About a year ago, I started working on a frame to keep my Settlers board from shifting around.  Over this time, the project has evolved into a sincere work of art on which you can also play the game.  You can read more of this project's history at http://boardcrafting.com

I have created what I think may be the most beautiful Settlers board on the planet, and I don't want to keep it to myself.  This board is a joy to work on just as much as it is a joy to play on, so I want to make a bunch of them and let other people enjoy them as much as I do.

Now, what I've made so far is basically a prototype.  I need some funding help to refine the production process, tweak the design, and experiment with new materials and techniques.  Over the next two months I plan to optimize the board and the process by which it's made so that I can ship some copies off by Christmas. (These rewards would make great gifts for any board game fan in your life)

Disclaimer

This is an accessory to Settlers of Catan, not a replacement.  You'll need to have a copy of the game to play.  This project is in no way affiliated or endorsed by the publishers or trademark holders of the Settlers of Catan board game.

Rewards

Laser cutting is an expensive process, but once you hold a piece in your hands, you know it's worth it.  There are also labor, quality control, and time costs associated with making a completed board, so I've tried several reward levels that will give everybody a chance to get something cool and useful from this project.  Even the lower reward levels include a piece that can be used in the game - the robber.

See more photos of the robber here

The $5-175 reward levels are "unvarnished" kits.  What this means is they will go right from the bed of the laser cutter into their shipping containers. The laser cutter often leaves some "smoke" on the surface of the wood, that you may want to sand off.  The pieces will also have some low-tack masking tape on them which will need to be peeled off.  The tape prevents the pieces from getting really smoky.

The $5 reward level gives you a single pip - this can be used as jewelry, to label your apartment doorbell, or as a reference card in case you forget how many ways there are to roll an eleven.

See more photos of the pips here

The $10 reward level gives you a tile of your choice - for gamers, I would suggest the Desert tile as there is only one of those in a normal game of Catan. It can also be used as an extremely ineffective shuriken ("ninja star").  This photo shows varnished tiles, keep in mind that the $10 reward level and the "kits" will arrive unvarnished.

The Frame Kit

The $60 reward level is a kit for a Catan frame that is compatible with the Mayfair edition of the game (the red box).

See more photos of the Frame here

The Tiles Kit

The Tiles Kit gives you 19 unvarnished tiles, 18 pips, 9 ports, and one robber.  The pieces may arrive with some masking tape still attached.

See more photos of the tiles here

The Grand Tiles Kit

The Grand Tiles Kit is like the Tiles Kit except it will contain enough pieces to play the 5-6 player expansion or the Seafarers expansion.  An unvarnished set of 33 tiles, 28 pips, 19 ports, and a robber.

Total Completion

The Total Completion reward is a complete work of art.  All the pieces arrive assembled, sanded and varnished.  There are sufficient components to play the 4-player version of Catan.

See more photos of the finished board here

Fancywood Edition

The same number of components, and level of production quality as the Total Completion reward, but this edition will use different, premium woods. This version needs to be prototyped, so exactly which woods and what resources they're associated with is to be determined.