I'm trying to build a nice Catan collection at home, but I'm finding the price of the expansions absolutely crazy. Each one costs around 80-100 reais and you quickly want everything. Is it actually worth it or is it more of a crazy collector thing?
Do you really need all of them at once or are you just wanting to have them? Honestly, you don't need to get everything - people usually have a lot of fun with the base game plus one or two expansions that match your playstyle, like Cities and Knights if you want more strategy or Seafarers if you're into exploration. It makes more sense to pick them up gradually as the group shows interest than to drop 500 reais all at once and have the expansion just sit there collecting dust.
Why do you need all the expansions at once anyway? Honestly, building a solid collection doesn't mean having everything - I started with just the base game and one expansion, and people had way more fun than I expected. Expansions are cool for mixing things up, but you don't need to drop a fortune right at the start. Just grab one that fits your playstyle (Cities & Knights is more strategy-heavy, for example) and see if it actually makes a difference for you before you go buying everything.
Most people I know buy expansions as they have the money and as they figure out what kind of gameplay they want to try, instead of making one heavy "investment" all at once. The base Catan already offers plenty of variety and fun, and when you start finding it repetitive is when it makes sense to look for a specific expansion that actually interests you - like if you want more negotiation, more resources, or different maps. That way you don't end up with a stack of boxes sitting on your shelf and you still get more out of each piece you buy.
I'd say the real issue is not falling for the "complete collection = guaranteed fun" trap - people who actually play Catan don't care whether you have every expansion or not, they just want to have a good time together! Start with the base game and one expansion you really like (like Seafarers or Cities & Knights), play it a lot, and then you'll naturally figure out which one makes sense next. The game is already great way before you spend a fortune on it.
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