Over the weekend @alexwjb, @siverure, @xaxaQ and me have experimented with a new way to play Agricola. This is a home rule system, but we have found it super enjoyable to share with you, if you wanna try it.
Draft 4 occupations and minors out of a pool (we suggest draft 7).
Your hand size after every round needs to consist of at least 4 occupations and 4 minors.
Every time you play an occ/minor, at the end of each turn you draw 2 cards of the appropriate type for each card played from the remaining occs/minors (that is ones, not in the initial draft) and choose one, so you have 4 occs and minors in your hand afterwards. For effects that get multiple cards out of your hand at the same time, you will draw in the order the cards are played.
[Example 1: you play Task Artistan and a minor in it. Your hand goes down from having 4 occs and 4 minors to having 3 of each. At the end of that turn you first draw 2 occupations, decide which one you want to keep, then you draw 2 minors and decide which one you want to keep. Your hand at the start of the next players turn is once again at 4 occs and 4 minors. Paper Knife would work the other way around - you first draw the minor, then the occ.]
[Example 2: You have Writing Desk in play. You play 1 occ from your hand with the Writing Desk effect. Since it is not the end of your turn yet, you do not get to draft another card, but you may play a second occ from your hand. If you do so, your occ number in your hand goes down to 2, so at the end of your turn you may draft from occs twice.]
When getting a passing card, you may decline it, otherwise you don't get to draft out of 2 until your occs / minors amount goes under 4 each again. So if you accept a passing minor, you do not get to draft the first time you play a minor. If you decline that minor, since your the amount of minors in your hand stays at 4, if you later on play one minor, you will be able to draft a minor at the end of that turn.
Additionally banned cards:
a) these are worthless considering the format: Civic Facade, Lantern House.
b) this one is just super odd in this format to make special rules to: Illusionist
Watchlist as they may be too strong / weak in this format, but would need testing to see how strong / weak they are:
Strong: Equipper, Bargain Hunter, Furnisher, Private Teacher, Market Master, Tutor, Prodigy, Bookshelf, Bookcase, Paper Maker, Writing Desk
Weak: Night-school Student
This format makes the game fresh and forces you to adapt your strategy based on what cards you get to draft.
This format is also more high-powered than regular formats. We suggest to play with both strong and weak banlists - so as to not get the ridiculous stuff or the unplayable garbage during drafts.
This format's biggest weakness is probably how it incentivizes using the Meeting Place action space more be the starting player - since you get to draft another minor when you start.
—
As an illustration I can share one of the games we have played:
I drafted Art Teacher, Plow Driver and Reader (a significantly better card in this format) in one of the games. My original plan was to 3 stone room and play a bunch off occs, to grow into a Reader room for my 4th meeple. The game went differently.
I played first action Art Teacher and drafted Task Artisan. Opponent played House Steward. I start playered with Chick Stable, drafted Family Friendly Home. My game shifted into a big house game, and since in a later draft I also got Swing Plow, I ended up not even playing Reader and Plow Driver.
Now you might think this is very strong - it is. But I still only ended up winning by a single point next to a 3-room Lover.
I suggest if you have the physical version of the game to try it out! It is fresh fun, and we had a lot of fun with it. Obviously as it is a houserule, it is currently not compatible with BGA, but maaaaybeee if enough people like it… We will see :3
Let us know what you think of this format!
Draft 4 occupations and minors out of a pool (we suggest draft 7).
Your hand size after every round needs to consist of at least 4 occupations and 4 minors.
Every time you play an occ/minor, at the end of each turn you draw 2 cards of the appropriate type for each card played from the remaining occs/minors (that is ones, not in the initial draft) and choose one, so you have 4 occs and minors in your hand afterwards. For effects that get multiple cards out of your hand at the same time, you will draw in the order the cards are played.
[Example 1: you play Task Artistan and a minor in it. Your hand goes down from having 4 occs and 4 minors to having 3 of each. At the end of that turn you first draw 2 occupations, decide which one you want to keep, then you draw 2 minors and decide which one you want to keep. Your hand at the start of the next players turn is once again at 4 occs and 4 minors. Paper Knife would work the other way around - you first draw the minor, then the occ.]
[Example 2: You have Writing Desk in play. You play 1 occ from your hand with the Writing Desk effect. Since it is not the end of your turn yet, you do not get to draft another card, but you may play a second occ from your hand. If you do so, your occ number in your hand goes down to 2, so at the end of your turn you may draft from occs twice.]
When getting a passing card, you may decline it, otherwise you don't get to draft out of 2 until your occs / minors amount goes under 4 each again. So if you accept a passing minor, you do not get to draft the first time you play a minor. If you decline that minor, since your the amount of minors in your hand stays at 4, if you later on play one minor, you will be able to draft a minor at the end of that turn.
Additionally banned cards:
a) these are worthless considering the format: Civic Facade, Lantern House.
b) this one is just super odd in this format to make special rules to: Illusionist
Watchlist as they may be too strong / weak in this format, but would need testing to see how strong / weak they are:
Strong: Equipper, Bargain Hunter, Furnisher, Private Teacher, Market Master, Tutor, Prodigy, Bookshelf, Bookcase, Paper Maker, Writing Desk
Weak: Night-school Student
This format makes the game fresh and forces you to adapt your strategy based on what cards you get to draft.
This format is also more high-powered than regular formats. We suggest to play with both strong and weak banlists - so as to not get the ridiculous stuff or the unplayable garbage during drafts.
This format's biggest weakness is probably how it incentivizes using the Meeting Place action space more be the starting player - since you get to draft another minor when you start.
—
As an illustration I can share one of the games we have played:
I drafted Art Teacher, Plow Driver and Reader (a significantly better card in this format) in one of the games. My original plan was to 3 stone room and play a bunch off occs, to grow into a Reader room for my 4th meeple. The game went differently.
I played first action Art Teacher and drafted Task Artisan. Opponent played House Steward. I start playered with Chick Stable, drafted Family Friendly Home. My game shifted into a big house game, and since in a later draft I also got Swing Plow, I ended up not even playing Reader and Plow Driver.
Now you might think this is very strong - it is. But I still only ended up winning by a single point next to a 3-room Lover.
I suggest if you have the physical version of the game to try it out! It is fresh fun, and we had a lot of fun with it. Obviously as it is a houserule, it is currently not compatible with BGA, but maaaaybeee if enough people like it… We will see :3
Let us know what you think of this format!
