Price-Fixers of Catan

Mayfair Games publishes the English-language versions of Settlers of Catan and its many expansions and sequels. As such, it is the pusher of the gateway drug that got me into “German-style” boardgames a few years ago.

Mayfair now wants to put a floor under the price of its wares. “Retailers should sell Mayfair Games products at no more than a 20% discount off MSRP.” This has sparked an extensive debate on BoardGameGeek.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this is that Settlers has been described as “popular” on a blog as popular as Boing Boing.