this the hard way. Since then, I’ve won over 50% of the games I wanted to quit early by simply staying the course.

Maybe your initial setup is poor, or the other players gain an early edge. But you gotta be in it to win it. Remember that the game is dynamic and can shift in your favor. Also, others will drop out.

2. Understand what it means to “win”.

You’re fighting a war, not a battle.

Every game is a battle. Of course, you want to win the game. But the actual objective in Catan is to increase your player rating. Practically speaking, if you finish second in twenty back-to-back games, you’ll find yourself in the top 1% of all players globally (out of several hundred thousand).

Remember this, and play each game accordingly. Sometimes the intelligent strategy is the strategy that keeps you ‘alive’: finishing second.

3. Learn the rules!

There are countless variations of the game. It’s easy to assume that experience with one version is transferable. False. Worse yet, sometimes new players jump into the deep end by choosing a complicated version to start.

Catan is a game of strategy and chance. You can’t control the roll of the dice. To win, you should control for those factors which are within your grasp. This means developing a working understanding of the rules for the version of the game you’re playing. If you choose to “wing it” or guess as to how a particular version is played, you’re at a disadvantage.

4. Compartmentalize.

When you feel like the dice rolls or the other players are conspiring against you, chill out. Focus.

No one cares about you. They’re focused on themselves, even if optics suggest otherwise. Monitor what’s going on in the game, but resist the urge to dwell on or personalize the play-by-play. If you need to calibrate your strategy, do it. But don’t let the little things sweep you off course.

If you want to win, focus on your strategy. Adapt where necessary. But remember that you’re a player, not a competitive landscape analyst. Focusing on the competition will slow you down.

5. Make friends.

Hundreds of thousands of people play Catan online. As you achieve a higher ranking you tend to run into the same players time and again.

Some players are fantastic: courteous, competitive, and engaging. Others are shitty. Nobody likes the latter.

Sometimes, a superior player makes rude comments or plays in a way that is anti-competitive. Usually, the other players in a game will unite the “punish” the bad actor. Not always, but often. (Note: after the game, players have the opportunity to add each other as friends or flag others for anti-competitive behavior.)

Anecdotally, I’ve benefitted heavily from the friends I’ve made. I do my best to play fair and be friendly. Players frequently recognize me in games and refrain from attacking my position or actually even help me. What goes around, comes around.

It may all sound like common sense. Like a wise man once told me, “business is simple.”