Modern computing is suffocating under heavy, memory-hungry applications and mandatory internet connections. Developers are fighting back by retreating to the command line. Right in the middle of this push for ultra-lightweight software, a developer named “vicho” released El Poblador. It is a fully functional clone of the board game Settlers of Catan that runs entirely inside a Linux terminal.
You do not need a graphics card or a hefty client to play it. The game uses a Terminal User Interface (TUI) to recreate the core experience using only text characters. Players generate resources, build roads, trade sheep for wood, and deploy the Thief exactly like they do in the physical version. It strips the highly visual board game down to its bare mechanical bones.
The software is written entirely in the Go programming language, according to an OSnews feature discussing the TUI and Go programming language. The current build supports three to four players in a local multiplayer setup. You share a single keyboard to play. Friends crowd around the monitor, using the arrow keys to navigate the board and hitting the number keys to swap between individual player perspectives.
You also do not have to finish a match in one sitting. The developer included a feature to save and load active sessions, saving groups from losing their progress if a game runs long. Developer “vicho” also stated that online multiplayer support is currently on the to-do list, which was highlighted in OMG! Ubuntu’s coverage of El Poblador’s mechanics and installation steps.
The project relies on open-source distribution to reach players. It is licensed under EUPL v1.2, and the source code sits openly on sourcehut for anyone to audit or modify. This release follows a growing tradition of developers adapting complex graphical games into purely text-based command-line experiences, a detail thoroughly covered in XDA Developers’ original report on the Linux terminal clone.
How the ‘El Poblador’ Name Dodges Copyright Traps
Adapting a popular commercial board game into a free software project carries high legal risk. The creators of Catan hold strict trademarks over the name, the specific art assets, and the official digital adaptations of the property. You cannot simply release a free game called Catan without facing an immediate cease-and-desist order.
By operating under the distinct moniker “El Poblador,” developer “vicho” distances the project from the official branding. Copyright law generally protects specific artistic expressions and branded names, but it does not protect raw game mechanics. Trading resources and building roads on a hexagonal grid are rules, and rules are notoriously difficult to copyright. This legal loophole allows the Linux and FOSS communities to keep building these text-based homages without attracting corporate lawsuits.