Iain K
United States
Arvada
Colorado
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Some Thoughts on Agricola
I've had several friends ask we what I thought after playing a few games of Agricola with two different groups (one five player and two four player games). So I decided to put thoughts down here for all. Feel free to add your thoughts, as always keep it civil.
I love the idea of the Agricola and it has tremendous potential. Similar in some ways to the likes of Caylus, Puerto Rico, and Leonardo de Vinci - but given the fantastic number of cards, Agricola's replayability and scalability could be very high.
Yet there is no denying that it is difficult to play with a group of none fluent German speakers. Each card has a paragraph describing the details of what it permits the owner to do. You get 14 such cards, seven from each of two decks. All players have access to cards from a third deck. To effectively play, you will need a copy of the *40 page* appendix translation *for each player*. Plan on spending 15 minutes at the beginning of each game just for reading the cards.
I'm not sure how to rate this game. It could be fantastic, and I have liked some of Uwe's designs in the past (can you guess one?). But the game could also be a baroque monstrosity, it's tough to tell without playing several games, and that's difficult to do given the language barrier.
I think my greatest worries with this title are: (a) I've gotten tried of the "build the perfect engine" genre, particularly games with pasted on themes. I refuse to play Caylus, and Pillars of the Earth, because their themes don't engage me, and they pale in relation to others in the genre. (b) I generally dislike games that have straight forward rules, to which is added a deck of several hundred cards that let you bend or break those rules.
On the plus side, the game is said to scale from 1-5 players - something of a Holy Grail in gaming. I doubt that it does, but if it plays well with 2 and 4 I'd be more than happy.
The component quality is top notch. This is old school Euro my freinds. If you like wood, you'll be in heaven. Personally, I found the cards thin and flimsy, but your opinion may vary.
Is the game worth sixty or seventy dollars? That's a big bite out of my gaming budget, not doubt. Yet when I look at games with much less in the box and very poor quality components selling at MSRP of $50 - I'm willing to save to buy a copy of Agricola.
And the theme is engaging darn it. Maybe it's my Hungarian peasant roots, but there's something fun about building an addition to your house, then not having a baby because your neighbors (those Purples and their filthy sheep) just had theirs; so you get a cow instead and put *it* in the baby's room.
I'll long remember my first game where I drew the "Steinslepper" occupation (whose artwork is a blatant rip-off of Obelix by the way, and if there's one thing I can't stand, it's ripped-off art! (another thing I can't stand are people whose ignorance is so great that they have no idea who Obelix is). Sure, I was a stone carrier (a menhir delivery man if you will), call me "epibootal in the keppie", but I loved calling myself a "slepper".
So the game teaches German. In fact, I'd recommend that whatever publishers release the game in English, Spanish, or French keep the German names for the occupations. It's a delightful way to learn a bit of Deutsch.
I guess, my point here is that the game has its own logic, its own story line, and it works. Just like bean farming surprised us by being so much fun.
To sum up, I've anticipated the release of Agricola for months now (Vielen Dank Hanno!). Now that I play it, I've found it to be a very good game. I strongly believe that an English copy would be very well received by the gaming community.
Perhaps the best thing I could say about Agricola is that I have already started saving towards an English copy.
On the down side, despite being a neat new take on the economic engine genre, Agricola is still a member. I suspect that for many, it will scratch the same itch as Puerto Rico, Caylus, Scepter, and others. Whether they'll find it unique enough to purchase will have to be seen.
Game on everyone!
Addendum after 6 plays:
What has surprised me about this title is that in all respects it is the antithesis of Rosenburg's gem "Bohnanza". It is inelegant, weighs a ton, costs and arm and a leg, is filled with exceptions (from the cards), and has near zero player interaction. Beware of the hype. It's a good game, but it's no Puerto Rico, and pales when compared to its elegant and interactive sibling Bohnanza.
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Doug Adams
Australia
Oakleigh
Victoria
Boink
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I think the ripped off art is deliberate. There was a competition to match the cards with their real-life inspirations. Obelix was one I did get
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David Smidt
United States
Littleton
Colorado
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Thanks for the thoughts, Iain! I appreciate that you don't pull any punches. I must admit I've been
suckered lured into this game by the hype and I'm drooling for an english edition. Hanno & Klemens have been very friendly and responsive to my inquiries. I would not go so far as to call the artwork a "blatant rip-off", as Doug said, many of the characters were deliberately drawn to be recognizeable. I happen to love the cartoony style.
If you get the english edition before I do, I'll be 1st in line for a teaching session!
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Iain K
United States
Arvada
Colorado
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Ok, let me be clear as my humor is not always understood.
I was joking when I said the artwork was a blatant rip off.
You might notice a certain avatar on this very page is . . . "adapted" from original art. This is part of the humor.
PS - the artwork is very good by the way, and fits the theme nicely.
In the future, I will include my standard disclaimer in reviews:
The proceeding post contains humor, a sense of which is innate in all primates. If you find yourself unable to understand the humor in this post, consult your physician who may prescribe Humidor. Humidor is an anti-depressant whose side effects include wrinkling about the mouth and eyes, abdominal convulsions, and a general sense of well being.
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David Smidt
United States
Littleton
Colorado
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sorry Iain... sometimes it's hard to see your tongue firmly planted in your cheek from text postings
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Iain K
United States
Arvada
Colorado
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I really need to use more emoticons, but what's the emoticon for sarcasm?
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Steve Zamborsky
United States
Lebanon
Ohio
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citizen k wrote: I really need to use more emoticons, but what's the emoticon for sarcasm?
No real emoticon, just:
[/sarcasm]
[/sarcasm off]
is sufficient
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Iain K
United States
Arvada
Colorado
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Zambo wrote: No real emoticon, just: [/sarcasm] [/sarcasm off] is sufficient
Actually wouldn't it be [sarcasm] and [/sarcasm]
For example:
[sarcasm]
Good point Zambo!
[/sarcasm]
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David Smidt
United States
Littleton
Colorado
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That last post was a bit sarcastic, Iain... lighten up
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David
New Zealand
Wellington
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For info on the 'snark' (or sarcasm mark):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcasm_mark
Note that there's no official standard in English, but that page will give you a few ideas.
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Posted Mon Nov 5, 2007 7:59 pm
