Agricola (Revised Edition)

🧠 Teaser

Agricola Revised Edition is not just another Euro game — it’s a timeless classic that has challenged players for nearly two decades. With only 14 rounds to build your farm, feed your family, and outthink your opponents, every decision matters. If you enjoy deep strategy, tough choices, and the satisfaction of watching your farm grow, Agricola is a must-play.

🎯 Game Overview

• Title: Agricola Revised Edition

• Publisher / Year: Lookout Games / 2016

• Theme / Setting: Agriculture, Animal, Economy / Worker placement

• Target Audience: Strategy-heavy lovers, Euro-style lovers, and dedicated board game lovers

• Recommended Players: 3 to 4 players

• Complexity: Medium to high

• BGG Ranking: 84

• BGG Rating: 8

📈 Quick Stats

🧩 Components & Presentation

Score: 7 / 10

It is a hard decision to score this section, but I have to be fair to Agricola and recent release games. I believe components in general are good quality and fair, but cards are in need of redesign and I really don’t understand the reason behind using yellow and orange color. These colors are too similar to each other as a separator of occupations and minor improvements. The imbalance in card design and elements is noticeable.

📜Rules & Accessibility

Score: 7 / 10

The rulebook and rules of the game might seem easy, but there are some details in the Appendix that you need to know before playing the game. For example, there is no place in the rulebook mentioning which actions are accumulative and which ones are permanent (Edited: This can be found in page 6). The action spaces with arrows are accumulative. I am going to answer a couple of questions about the rules here.

❓ Rules Q&A

• Which actions are accumulative?

  Action spaces with an arrow symbol are accumulative. If no one takes the action in one round, the resources remain and new ones are added in the next round.

  
  

• How many animals can you keep in each pasture?

  Each fenced pasture can hold 2 animals per space. If you build a stable inside a pasture, the capacity doubles per stable.

  
  

• Can you mix animals in pastures?

  Each pasture can only hold one type of animal.

  
  

• How does pasture scoring work?

  At the end of the game, you score +1 point per pasture, regardless of its size. A 1‑space pasture and a 4‑space pasture both count as 1 point.

  
  

• How many animals can you breed in each harvest?

  During the breeding step, if you have at least 2 animals of the same type, you gain 1 new animal of that type. It doesn’t matter if you have 2, 4, or more — you only get 1 new animal per type each harvest. You must also have space to keep the newborn.

  
  

• Renovation cost clarification (reed and clay example):

  Renovating from wood to clay costs 1 reed for the roof (flat cost) plus 1 clay per room.

  Example: If you have 3 rooms, you must pay 1 reed + 3 clay.

  Renovating from clay to stone works the same way: 1 reed for the roof plus 1 stone per room.

  
  

• Animal breeding and space:

  If you don’t have enough space for the newborn animal, it is not born. Planning your pastures and stables in advance is critical.

⚙️ Gameplay

Score: 9 / 10

The gameplay is simple, isn’t it? It is just a worker placement game, but it is more than that. You have only 14 rounds to execute all your plans and optimize the best strategy. Your strategy needs adaptation as your opponent utilizes one of the spaces you had planned to play. This game is all about adaptation, optimization, and predicting your opponents’ moves. Don’t forget you should feed your family by the end of each stage during harvesting.

🔄 Gameflow

Here is the general flow of a game of Agricola:

1. Setup – Each player starts with a small farmyard, two family members, and basic resources.

2. Round Structure – Each round adds a new action space to the board, expanding available choices.

3. Worker Placement – Players take turns placing family members on action spaces to gather resources, build, or expand.

4. Building & Growing – Use resources to build rooms, fences, stables, and fields, or to grow your family.

5. Harvest Phases – At the end of each stage, players must harvest crops, breed animals, and feed their family.

6. End of Game – After 14 rounds, players score points for fields, pastures, animals, family members, improvements, and more. The player with the highest score wins.

😄 Fun Factor & Theme

Score: 10 / 10

It is a fun game with an amazing 17th-century theme. You are trying to get the highest score in the game while blocking other players by placing your worker on the space they are interested in.

📊 Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Short game for the depth and strategy

• Simple actions

• Predictability

• Replayability

❌ Cons

• Hard optimization in 14 rounds

• Complicated rulebook

• Learning curve

🧮 Score Summary

📝 Verdict

Overall Score: 8.5 / 10

Stunning game from 2007, how is it possible for a board game to stay in BGG Top 100 for so many years? This is not a chance or coincidence. This is all about providing a unique experience and Agricola does it in the best way. Fairly a fast game with amazing technical depth. I can say this is a game that will change your perspective and expectation from board games. Don’t forget this game is from 2007. This is a must-play for board game lovers.

Recommendation: Make sure you understand the rules, the accumulative spaces, and for your first play consider playing without cards. You should be able to get familiar with the game in 2 to 3 plays and master the game of 14 rounds.