Le Havre
So after reading multiple recommendations in comments on this blog, I purchased and played Le Havre this week. It seems good, but why do you guys think it's a better board game than Agricola?
I'm happy to own it and I look forward to playing it more, but it doesn't look like it's going to have nearly the replay value of Agricola. Without much randomness to either the set-up or the gameplay, what stops it from bogging down into one reasonably-solved puzzle after the first couple of games? With Agricola (which is by the same designer), I find that your random hand of Minor Improvements and Occupations does a lot to make each game that you play a pretty different experience. All those cards can make Agricola feel a little bit busy, but it's not like Le Havre constrains your actions down to a small number of options. If anything, the late turns of Le Havre seem to present you with even more options that you can potentially spend your turn doing. Plus it's almost twice as long to play (so far in limited smaple size, anyway).
Anyway, like I said, I'm not complaining; but I would enjoy hearing more from someone who loves Le Havre. I'm probably missing something.
I'm happy to own it and I look forward to playing it more, but it doesn't look like it's going to have nearly the replay value of Agricola. Without much randomness to either the set-up or the gameplay, what stops it from bogging down into one reasonably-solved puzzle after the first couple of games? With Agricola (which is by the same designer), I find that your random hand of Minor Improvements and Occupations does a lot to make each game that you play a pretty different experience. All those cards can make Agricola feel a little bit busy, but it's not like Le Havre constrains your actions down to a small number of options. If anything, the late turns of Le Havre seem to present you with even more options that you can potentially spend your turn doing. Plus it's almost twice as long to play (so far in limited smaple size, anyway).
Anyway, like I said, I'm not complaining; but I would enjoy hearing more from someone who loves Le Havre. I'm probably missing something.
We found that our group enjoyed this one MUCH more than Agricola. Although something that ruined it for us was a player who abused the "starvation" mechanic to win. Was perfectly legal in the rules, but changed the way we will forever play the game.
Reply to this
Maybe I played Agricola some 100 times too often, so that's why I favor LeHavre.
The game is more tactical and less strategic, which favors my playstyle. Also don't underestimate the power of the Special buildings, that really can spin the game in different directions. A reason to not play by the short rules. I sometimes think that 5 buildings in a 4-players game is just not enough, on the other hand there are not enough special buildings (also in Essen last year 12 new ones where given out as well).
Reply to this
There are enough separate randomizations to lead to a subtlely different game each time. Don't underestimate the importance of the order in which the buildings end up appearing; a player who recognizes the potential to put together a well-timed synergy based on seeing that two related buildings will emerge at the right time can really clean up. So can the person who sees which building will be key to other people's actions over the next few turns, and scoops it up to force payment for its use.
More minorly, it's nice that food debt is actually a viable strategem in Le Havre, as opposed to the unmitigated disaster it represents in Agricola. So far, debt and in-the-black seem both to be viable and well-balanced against each other.
Reply to this