SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - As the weather turns as chilly as the country's economic outlook, many Yellowknife residents are looking for fun ways to stretch their entertainment dollar. Self-professed gaming geek Richard Barnes suggests investing in a new board game to stave off cabin fever without breaking the piggy bank.

Jack White performs with the White Stripes in Yellowknife in 2007. Their impromptu concert at the Wildcat Cafe is among the scenes in the new documentary about their Northern tour, titled The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights. - NNSL file photo

"People are crunchy on money," Barnes said. "A board game with a group of friends is an alternative to an expensive night out."

One of the most popular new games on the market, and one of Barnes' personal favourites, is Settlers of Catan.

"The guy who created it, Klaus Teuber, is part of what is called the German gaming group," he explained. "In Europe they take three years to design a game."

The patience apparently paid off. Since debuting in 1995, Settlers of Catan has sold millions of copies worldwide and expanded to include more than half a dozen spin-off game titles and expansion sets.

"The game is simple to learn and hard to master, like all good games," Barnes said. "There's no combat. There's less luck and more strategy to it."

The game involves players competing and trading for resources and land as they build roads and towns on a modular board composed of 24 hexagonal pieces, a feature that player Jeremy Scott appreciates.

"The good thing about the game is that it's always set up differently," he said.

Scott has been playing Settlers of Catan for about two years. He said he enjoys the balance between competition and co-operation the game demands.

"It's a competition, but it's not a confrontation," he said. "You have to work with other players to try to get the resources you need."

Unlike other popular games such as Risk and Axis and Allies, which appeal to more masculine gaming tastes, Settlers of Catan is often played by both men and women, Scott said.

"It transcends gender," he said. "It's a good way to get together with friends."

Jessica Coulombe started playing the game six years ago and has introduced it to a lot of players in town.

"It's easy to learn and it's quick – within an hour you're pretty much done," she said. "A lot of people know about it now.

In the winter a bunch of us get together once a week and play. "

Newcomers can introduce themselves to the game with the basic package for three to four players, which costs around $40.

Expansion sets allow for additional players and offer more complicated strategic possibilities.

James Croizier, owner of Ogre's Lair game shop on 49th Street, said Settlers of Catan is among the biggest sellers in his store.

"It has good playability," he said. "You can play it once and know how to play. It's a gateway game."

Agricola is another contemporary German game that is played with rules similar to Settlers of Catan. Instead of competing to occupy more and more land, in Agricola players co-operate and negotiate to build small, sustainable family farms. The game can be played solo or with up to five players.

Other European game titles that employ elements similar to Settlers of Catan include Carcassonne, a tile-laying game in which players develop a medieval French village, and Alhambra, in which players construct their own Moorish city before the stock market crashes and the building boom goes bust.

Classic titles, such as Clue and Cranium, are still around, as well, but Croizier said many have been repackaged and refurbished.

Ogre's Lair offers a few varieties of Monopoly, such as Chocopoly, in which the real estate is rich and creamy, a Monopoly board based on real estate from the Lord of the Rings series, Canadian Monopoly and a new version in which the Monopoly money is replaced by toy debit machines.

Even Scrabble has had a makeover. The anniversary edition includes a board that swivels 360 degrees and features ergonomic tile holders.

"Board games have been around for a long time and they'll keep evolving," Croizier said.