I have decided to try to systematically expand another posting on this topic.

What I am looking for is your nominations for the 20 “most essential” Occupation cards. By this I mean both in terms of return on investment (reward potential vs. opportunity cost) as well as how it contributes to and makes sense with the theme of the game (it makes sense for a very successful farmer to learn this). The opposite (“least essential”) would be those the pretty much never hit the table in terms of costs along with being somewhat anti-thematic (Does that really make sense for most farmers?)

Yes, I know many can only be evaluated as parts of combinations. I am asking that you evaluate them in isolation, without knowing whether the other components would or would not be available to you.

Below I list the cards from the base game to facilitate cutting and pasting.

Please feel free to editorialize and please try to list them in order of your evaluation of the most essential coming first. If you wish to list just the numbers, that is fine too.

I will keep a count of frequencies and keep a running tally of the top 40 below.

148 E Academic
269 K Acrobat
267 K Adoptive Parents
307 K Animal Breeder
259 I Animal Dealer
305 K Animal Handler
216 E Animal Keeper
306 K Animal Tamer
342 K Animal Trainer
150 E Baker
273 K Basin Maker
183 E Basketmaker
152 E Berry Picker
197 E Braggart
155 E Bread Seller
243 I Bricklayer
156 E Brush Maker
294 K Brushwood Collector
228 I Businessman
247 I Butcher
258 I Cabinetmaker
218 E Carpenter
295 K Cattle Breeder
201 E Cattle Whisperer
238 I Chamberlain
182 E Charcoal Burner
172 E Chief
173 E Chief's Daughter
227 I Church Warden
187 E Clay Deliveryman
230 I Clay Digger
185 E Clay Firer
242 I Clay Hut Builder
188 E Clay Mixer
241 I Clay Plasterer
186 E Clay Seller
290 K Clay Worker
167 E Conjurer
200 E Conservator
276 K Constable
181 E Cook
328 Z Cooper
239 I Corn Profiteer
289 K Countryman
240 I Cowherd
335 Z Cube Cutter
334 Z Dance Instructor
212 E Dancer
171 E Dock Worker
271 K Educator
170 E Estate Manager
233 I Farm Steward
160 E Farmer
263 I Fence Builder
265 I Fence Deliveryman
312 K Fence Overseer
264 I Fencer
163 E Field Warden
225 I Field Watchman
224 I Field Worker
219 I Fieldsman
161 E Fisherman
308 K Foreman
278 K Forester
272 K Frame Builder
333 Z Game Designer
226 I Gardener
326 Z Gentleman
168 E Greengrocer
184 E Grocer
254 I Groom
341 E Guildmaster
223 I Harvest Helper
159 E Head of the Family
175 E Hedge Keeper
327 Z Herald
236 I Hide Farmer
180 E Hobby Farmer
282 K House Steward
178 E Hut Builder
237 I Juggler
147 E Land Agent
244 I Layabout
189 E Lord of the Manor
291 K Lover
311 K Magician
190 E Maid
329 Z Mail Coach Driver
231 I Manservant
277 K Manufacturer
245 I Market Crier
292 K Market Woman
191 E Mason
149 E Master Baker
154 E Master Brewer
151 E Master Builder
164 E Master Forester
204 E Master Shepherd
162 E Meat Seller
153 E Mendicant
179 E Merchant
232 I Midwife
246 I Milking Hand
336 Z Mother of Twins
196 E Mushroom Collector
248 I Net Fisherman
274 K Organic Farmer
261 I Outrider
193 E Pastor
192 E Patron
275 K Perpetual Student
268 K Pieceworker
252 I Pig Breeder
253 I Pig Catcher
302 K Pig Whisperer
194 E Plow Driver
195 E Plow Maker
293 K Plowman
214 E Potter
249 I Puppeteer
209 E Quarryman
340 I Rancher
198 E Ratcatcher
251 I Reed Buyer
205 E Reed Collector
217 E Reeve
199 E Renovator
310 K Resource Seller
300 K Schnaps Distiller
279 K Scholar
202 E Seasonal Worker
296 K Seed Seller
332 Z Seed Trader
266 K Serf
297 K Sheep Farmer
250 I Sheep Whisperer
203 E Shepherd
298 K Shepherd Boy
299 K Slaughterman
286 K Smallholder
222 I Social Climber
331 Z Sower
207 E Stablehand
208 E Stablemaster
213 E Stockman
303 K Stone Breaker
255 I Stone Buyer
210 E Stone Carrier
256 I Stone Carver
211 E Stonecutter
287 K Storehouse Clerk
288 K Storehouse Keeper
169 E Storyteller
257 I Street Musician
206 E Swineherd
229 I Sycophant
280 K Tanner
260 I Taster
330 Z Taxidermist
215 E Tenant Farmer
157 E Thatcher
285 K Tinsmith
281 K Travelling Salesman
158 E Turner
174 E Tutor
166 E Undergardener
304 K Veterinarian
325 Z Village Beauty
221 I Village Elder
262 I Water Carrier
309 K Weaver
220 I Well Builder
270 K Wet Nurse
234 I Wood Buyer
301 K Wood Carver
235 I Wood Collector
283 K Wood Deliveryman
284 K Wood Distributor
176 E Woodcutter
177 E Wooden Hut Builder
165 E Yeoman Farmer

Off the top of my head:

Baker: lets you bake bread once when you play him, and once per harvest. A godsend for bread makers.

Conservator: lets you renovate directly from a wood house to a stone house. It saves you the action you would normally take upgrading from wood to clay (which I realize is a wash since you spent an action playing the occupation.) It also saves you clay/reed and the actions necessary to acquire them.

Plow Maker: When you plow a field, he lets you pay 1 food to plow a second field at the same time. Apart from needing plowed fields to grow veggies/grain, a plowed field is worth points at the end of the game, as is covering up empty spaces on your board.

Seasonal worker: gives you a grain or (after turn 6) a veggie when you take day laborer. Very handy, e

I like:

Carpenter: allows you a 2 wood/clay/stone reduction on each extension. With a bit of luck it can allow you to build two rooms at once and get off to rapid and early growth.

Field Watchmen: Allows you to plow a field every time you take a grain.

Clay Worker/Clay Mixer: Can give you the edge that allows you to establish yourself as the early meat eater.

Anything that gives you free reed, or a reed discount: e.g. reed collecter and thatcher.

Also the usual suspects that people often claim are broken: wet nurse, the lover, the ratcatcher, the chamberlain. But I play most of my Agricola online and use a tournament deck where these sorts of cards are removed.

my top 20... (not in order of importance)


Baker
Farmer
Master Forester
Green Grocer
Hedge Keeper
Wood Cutter
Herald
Cook
Countryman
Clay worker
Bricklayer
Mail Coach Driver
Sower
Sheep Farmer
Conservator
Field Watchman
Field Warden
stablehand
animal breeder
animal dealer
carpenter

Thanks Scott!

That is EXACTLY what I am looking for!

I'll take the Taster and farm circles around all of you.

How about a poll?

Nice Poll!!!
Will be interesting to see what it brings... :)

Hey, that is great! Thanks tons.

-Neil

I would have voted for the Taster about twenty times, if possible.

Voted for my 20. Of those 20 my favorites are:
Mushroom Collector
Baker
Wet Nurse

Which of these are disallowed in the tournment deck as being "broken"?

For example, is not the Wet Nurse a bit TOO good?

If it's handled properly, possibly. Beyond that, I'll put the Taster up against the Wet Nurse any day.

I've never seen such a big poll...

Brian

No kidding - I didn't expect it to work!

Interesting how the best occupations change with the environment given by the accepted play style.
My suggestions descend from the extreme Solo records I had read here and on the Lookout forum, and my co-operative record games and attempts. So they include the excellent Market Crier, Church Warden, Constable, Reeve, Dancer, Puppeteer that are of dubious value in competitive play, due to requiring no interference, and/or helping others too ;-) I also put some robust general-purpose helpers: Field Watchman, Seasonal Worker, Carpenter, Conservator, Wet Nurse. Skipped the too-robust but weak Mushroom Collector, Baker or cutthroat competitive Taster, Chamberlain.

I voted.

I voted for the Baker, the Mushroom Collector, the Maid, the Wet Nurse, and the Field Watchman.

Thanks

That's what she said.

Agreed. It's far and away the strongest occupation IMHO. It currently stands in 7th(!) in the poll, which surprises me. Everything else at the top I can agree with, with the (controversial) exception of the Wet Nurse. I think it's a great skill-testing card: it looks really amazing at first glance (I almost thought of banning the card when I first got dealt it). When you actually sit down and analyse how much you gain versus how much it costs (and how much the other players gain from you playing it, which is not insignificant), then it doesn't look nearly as good. In fact, if I get dealt it now, I don't even consider playing it.

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But it saves so many actions! Not to mention how unfair it is if FG doesn't show up until round 7.

Admittedly, I've never seen it get dealt (we always reveal all our cards at the end of the game), but the Sycophant looks amazing. I get 2 food whenever someone else takes Grain, and I get 1 food when I take Grain myself, and it even costs other people food. What are they going to do, never take any Grain?

In 5 player, always going 1st is ridiculous
In 5 player, going 3rd, 4th or 5th as well as 1st is obscene.

The Taster is plain wrong in big games.

Doh, I forgot taster and mushroom collector when voting.

Wet Nurse is not the best card, but it is really good. Is it broken?

It ends up being extremely good in games where family growth comes out late (turn 7), and not as strong when the growth comes out early.

Other stuff is much more broken, such as Taster (omg), Lover (can get the family member turn 2!), the guy that opens access to the round 12+ cards for you before they are available to others (you get to psend last picks on the best actions in the game), etc. In reed short games (3 player and to a lesser extent 2 player), Reed providing or saving occupations like Reed Collector or Thatcher are quite broken as well.

Anything that provides early food in an efficient way is extremely strong, like Mushroom Collector, Seasonal Worker, etc.

Alex, I respect a great deal of what you've written on these boards, but have to disagree with you on this one. Both Ocks you mention are quite nice, but far from broken. I've seen them get whipped way too many times.

Just my anecdotal opinion, of course.

Not really. The Wet Nurse is exceedingly strong, but it's not because it actually saves actions. Playing the Wet Nurse is 1 action, versus taking FG 2 or 3 times - that's just a saving of 1 or 2 actions, and you have to pay 1 food to use the Occ and you also lose out on the chance to build a minor improvement. If you do really obscene things by building 2 rooms at once then you're actually reducing the amount of actions you can save with the Wet Nurse.

The reason it's so extremely strong is that it gains you actions by getting family members earlier than you would do otherwise - potentially significantly earlier if you use the Wet Nurse to get out of a fight for the hotly contested FG space.

I've won (massively) every time I've played the Wet Nurse (all 2 of them). It's particularly strong if you can build 2 rooms on turn 6, and have enough food to gain 2 family members and feed them. I think I've had each pair out of Axe, Thatcher, and Wet Nurse; I shudder at the thought of getting all 3 of them together.

(Also, yes, Taster is painfully strong too.)

Nice discussion, although I would note at this point I didn't necessarily mean just "most powerful".