More Homesteaders
I played a 3p game of this fantastic fluid Euro, and decided to take a completely different approach this time, forsaking the Gold Mine and Church, which I used in my last two games.
As I built the Farm on the first turn, I resolved to make the most of my people and food, thus grabbed the Ranch to produce cows, and took the Rodeo to pay my workers. With the Rodeo, I immediately went to max out my workers, then went for buildings that scored for them (and used cows if possible). I ended up drawing on points but winning by two silver dollars - a very close finish!
One my major positives about the game is that it's so quick and simple for the variety available. I can play games thinking clearly about the strategy I want to employ, rather than being overwhelmed by fiddly mechanics or tactical distractions, and at the end of the game, I can consider how the strategy worked and how it interacted with my opponents.
This is true moreso than in my other well-loved quick-playing game, Race for the Galaxy. RftG offers you limited options and challenges you to make lemonade, and the game is consumed by repeatedly wringing lemons into a longer-term strategy. By contrast, Homesteaders opens a buffet of choice and even allows you to change your mind; you get into contests over specific dishes, but the options are all out in the open and available on the table.
As I built the Farm on the first turn, I resolved to make the most of my people and food, thus grabbed the Ranch to produce cows, and took the Rodeo to pay my workers. With the Rodeo, I immediately went to max out my workers, then went for buildings that scored for them (and used cows if possible). I ended up drawing on points but winning by two silver dollars - a very close finish!
One my major positives about the game is that it's so quick and simple for the variety available. I can play games thinking clearly about the strategy I want to employ, rather than being overwhelmed by fiddly mechanics or tactical distractions, and at the end of the game, I can consider how the strategy worked and how it interacted with my opponents.
This is true moreso than in my other well-loved quick-playing game, Race for the Galaxy. RftG offers you limited options and challenges you to make lemonade, and the game is consumed by repeatedly wringing lemons into a longer-term strategy. By contrast, Homesteaders opens a buffet of choice and even allows you to change your mind; you get into contests over specific dishes, but the options are all out in the open and available on the table.