Agricola
Description
Build the most prosperous farm in rural Europe of the 17th century! Agricola, designed by Uwe Rosenberg, is the game that catapulted the worker placement genre to fame. It's an intense and deeply thematic Eurogame, where players start with a humble hut and a couple, and must work hard to develop an efficient farm. The core mechanic is worker placement, where each turn, players send a member of their family to an available action space on the board. The tension lies in scarcity: if someone takes a key action, that action is locked for the rest of the round. You must plan to expand your family (getting more shares) and to build your production engine (get resources, plant, cook). The constant challenge is feeding your family.
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How to play
In each round, players place their family members on action spaces to obtain resources, build, plant, or expand the farm. At the end of certain rounds a harvest is produced, in which it is mandatory to feed the family. The game ends after the last round, scoring fields, animals, improvements, rooms and penalizing lack of development.
Why you might like it
If you like deep, punishing eurogames with a great sense of progression and reward for good planning, Agricola is an essential classic.
What to keep in mind
It can be very demanding and stressful, with severe punishments for mistakes, which may not suit players who prefer more relaxed experiences.