agricola  

Updated 11/14/2008

2008 WBC Report  

   2009 Status: pending 2009 GM commitment

Rob Kircher, RI

2008 Champion

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Event History
2008    Rob Kircher     48
 Laurels

Rank  Name              From  Last  Total
  1.  Rob Kircher        RI    08     30
  2.  David Platnick     VA    08     18
  3.  Rod Bacigalupo     MD    08     12
  4.  Jeff Bowers        UT    08      9
  5.  Joshua Cooper      MD    08      6
  6.  Mike Kaltman       PA    08      3

2008 Laurelists

David Platnick, VA
2nd

Rodney Bacigalupo, MD
3rd

Jeff Bowers, UT
4th

Joshua Cooper, MD
5th

Mike Kaltman, PA
6th


It was SRO for Tom McCorry's demo of Agricola -- rumored to be the hottest new game from Europe.

Katharine McCorry did some proselytizing too for her husband's latest Essen discovery which drew well despite a shortage of games.

Barely off the Boat

Z-Man Games sponsored the vendor trial for Agricola (Latin for farmer) and there was some question as to whether the event would even occur since the English version of the game did not land on these shores until just before the convention. Indeed, the Sampler Showcase demo of the title had to make do with European versions of the game as we anxiously checked the mail each day for deliveries. Fortunately, the promised copies arrived in time for the tournament, but one must wonder what this event will draw next time when the English version has been in distribution for a year.

Agricola is about a farmer and spouse developing their house, family, fields, and livestock to have the most prosperous and diverse farm at the end of 14 rounds. The game includes 300 occupation and minor improvement cards with each player only getting 14 cards per game. The common action cards vary depending on the number of players which makes for a high replay value with one set of rules. This 2007 Essen Spiel release has surpassed Puerto Rico as the highest rated game on BoardgameGeek.com ratings.

For the tournament, we used the "Complex" set of occupations/minor improvements in each round. Heat 1 used six 5-player games with one tournament rule: player 5 at the start of the game received one extra piece of food (four instead of three) which we have found neutralizes the perceived disadvantage of starting 5th. The high score for the round went to Bob Crenshaw with a 59 with "Legend" Dan Hoffman getting the highest non-winning score of 47. Overall, the average score was 31 with the average winning score being 46. It turned out that the 5th position ended up with the highest average finishing score so it looks like the house rule was not needed, or perhaps overkill.

Heat 2 used eight 4-player games. The average scores remained the same (31) with the high score for the heat going to David Platnick (53) and the highest non-winning score to Luke Koleszar (44). Interestingly, it looks like there is a statistical disadvantage going last in a four player game while the other three places were statistically equal. The sample size is small but it will be interesting to track as we get more tournament data.

The semi-finals consisted of four 3-player games with high score going to David Platnick again (41) and the highest non-winning score to Bob Crenshaw. The sample size was really small but the player starting third won three of the four games. Moving on to the Final (in start order for the round)  and the starting cards for each player with round played if used (* denotes card received from another player):

* Rodney Bacigalupo -- Occupations: House Stewart(1), Clay Worker(1), Animal Breeder, Frame Builder, Veterinarian, Forrester, Schnapps Distiller; Minor Improvements: Horse(4), Stone Exchange (6), Bakehouse (9), Lumber*(12), Ox Team(13), Pelts (?), Brushwood Roof, Stone Cart

* Jeff Bowers -- Occupations: Resource Seller(2), Storehouse Clerk(5), Slaughterman(7), Travelling Salesman(12), Tanner, Wood Distributor, Perpetual Student; Minor Improvements: Clapper(3), Stone Exchange*(8), Corn Sheaf(10), Sawhorse, Boar Breeding, Wooden Storage-Box, Flail, Granary, Lumber*

* David Platnick ­ Occupations: Magician(2), Storehouse Keeper(3), Educator(5), Wood Deliveryman(5), Countryman (7), Brushwood Collector(10), Weaver; Minor Improvements: House Goat(1), Clay Pit(6), Acerage(8), Swan Lake(10), Cooking Hearth(11), Duck Pond(11), Corn Sheaf*(13), Sleeping Corner, Stone Exchange*

 * Rob Kircher ­ Occupations: Fence Overseer(3), Pig Whisperer(4), Market Woman(8), Cattle Breeder(10), Serf, Adoptive Parents, Lover; Minor Improvements: Lumber(5), Milking Stool(7), Swing Plow(11), Herb Garden, Liquid Manure, Yoke, Broom, Corn Sheaf* 

The completed score sheet for the Final:

 Name Rodney Jeff David Rob
Fields 1 -1 2 4
Pastures 2 2 1 4
Grain -1 -1 4 4
Vegetables -1 1 4 4
Sheep 1 -1 -1 1
Boar -1 -1 1 4
Cattle 1 -1 -1 4
Unused Spaces -2 -3 -1 0
Fenced Stables 2 2 2 2
Hut Rooms 5 6 12 3
Family Members 15 9 15 15
Begging Cards - - - -
Improvements 2 3 3 3
Bonuses 2 3 3 3
Total 31 22 47 51

Anne Norton, Tom McCorry and Dave Platnick in a 3-player game.

GM Tom mugs with his four finalists.
 GM      Tom McCorry (1st Year)  NA  
    tommccorry@gmail.com   NA

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