Agricola Arena setting: back to previous format

[skelt131]

I agree with Rainor's opinion without his personal opinion.

I play both with and without the Additional space,
The rules don't matter either way.

rule change should not happened "mid" season ,
Even if the change is to remove an the Additional space.

Both rules are Agricola, and it wouldn't be enough to spoil the game.

On the other hand,
There is an disappointing opinion on this thread from someone
who does not have a good enough Achievements with Agricola in BGA.

I hope that one day he will have a good Achievements with Agricola in BGA.

[johnnnplay]

No additional space for me, it simply breaks the amazing natural balance of the game.
Thanks for your work.

[shige_314]

Is there discussion enabling the Additional space next season?
Please let me know if there is a proper post.

Both rules are competitive and I like both.
However, IMO, WITH the extra space is more competitive.

With the extra space, SP of round 4 is important and a wider range of strategies to be taken.
On the other hand, SP-ing tactic is important throughout rounds without the extra space,
However, sometimes I see a situation players' advantage/disadvantage depends on which round the children space appears.
It's something like gambling not competing.

>I think that would be reasonable here--run every odd numbered season without extra action spaces, run every even season with the extra action spaces.
I quite agree.

Thanks all!

[silentcj]

I'll give my thoughts as I didn't chime in last time this was being discussed.

The additional action space variant is a definite no for me. While it removes the variance of when growth flips, it kills too many strategies and leads to much duller games in my opinion.

* Fast reno strats for cheap clay/stone rooms
* Setting up early fields or fences i.e. field watchman or collector
* Quirky strategies like Freemason
* Storks nest

The above are just a few examples that are much less viable as gameplay narrows towards building that first room as quickly as possible.

The randomness of when growth flips in stage 2 is a critical part of the game in my opinion and without it it's just not Agricola. It can sometimes lead to huge swings but while impossible to tell, I believe only a miniscule % of games are decided soley on when growth flips at high level play.

[thrullchampion]

I agree with everything silentcj said, especially:
"The randomness of when growth flips in stage 2 is a critical part of the game in my opinion and without it it's just not Agricola."
I love the tension that that randomness adds to strategic decisions early in the game. Choosing a strong line has to be balanced with the possibility of growth not flipping when you want it to.
I would skip Arena seasons that add additional spaces.

[WallBuilder]

Agree with silent and mark, it's a much better game without additional action spaces, for the reasons they say

[buldozer]

I would just skip arena season if additional spaces come

[Smoo]

Maybe there's a card set that complements the Additional Spaces gameplay, but the one available on BGA at this time is not it.

This should not be an Arena format.

[gsmatthijs]

I tend to agree with the sentiment regarding additional spaces.
I also think that it could be nice if there is some variance between seasons. Perhaps we could alternate 3 and 4 players? This has the advantage of making the game a bit quicker, which might be an advantage for some. Alternatively, we could change draft settings?

[MasterMar]

I tend to agree with the sentiment regarding additional spaces.
I also think that it could be nice if there is some variance between seasons. Perhaps we could alternate 3 and 4 players? This has the advantage of making the game a bit quicker, which might be an advantage for some. Alternatively, we could change draft settings?

By no means an expert player, but 4 players is more balanced.