Agricola! Makes your sore throat better

So, I played m third game of Agricola last night. It finally clicked. And so now is the time to review and tell you all about it.

We had a freidn in town last night, took him up to play, and my wife said “Let’s play Agricola!” Well, this is odd, seeing as how up til now she’s not really enjoyed it. This is because it never clicked with her. We’ve played it two other times. The first time it was just the two of us, a very awkward situation. The guy working at the gaming store that day was a bit odd, and hovered over us while I attempted to read the rules aloud. (Thanks for making me feel so comfortable.) I was very self-conscious trying to read aloud while he didn’t bother to show us how to play.

The second time we played, my dad was in town, and he had just spoken about a co-worker who had been talking about it the same day, so we played again.

This time, our friend, a gamer who has also played Puerto Rico, and Catan sat down with us. Once everything was set up I said:

Okay, so this is Agricola. It is very simple, in that your goal is to run your farm. It is complicated because it’s like Super Puerto Rico.

Sounds easy right? Then, I explained the entire game in less than five minutes, and we started playing. I was very impressed with myself. Of course, I had just the weekend before run a game of Twilight Imperium, and explained it. So if I can explain Twilight I, I can explain Agricola.

In Agricola, you eke out a living my using your two starting peasants in various choices. You might send them to sow a field, or go fishing, or collect clay for your store house. You might go to market to buy a Sheep. Like Puerto Rico, you have limited choices. Unlike Puerto Rico, when you choose something, others don’t benefit from it, only you do, as as the game moved along, you gain more and more choices. 

If you expand your little wooden hut, you might have babies who will then, in turn, be more workers, to accomplish more things. Thing is, you have only fourteen turns. Every two or three turns, a harvest comes, during which you must have enough food (two per peasant) to feed your family. To make things worse, once a choice is chosen, the other families (your opponents) can’t choose them until next turn.

Now, I am really enjoying this game. The reason, because I will probably never master it, and there are so many ways to play. I could play a balanced farm to reduce the negative points at the end of the game. I could farm the land. I could be a rancher. I could have babies and stretch to feed them, and then use them to in turn take the game at the end. 

My problem us I keep switching my plan in midgame, which hurts me. Darn. Things start rolling out of control so fast that if you switch, you’re screwed. My wife doesn’t completely enjoy the game yet cause she is a collector. She wants a nice looking farm by the end. This is difficult. Of course, last night, she kicked our butts and never had a third peasant. She had lots of wild boars in pins, and it really helped. 

The best way to play? If you never have before, play once through and try to make a balanced farm, and then, next time you play, make a decision at the beginning, and then stick with it through and through.

On Boardgamegeek.com Agricola gets a very high (#1) 8.32, this came form no where, and displaced Puerto Rico which held the position for several years. Also, Agricola has a brother who is starting to appear on these American Shores called La Havre, which is not entirely the same. I understand it to be a game in which goods come in to the Harbor, you purchase them, and then turn them into greater goods and sell them off.  

I hope you’ll consider checking this game out. Though the price it not cheap. (Ranged around $60 to $70) The game is fun, and can be played by 1-5 players. 

And let me know what you think. If there is a game you’d like oto have reviewed, I will see what I can do.

 

Game Gorilla out