Agricola: Farmers of the Moor Expansion Review

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(More customer reviews)My wife, friends, and I love Agricola, so we were pretty psyched about the expansion. It serves to add a bit more complexity to the game, with additional things to manage and ways of winning. We've played with the expansion about half a dozen times, and I would recommend it for those who have played Agricola enough times to have seen most of the occupation / improvement cards, and are hankering for something new. For players new to Agricola, I would hold off on buying this expansion. The game is pretty complex as it is, and the expansion might be too much to keep track of at first. Here is a general summary of the pros and cons as I see them:
Pros: Huge additions to game play which really make the game fresh and exciting (new animals, new tiles for your farmland, new upkeep requirements, and a slew of new occupations / improvements. Adding new ways to gain points also means there are a lot of new strategies to pursue in order to win.
Cons: Added complexity could be confusing to new players. As with the original game, instructions aren't super-clear and require some learn-by-playing. Interestingly, a lot of the new major improvements don't seem to be very useful in the game (we haven't used a single one).

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Agricola: Farmers of the Moor is the first big expansion for Agricola. This expansion replaces the minor improvements and the occupations of the base game with a large set of new improvements, and adds a number of new features. Horses are introduced as a new type of animal, and your family members now cost fuel in addition to food. You can get this fuel by chopping down the forests on your farmyard, or by harvesting peat. This is not a complete game, you need Agricola to play this expansion set.

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Agricola Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been an active player of board games for at least 35 years. I've played games at all levels of complexity, ranging from tournament level Avalon-Hill bookcase games to family and party card and boardgames. For the past five or so years my favorite board game has been "The Settlers of Catan" (and its variants), that is, until I played "Agricola".
OK, first, a bit about the game...
Each player in the game (up to 5 can play) represent a farmer in 1670 AD and his spouse. About now you may be thinking, "yawn," but just wait, there is some real strategy and fun to be had here. Play progresses as players use their farmer and spouse each turn to do different things including the possibility of building a larger house, raising crops, fencing in pastures, collecting food, collecting animals, having children (that can also work each turn), etc. All the way through the game there is a real challenge when it comes to feeding your family, and improving your lot in life. You can improve your chances of success by playing occupation cards that give your players different capabilites, and by playing cards that represent a variety of differing improvements to your house, fields, etc.
The neat thing about this game is that every occupation card and every improvement card is unique, and because players are dealt only a limited number of cards at the beginning of the game, the game is never the same twice.
This game takes about twice as long to play as a round of "The Settlers of Catan", but the time flies when you play.
Many websites that rank the popularity of games are seeing this game climb rapidly to the top of those rankings.
If you enjoy a game that employs a small element of luck (the cards you are dealt), and a large degree of strategy (what to work to have your family members do each turn), then this game may be for you. So, if you have taken games like "The Settlers of Catan", "Ticket to Ride", and "Carcassone" as far as you can and you are ready for a bit larger gaming challenge then you will not be disappointed with this offering.
OK, one last experience - my wife and I were playing this game recently when our 9-yr-old daughter came up and asked, "Is that game like the 'Game of Life'?" After a moment's reflection I told her it was more like the game of "real" life. You know, working hard, scrambling to feed the family, accumulating different commodities to improve the house, etc.
When I opened my copy of the game I was impressed that the game company had the foresight to go so far as to include a bag of small reclosable plastic bags that can be used to separate the different pieces and types of cards from each other, thus helping keep the game better organized in the box and making for quicker set-up times whenever you want to play. Thanks Z-Man Games!
This game is worth far more than 5 stars!
I believe that this game will remain a favorite of mine for many years to come.
I hope this review was helpful.
Note: One last thing, it is WAY easier to learn to play this game if you can hook up with someone that already plays the game than by reading the rules on your own.

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Agricola

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Rio Grande Games Alhambra - The City Gate Review

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(More customer reviews)IMO, extensions 1 & 2 both have 4 usable additions that enhance & not change the basic game play. for more details, see my review in the Alhambra Big box.

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Rio Grande Games Alhambra City Gates Exp (RGG 054)

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