The new and improved Agricola arrives May 19th and Mayfair is pulling out all the stops to make launch weekend an event you won’t want to miss!

Last issue we talked about the three-pronged rollout for the game. Designed for 1-4 players with a price point of $60, the Agricola core game is a revised edition of Uwe Rosenberg’s celebrated classic. It features improved, all-wood components and card selections from the original base game as well as its expansions, revised and updated for this edition. The 5-6 player extension will build on the Agricola base game, with components for two additional players as well as more cards, again revised and expanded by Uwe Rosenberg.

Last, but certainly not least, there is the Agricola Family Edition. This version is also for 1-4 players and is the perfect gateway product to Agricola. The game features no cards, is designed for a more streamlined play experience, and retails at a substantially reduced price, making the decision to jump on board easier than ever. In general, we’re attempting to lower the barrier to entry and get folks who have yet to try this enduring classic to find out what all the hype is about. The core version of Agricola debuts on May 19th, with the other two products in the line to follow later in 2016.

Now, let’s take a look at what’s inside the box and give further details about the Organized Play Kit, along with full details of the release date. The revised edition of Agricola features a complete refresh on the board art and cards, making the game look better than ever. Taking the game to 1-4 players allowed us to keep the price a reasonable $60 USD, while the upcoming 5-6 player extension will accommodate up to six players for the first time. In addition to sprucing up the art, the cards have been hand selected from the previous base game and its many expansions, and rewritten for clarity by designer Uwe Rosenberg. The game also features a new wooden component: a farmer token!

Additionally, the rulebook has been revised and expanded. First, there’s an extended almanac that explains how various cards work in tandem, illustrating how the game is played and hopefully preventing any confusion or misunderstandings that might arise during play. The rulebook also contains some exciting variants that are new to this version of Agricola, adding variety and excellent replay value. For example, the card draft allows players to keep some of their initial hand while passing the remaining cards to the left, continuing this until they have a complete hand of cards.

There are also variants for team play, “living” card hands, and, most exciting of all, campaigns, which allow players to keep score over multiple games and turn a stand-alone game into an epic weekend with bragging rights on the line. There are even rules for solo campaigns. The rulebook provides guidance on how to use these variants, as many make the game more challenging, while others simply add depth to the core game. Plus, there’s a section on ‘house rules’, and who doesn’t need more house rules in their life?

Check with your friendly neighborhood game store about pre-ordering this reworked edition of the acclaimed strategy game and ask if they’re going to host an in-store event! The game launches on Thursday, May 19^th, and Organized Play Kits containing all sorts of cool promotional items will be made available to retailers running events that weekend.

Hopefully, by now, you’re as excited for the future of Agricola as we are. But, there’s even more on the horizon, including the Agricola World Championship – US Qualifier tournaments are coming to America for the first time at both Origins and Gen Con this summer, with the winner at Gen Con 2016 representing the US at the World Championship tournament in Vienna, Austria this November!

So, keep your eye on Agricola as we move forward — we’re going to have a full slate of expansions and additions to the game throughout the year. The 17th century wasn’t an easy time to be a farmer, but 2016 is going to be a great time to be an Agricola fan and harvest fun!

About Agricola: Agricola was designed by Uwe Rosenberg for 1-4 players ages 12 and up. Games take between 30 and 120-minutes to play (30-minutes per player).