Objective

The goal of Agricola is to have the most points by the end of the game. Points are scored based on the quality of your farm, including your fields, pastures, crops, livestock, family members, and buildings.

Setup

1. Game Board: Set up the main game board according to the number of players. Place the action cards on their corresponding spaces.

2. Player Boards: Each player receives a farmyard board, two wooden rooms, and five family members (represented by wooden discs).

3. Starting Resources: Players start with two family members and resources (wood, clay, reed, stone, grain, food).

4. Decks: Choose and shuffle the Minor Improvements and Occupations decks. Deal 7 Minor Improvement cards and 7 Occupation cards to each player.
   

Gameplay

1. Rounds and Phases:

   • Game Rounds: The game consists of 14 rounds, divided into 6 stages. Each round has a new action revealed.

   • Turn Order: Players take turns placing their family members on action spaces to perform actions.

   • Work Phase: Players place their family members on available action spaces to collect resources, build, plant, or take other actions.

   • Harvest Phase: At the end of each stage (after rounds 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 14), a harvest occurs where players must feed their family, harvest crops, and breed animals.

2. Actions:

   • Resource Gathering: Collect resources like wood, clay, reed, and stone from the board.

   • Building: Build and upgrade rooms in your house, construct stables, or fences.

   • Field and Pasture Development: Plow fields, sow crops (grain and vegetables), and create pastures for animals.

   • Family Growth: Expand your family by building new rooms and using the "Family Growth" action.

   • Improvements: Play Occupation and Minor Improvement cards that provide benefits to your farm.

3. Feeding Your Family:

   • Each family member requires 2 food during the harvest phase. If you cannot feed your family, you must take begging cards, which give negative points.

4. Harvesting:

   • Crop Harvesting: Remove one grain or vegetable from each sown field.

   • Animal Breeding: If you have at least two animals of the same type in a pasture, they breed and produce one additional animal of that type.

5. End of the Game:

   • After the final harvest in round 14, the game ends. Players tally their scores based on the following criteria:

     • Fields: Points for the number of plowed fields.

     • Pastures: Points for the number of pastures.

     • Grain and Vegetables: Points for the number of crops.

     • Animals: Points for the number of sheep, wild boar, and cattle.

     • Family Members: Points for each family member.

     • House and Rooms: Points for the type and number of rooms.

     • Improvements: Points for played Minor and Major Improvements.

     • Unused Spaces: Negative points for unused spaces on your farmyard.

     • Begging Cards: Negative points for each begging card.

6. Winning the Game:

   • The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
     

Strategy Tips

1. Balanced Development: Avoid focusing too much on one aspect of your farm; balance crop production, livestock, and family growth.

2. Resource Management: Prioritize actions that give you resources needed for future turns.

3. Feeding Your Family: Plan ahead to ensure you can feed your family during the harvest.

4. Early Family Growth: Expanding your family early can give you more actions in later rounds, but ensure you can support them.
   

Expansions and Variants

Agricola has multiple expansions and variants that add new cards, challenges, and strategies to the game. These can introduce more complex rules and allow for different play styles.