Agricola

AGRICOLA is a 2007 WORKER-PLACEMENT + FARMING BOARD GAME designed by UWE ROSENBERG + originally published by LOOKOUT GAMES (Germany). Widely credited as the game that DEFINED the WORKER-PLACEMENT GENRE + established heavy-Euro board gaming's modern era. THEME: 1-5 players run 17th-century Central European FAMILY FARMS starting with 2 people (husband + wife) in a wooden 2-room hut. Over 14 ROUNDS (with HARVESTS every 4 rounds), players expand their farms — build fields (grain + vegetables), fence pastures + stables, raise animals (sheep + boar + cattle), renovate hut (wood → clay → stone), + GROW THEIR FAMILY (add workers = more actions but more mouths to feed). GAMEPLAY: On each turn a player places 1 WORKER (family member) on 1 available ACTION SPACE — actions include: (a) TAKE 1 WOOD/CLAY/STONE/REED (basic resources; refill each round if not taken); (b) TAKE 1 GRAIN/VEG; (c) BUILD FIELDS + SOW; (d) FENCE PASTURES; (e) TAKE 1 SHEEP/BOAR/CATTLE; (f) BUILD/RENOVATE HOME; (g) PLAY OCCUPATION CARD (special one-time-use characters like Fisherman, Bricklayer, etc.); (h) PLAY IMPROVEMENT CARD (minor + major — Fireplace, Oven, Cooking Hearth, Well, etc.); (i) FAMILY GROWTH (add newborn = new worker); (j) STARTING PLAYER + resources. Each round, ONE NEW ACTION SPACE is revealed (cards from a shuffled action deck). HARVEST (rounds 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14): (1) FIELD HARVEST — grain/veg gained; (2) FEEDING — each family member needs 2 FOOD (newborns 1 food only their first harvest); short = -3 VP per missing food (begging cards); (3) ANIMAL BREEDING — 2+ animals of same species = 1 offspring. FEEDING PRESSURE = the game's engine — everything is about getting FOOD to feed growing family. SCORING END OF ROUND 14: Points from (a) fields (0-4 VP by count); (b) pastures + stables (0-4 VP); (c) grain/veg (0-4 VP); (d) sheep/boar/cattle (0-4 VP each); (e) unused spaces (-1 VP); (f) fenced pastures (VP); (g) house type (wood 0, clay 3, stone 5) + family members (3 VP each); (h) occupation cards; (i) improvement cards; (j) begging cards (-3 each). Highest total wins. CARD-DRIVEN: 169 OCCUPATION + 139 MINOR IMPROVEMENT cards dealt to hand at game start = massive variety + replayability. AWARDS: (a) SPIEL DES JAHRES SPECIAL AWARD 2008 (for complexity); (b) DEUTSCHER SPIELE PREIS 2008 WINNER; (c) INTERNATIONAL GAMERS AWARD 2008; (d) TRIC TRAC D'OR 2008; (e) HELD BGG #1 2010-2013 (dethroned by Twilight Struggle). EXPANSIONS: (a) FARMERS OF THE MOOR (2009); (b) BUBULCUS DECK (2010); (c) GAMER'S PACK (2016); (d) FAMILY EDITION (2016, simplified); (e) ARTIFEX / SAPIENS decks. VARIANTS: (a) ALL CREATURES BIG AND SMALL (2p spinoff, 2012); (b) AGRICOLA: FAMILY EDITION (2016, no cards, simpler); (c) AGRICOLA REVISED 2016 (updated rules + art). DIGITAL: iOS/Android Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small (Digidiced). LEGACY: Rosenberg's follow-ups — LE HAVRE (2008), ORA ET LABORA (2011), FIELDS OF ARLE (2014), CAVERNA (2013), A FEAST FOR ODIN (2016), HALLERTAU (2020), NUSFJORD (2017), HAMBURG (2023), REYKHOLT (2018), GLASS ROAD, MERKATOR — collectively the UWE ROSENBERG HEAVY-EURO CANON, largely inspired by Agricola's foundation.

End of round 14: sum VP from fields, pastures, grain, veg, sheep/boar/cattle, unused spaces (-1 each), house type + family, occupation cards, improvement cards, begging (-3 each), bonus points.

Win condition · Highest total VP after round 14. Tiebreak = most bonus points / cards played.

Central board reveals a new action space each round (14 rounds total, cards shuffled from action deck); each player has personal 5×3 grid farm board where they place hut, fields, fences, pastures.

• Base game (Lookout / Z-Man edition)

  $60 USD; premium wooden components

• Central action board + action cards (16 per game from 30+)

  Different setup each play

• Player farm boards × 5

  Personal 5×3 grid

• Wooden animals (sheep, boar, cattle) + grain + vegetable tokens

  Chunky iconic components

• Wooden fence pieces + stable tiles + hut tiles

  Building components

• 169 occupation cards + 139 minor improvement cards

  Massive variety

• 10 major improvement cards

  Available to all — Fireplace, Oven, etc.

• Round-marker + starting player token + workers per color

  Standard

• Expansions (Farmers of the Moor, Bubulcus, Gamer's Pack)

  Sold separately

• Food economy is #1

  Every plan must include how you'll feed family at next harvest — starvation (begging) = -3 VP each.

• Occupation cards can define strategy

  Fisherman = free food each round; Bricklayer = stone economy; each hand shapes strategy.

• Grow family early = more workers

  But delayed too long = fewer turns with extra worker; timing critical.

• Diverse scoring — 1 of each animal

  Fields 0-4 VP + animals 0-4 VP + veggies 0-4 — DIVERSITY beats specialization.

• Fence pastures for animal capacity

  Fenced pastures let you keep + breed animals; +1 VP each.

• Stone renovation = 5 VP per room

  Late-game house upgrade huge (5 VP × 3-4 rooms = 15-20 VP).

• Fill your entire farm board

  Empty spaces = -1 VP each; even 2-3 empty spaces = -3 to -5 VP swing.

Occupation card

Character card giving one-time or ongoing ability.

Minor improvement

Personal card for private use — Fireplace, Well, etc.

Major improvement

Shared card — only one player can build each.

Harvest

Phase at rounds 4/7/9/11/13/14 — field yield + feed + breed.

Begging card

-3 VP penalty received when unable to feed family.

Family growth

Action adding newborn = +1 worker.

Fence / Pasture / Stable

Farm infrastructure for animals.

Renovation

Upgrade hut: wood → clay → stone (VP + rooms).

• Spiel des Jahres Special Award 2008

  once · Germany · since 2008

• Deutscher Spiele Preis 2008 Winner

  annual · Germany · since 2008

• International Gamers Award 2008

  annual · worldwide · since 2008

• BGG #1 Ranked Game 2010-2013

  historical · worldwide · since 2010

• Tric Trac d'Or 2008

  annual · France · since 2008

• 🇩🇪Germany
• 🇺🇸United States
• 🇬🇧United Kingdom
• 🇫🇷France
• 🇮🇹Italy
• 🇵🇱Poland
• 🇪🇸Spain
• 🇳🇱Netherlands
• 🇯🇵Japan
• 🇦🇺Australia
• 🇨🇦Canada
• 🇸🇪Sweden
• 🇷🇺Russia

• Lookout Games (original publisher)

  Founded 1999 · Germany

• Z-Man Games (English publisher)

  Founded 1999 · USA / Canada

• Spiel des Jahres jury (award)

  Founded 1978 · Germany

• BoardGameGeek — Agricola— BGG
• Lookout Games — Agricola— Lookout Games
• Wikipedia — Agricola (board game)— Wikipedia