I’m mostly with @JoshL in that I think roll-and-move is almost always a lousy gameplay mechanic. I can think of a couple of exceptions, and they all involve giving the player more control over the rolling and moving. Gremlins, Inc is a great example (it’s a videogame boardgame, but still). Another is Culdcept (again, a videogame boardgame, but still). My favorite recent iteration of roll-and-move is this little jewel by Shadi Torby:
I really like how you roll three dice and make difficult decisions about how to use each of them. Only one of them will actually move you.
Fair question. The answer is because Settlers of Catan is so insufferably godawful as a game. It clearly pre-dated the invention of good boardgame design. Which is what I’m talking about here. Good design, not a boom in popularity.
But, yeah, Catan is certainly a milestone in terms of getting us where we are today. But I cringe at the thought of actually playing it. Speaking of, I’ll give you a sheep for two wood.
-Tom