I often play with four or five other gamers. With extra players, the rules change slightly. With five or more players, everyone gets to go shopping at the end of every turn. Otherwise, you end up with more than seven cards in hand very quickly.

I enjoy Seafarers and Cities & Knights, although the variants we play incorporates elements from each of the games/expansions. Seafarers is very similar, but with more of an exploration element. Cities and Knights is very different, but equally enjoyable, and the games tend to be longer.