Did the cartridge really gum up that fast though, or was it more the prefilter letting stuff through? Either way that sounds rough, having to baby your filter every single day while your buddy just squeezes his and keeps walking would drive me nuts. Glad you still got water and made it out, that's what counts.

Did your buddy ever try Power Grid? A friend of mine was deep in Catan for years and swore nothing else clicked, then someone handed him Power Grid and he was hooked by the second game. It keeps the route building and money stress of Catan but adds real choices, so it pulls you out without tossing you into a four hour space war.

Still hand write recipes on cards and my kid actually reads them.