Board Game Arena

I think Agricola is a great example of not every game being for everyone. There's things I love about this game, like the seeming endless replayability and the variability. On the other hand, there is a lot going on in a game of Agricola, especially when you're playing online against experienced players, and even more so in a 4-player game. Add on top of that the time constraints and... my brain goes boom!

For someone not particularly good at maths, the having to calculate every action selection move down to the very last resource is a bit overwhelming. And jostling for critical resources you need but could be taken away at each turn by a more experienced player who knows exactly what you need is also no fun. And the upkeep only gets tougher as the game progresses and your played Occupations and Minor Improvements get built, these are just more things one has to consider beyond the ever changing board state, and that's to discount completely what the other players are doing, that's a few bridges too far, really.

So far I am able to understand, there's many differing goals going on, your immediate goals of growing your family and then feeding early (much easier said than done,) and then your mid to late game goals which seem vague at best, that's assuming you remember the moves needed to make these plans come to fruition in the first place. Then on top of all of that, a new player has to become acquainted with these piles of Occupation and Improvement cards, many of which are not intuitive at all to newcomers not understanding fully their hidden synergies or non-synergies (non-'bos) they may present.

In sum, while I love this game and it makes my brain hurt in all the right ways, there's a great deal of time and patience required here. Trial and error I believe that must be invested, that it's going to dissuade most mere mortals such as myself. I can see why this game is so beloved though, however, there's a steep learning curve here that's going to barr most casual board gamers from experiencing all the riches it has to offer. Not being so good at Min-maxing myself makes playing Agricola with experienced players feel a bit like going to prison for the first time I suppose, a bit horrifying how inadequate this game makes me feel.

Looking at your profile, try playing Caverna. Similar to Agricola but not as complex.

The game is not for everyone but you say that you love it so I assume you'd like to improve. It is a game with highs and lows. A match where everything clicks is so satisfying and a match where you struggle from the very first move can be so horrible.

If you want to get better, you can watch some really good players on Twitch or Youtube, streaming Agricola. Not only are they entertaining but also very helpful if you ask questions about the game.

First, get the basics down on how the game works and what is important. Then the hardest part is probably knowing when and how to play all the cards, because there are a lot of trap cards. There are probably around 50 cards that are so bad that they are unplayable but I still see them getting played by newer players. On Youtube you can find videos where experts ranks cards and explain why.

I have watched quite a few videos already, and just as I think huh!... there's an idea I could try in-game and get better at, most of that optimism goes straight out the window the moment I begin to play. Much like Magic the Gathering, card memorization and understanding is key. So if I want to get better there's simply no way around it, I need to watch and rewatch card ranking videos in order to set myself up with a decent starting hand.

I'm a particularly slow learner so I need to really think deeply about what the effects on these cards are doing, because that's obviously where the action economy of the game is made or lost. Drafting awareness, like knowing when you are being redundant in accumulating too many of one resource at the expense of other critical resources also seems to be very important. Diversity and flexibility is probably optimal.

In short, there's no way to become good at this game without putting in a lot of effort. For hardcore, seasoned Euro gamers... this stuff comes easy, but for the uninitiated not so much. But I like playing Agricola, so even though I am abysmal at it, and I do mean a-bys-mal, I'll keep trying to see if it eventually clicks at some point. I think the payoff would be worth it.

This is not the right way to go about learning. Do not make any pre-conceived assumptions, because you've already backed yourself into a corner, and take losses like 'oh it's because they are more experienced, or they had the best cards, etc.'. When it reality, any loss should be a big chance to understand where YOU went wrong, make adjustments and gain real experience.

It's not like MtG, which is very much knowledge of latest deck trends and the like. You can almost shove a great rush deck into a beginners hands and they will do well. Maybe it's comparable to a sealed deck or draft tournament.

Understand the fundamentals. Maybe don't even play any cards, not until you're absolutely sure that that is a better play.
You cannot avoid the maths, maybe unfortunately for you. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. Soon it becomes 2nd nature and you'll be able to develop your assessment of your position deeper and further, and now you're just playing the game. You'll understand videos and guides and the like, without that initial understanding it's close to pointless - fun maybe, but you're not really going to get better.

My advice is to play with players of your own ability or slightly better. This way your ego doesn't get a permanent bashing, and you'll at least be able gauge things from a slightly simpler view.

Sounds like good advice, thank you RicardoRix.

Well good luck.

I going to make some assumptions from your profile, and say that you're new(ish) to board games, but play a mean bit of chess.

So if that's true, then you also have a more significant mountain to climb, because board game skills are very transferable, and a lot of players here play a lot of different games. And while Agricola is an excellent game, it does have a fairly devoted player pool and perhaps the range of cards might be a bit too much. But all depends on you, the ultimate challenge also has the best rewards.

Good video for learners:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtX_ENQns54&t=1s

[quote=RicardoRix post_id=168861 time=1707567293 user_id=28158

Good video for learners:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtX_ENQns54&t=1s
[/quote]

Thanks again, RicardoRix. That was a great little primer video. I'm going to take your advice and start being more selective about what games I join, I will try to join 4-player games where all players have below 200 ELO. And truth be told, learning great games like Agricola is really all part of the fun, as it's a very rewarding feeling once you see yourself starting to get better at them, even if it's by the tiniest of margins.

Agricola is the best game of all time (opinions may vary), but it is a very steep learning curve.

I highly recommend it to people who like:

- Gaming masochism (you have to enjoy the frustration and pain)
- Coming up with cool combos and strategies
- A game with a very large amount to learn and explore
- Figuring out puzzles

If that sounds like you, dive in. If not, there are tonnes of great games out there so don't sweat it.

Thanks for the warm welcome, Alex. I may have to become a premium member just because Agricola is that good and the implementation of it on BGA is an A+. Besides that, BGA has an enormous board game library for just about anyone's tastes.