It determines what resources you get, what your expansion paths are and also what strategies you’ll pursue.
Because of how this game unfolds, everything you do from then on out is based on where you place your first settlements. It determines what resources you get, what your expansion paths are and also what strategies you’ll pursue. For example, going wood/brick gives you access to roads and more settlements while grain/ore gives you largest army and the ability to get the cities out fast. As you place your initial settlements and roads, try not to point your roads towards the middle of the board since that’s where people will rush to colonize, opening you up to hefty competition.