Agricola (Board Game Review)

Review by Paeter Frandsen

You would think a board game about farming ("Agricola" is Latin for "farmer") would be as boring as dirt. For that reason I avoided even considering this game for a long time. But late in 2012 I finally got a smart phone and discovered productivity simulation games- games in which you take a set of resources and combine them to make something valuable or useful. Many of these games had fantasy themes, which I initially thought was a vital component for my enjoyment. But I soon realized the productivity theme itself was exciting and satisfying. (Maybe because my real-world work life has felt frustratingly unproductive on a regular basis.)

After watching a number of video reviews, my interest in Agricola made a 180. I also suspected that my wife might enjoy the game, too. (The holy grail for many married gamers!) In Agricola, players take on the role of medieval farmers who each manage a plot of land and start the game with the same set and number of resources. The object is to develop the most diversely productive property, measured at the end of the game in victory points earned from various accomplishments.

You start the game with two family members and a humble straw hut. Each turn you will send your family members into town to work and collect resources to be used on your farm. You can bring home grain to plant, wood to build, animals to breed, or a number of other things. Only one family member can work at each location, providing just a touch of interaction with competing players. (Players may also "pay" to go first each round to ensure they can work where they want.)

There are numerous paths to victory, but you must do at least a little of everything or suffer negative points in the final scoring. You must also periodically produce enough food to feed your family members, or suffer negative points as they are forced to beg for food.

As you develop your land you'll build fences and barns, upgrade or add extensions to your home, and build appliances to feed your family more efficiently. You may even choose to have children, adding to your work force later in the game. (What else are kids good for, right?)

Players also receive random occupation cards at the start of the game. These provide bonuses when performing certain actions, and create potentially alternate routes to victory that are unique to each player. Occupation cards vary greatly, adding significant replay value to the game. 

Those who enjoy logic puzzles (such as my wife) will enjoy the difficult decisions to be made each turn. The theme is also very strong. By the end of each game I feel an earthy satisfaction about what I've accomplished, even if I don't win.

The artwork on the cards is very well done, although slightly cartoony for my tastes. (I tend to prefer dark and/or serious themes and artwork in board games.) Components could be a little better, as family members, resources, and animals are all represented by painted wooden cubes and disks. (I'm told newer prints of the game come with slightly upgraded wooden components that are at least vaguely shaped to match what they represent.) In this case, I've found I don't mind the abstract nature of the components. I don't own any other games with similar components, so they remain a bit of a novelty for me. In fact, I personally feel that the various wooden tokens fit the primitive, earthy theme of medieval farming pretty well!

As a highly non-competitive gamer, I like the lack of head-to-head competition in the game.  Better yet, the game comes with rules for solo play that can easily be adapted into co-op rules. I've even posted a co-op "variant-in-progress" on boardgamegeek.com that adds the theme of an oppressive evil empire. 

So why review this game for a geek website and podcast? Board games aren't by nature geeky. And the theme of Agricola is not technically fantasy, containing no magic or monsters. 

There are a couple of reasons that I think this game is still very relevant to geeks. First, I enjoy Agricola nearly as much as my favorite sci-fi/fantasy/horror board games. It's not quite fantasy, but the rich medieval theme can make you forget that at times. Second, it makes for a more approachable theme for those in my life who aren't genre geeks. (Better to scratch half of a geek itch more often than none at all!)

There is just a tiny bit of potential in the game for provoking worthwhile thought or conversation regarding spiritual matters. It all hinges on asking the question, "Why is this fun?" Why is a game about farming (nearly the most boring thing I can think of) so fun and satisfying to play? I believe it's because it's a preview, a hint, of what work may be like in Christ's eternal kingdom.

Right now, because of sin, all work is frustrating and far less productive than we'd like. Work is a pain much of the time. But in Agricola, any "frustration" is lessened by the fact that it's only a game, and productivity is insanely high as you watch your labor produce fruit at superspeed. No weeds to pick, crap to shovel, or sore feet. Agricola, a funny little game about farming, can remind us of the destiny we were made for.

Recommended for ages 12+

Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 6.0/10