Agricola Revised Edition

by elltrain

It's rated ridiculously high for a reason -- this game is incredible. 4 years of gaming and I still haven't played a better Euro.

by thomasjbradley

Absolutely love this game—we love the tension and stress. But when playing two players we find that we’re constantly fighting against each other because we’re both trying to accomplish exactly the same things.

by lasttruegypsy

Fun, but frustrating. Always feel like I am pinned in, even in a two player game.

by snurp

1-5, 120m

by Brent

While the mechanics aren't tough, the learning curve for game literacy is incredibly steep for a game of its type. You'll need somewhere between 5-10 plays before the frustration starts to fade away. Introducing new players to this game is a real hurdle. It is among the most frustrating gaming experiences for new players imaginable. It takes a certain personality to play a game that is frustrating on a game-system level and say "I want to do better at this game." It does feel less MPS than Caverna or Le Havre, probably because it's not a sandbox, and there are not a lot of opportunities to do what you want, so jostling for position is the order of the day.

by Zeugmatic Player

Extremely fun worker placement, with a surprisingly non-gamer friendly theme (farming). The game can be tense in the early rounds, but a properly expanded farm can carry its own weight. The occupation and improvement cards can be a strategic trap; don't try to play too many. Significantly altered and improved by Farmers of the Moor expansion, which adds a variety of new options and strategies without altering the most significant parts.

by Chitownsox

Played a bunch on the iOS app and finally played in person and it is just as good.

by andrewishi

A worker-placement/resource management game. It's easy to teach (though we had some problems learning our first time, as it was the group's first worker-placement game). It has built-in scaling to make it enjoyable for any number of players. The many decks of Improvements and Occupations (and the sheer number of cards and combinations in each) guarantee a lot of replay value for it. There are a lot of fiddly bits representing the resources available to your farming village, which must be fiddled with constantly, which can get time-consuming, especially later in the game or with more players. Second, there are some definite balance issues between some of the cards available, with some being all-around useful, some being useful if you have set your family on a certain path to prosperity, and some just sitting in your hand forever. (Update) Tried a "drafting" mechanic for assigning occupations and minor improvements after seeing somebody recommend it here. It's a fairly solid variant: it prevents the issue of getting dealt a crap hand, but it's still frustrating to see somebody (other than me, of course) playing a Wet Nurse.

by usagi-san

Only one play so far. I enjoyed it. The theme really fit the mechanisms of the game. Enjoyable. I would play again. Possibly own too. Online Plays (boiteajeux.net) 2009-12-16 - Played with the "fuller" rules. 2009-12-12 - Bought 2010-09-18 - Sold 2012-11-01 -> 7.5 -> 8.5 (with the BAJ interface games are way faster and no setup/teardown) 2012-11-06 - Bought (Starlit Citadel)

by frankqb

A classic for sure, but there's better games since this came out.

by ubRtstcl

I've enjoyed every play of this game. It was great without drafting, and with drafting it's even better. Tough decisions, interesting options, good variety, very thematic.

by jadthegerbil

Have Folded Space

by ekloff

The quintessential worker placement, with an array of winning strategies to analyze. The Occupation and Minor Improvement cards offer interesting combinations to explore, but are difficult to fully utilize, which as the main source of game-to-game variety is unfortunate. The scarcity of food and resources is oppressive, especially for new players, but as an experienced gamer I cherish this. You'd never expect farming, and the ever-looming harvest, to invoke such intense stress and worry, but these emotions work to quickly immerse players into Agricola's bleak world. While many will point to agriculture as the theme, I would argue that Agricola is a story of scarcity. There will never be enough resources, or workers, or time, to complete all of your goals, but you have to do the best with what you have. It may be simple life but it's hard as hell.

by eyeballertbb

Probably my favorite game ever so far. I really enjoy how the different careers and minor improvements change game to game and make for different experiences.

by parliboy

Didn't want to wait, so I made my own copy in December '07. Finally got the real thing months later.

by mborda

Replaced by revised edition.

by Zenly

Great game. Try 3 player next time.

by ursasmar

Daunting at first, now just fun trying to find different paths to victory.

by illwill

High interest in trading.

by markbesada

(3/17) 6. I'm sure this game "deserves" more than the 6 rating I've given it, but I've only ever played this game with extremely strong and experienced players and I'm nowhere near there yet, so it's not a game I'd necessarily jump at the chance to play again. Besides, I think I enjoy Caverna more, though I understand the arguments to the contrary. (10/17) 6. I enjoyed my second play of this a lot more, so this could be rising.

by magicjavelin

In Germany

by Garindan

Love this game, top 5 overall

by nvthblake

Great game. Not a lot of room for choices because of the great penalty for not having enough food. Being the first player is very important. Strategy changes based on the Minor Improvements and Occupations combinations.