[anthonyb]

I find that it's not so much a balanced distribution of numbers, but that you don't have to cash in 4 for 1 for a resource that you need.

Also, you don't need a deck of dice - just draw on an old pack of cards with a permanent marker :)

[SomeCallMeTim]

Ports are good, sure. I'm not saying it's the ONLY strategy. Just that it's a major bit of strategy that happens before the game even starts. You can certainly choose a spot near a port at the start, though I wouldn't recommend putting an initial settlement on a port. You need the most resource production you can manage early on.

Already got the deck of dice. I don't actually have any extra old packs of cards -- I have a couple, but I'm not a big card game player. Well, I used to play Magic, but writing on Magic cards just seems wrong. ;)