Fictional travel journalism by Adam Rothstein:

The island of Catan and the landlocked nation of Carcassonne export entertainment and community. Their economies and politics make possible the board games that families and friends play around their dining-room tables. They are game-nations, which exist only while the power of our minds gives their societies support.

We spend so much time hovering above these places, and yet we know them only through small bits of wood and paper. We read flat descriptions of historic port systems, of the building of new roads, of mountain villages in virginal ecosystems, of sprawling Kowloon-like architecture, and of religious and political intrigue.

But most people who play these games know little about what it is like to live in Catan and Carcassonne. I decided to visit and see for myself.

Full Story: The Magazine: Name so f the Games

Photo: Ernstl / CC