Sourcing Innovation will be changing hosting services this week. You should notice little or no interruption to the blog*, although the historical archive of blog posts will temporarily be taken offline during the migration.
* Assuming you aren’t glued to your local broadcaster watching soccer matches …
As per our second post, when you are At the Gates of Loyang, you can ply your trade solo. But, as we indicated in our last post, you will likely do better if you first analyze the situation so that you know your best courses of action with the opportunities presented to you. In this post, we are going to repeat the solo game we played in the second post, but use our newly gained knowledge to attempt to make better decisions and see how we fare. If prior analysis and analysis of the situations encountered against that prior analysis is worthwhile, we should fare better.
Again note that:
C.C. – Casual Customer
R.C. – Regular Customer
M.S. – Market Stall
Setup
0) Start with 10 Cash and a 9-plot home field.
1) Populate the Courtyard, and analyze our options before we
2) Buy a vegetable from our shop and sow it in our home field – Pumpkin for 4 Cash as the first casual customer wants it, so does the second regular customer, and it’s one of the two cheapest vegetables to trade.
Round 1:
Harvest Phase:
Harvest: 1 Pumpkin
Acquire: 5-plot Field
Prosperity: 1
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Vegetables
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Fields
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Hand:
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Courtyard:
| Helper Saleswoman | C.C. Pumpkin/Turnip/Leek 10 | Helper Shopper |
| C.C. Wheat/Turnip/Beans 9 | R.C. Beans/Leeks 7/8/9/10 | M.S. Pumpkin/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 |
| Field 3 Lots | C.C. Pumpkin/Cabbage/Beans 10 | M.S. Wheat/Pumpkin/Leeks 1/1/1 |
| Helper Squire | Helper Plough-Man | M.S. Turnip/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 |
Card Phase:
1) Shopper Helper from Courtyard, to immediately buy one vegetable cheap
2) Merchant Helper from Hand, as we aren’t ready for customers or another field
Action Phase
1) Use Shopper to buy Cabbage from Supply for 3 Cash (as it’s the most valuable vegetable we can plant now and in relatively high demand based on our prior analysis)
2) Sow Cabbage in 5-plot field
3) Store 1 Pumpkin in Storehouse
4) Advance up the Path of Prosperity 1 space for 1 Cash, leaving us with 2 Cash
Round 2:
Harvest Phase:
Harvest: 1 Pumpkin, 1 Cabbage
Acquire: 6-plot Field
Prosperity: 2
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Vegetables
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Fields
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Hand:
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Courtyard:
| Helper Saleswoman | C.C. Pumpkin/Turnip/Leek 10 | M.S. Pumpkin/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 |
| C.C. Wheat/Turnip/Beans 9 | R.C. Beans/Leeks 7/8/9/10 | M.S. Wheat/Pumpkin/Leeks 1/1/1 |
| Field 3 Lots | C.C. Pumpkin/Cabbage/Beans 10 | M.S. Turnip/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 |
| Helper Squire | Helper Plough-Man | C.C. Wheat/Cabbage/Leeks 10 |
Card Phase:
1) R.C. Pumpkin/Cabbage from Hand, since that’s what we have
2) C.C. Pumpkin/Turnip/Leeks from Courtyard, as that will be a valuable customer later
Action Phase:
1) Deliver Pumpkin/Cabbage to R.C. and gain 5 Cash (bringing us to 7 cash)
2) Sow Pumpkin in 6-Field (as we have it available)
3) Advance up the Path of Prosperity 1 space for 1 Cash (as we want to conserve more Cash for investing, in hopes of making even more later)
Round 3
Harvest Phase:
Harvest: 2 Pumpkin, 1 Cabbage
Acquire: 6-plot field
Prosperity: 3
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Vegetables
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Fields
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Hand:
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Courtyard:
| Helper Saleswoman | R.C. Beans/Leeks 7/8/9/10 | M.S. Pumpkin/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 |
| C.C. Wheat/Turnip/Beans | C.C. Pumpkin/Cabbage/Beans 10 | M.S. Wheat/Pumpkin/Leeks 1/1/1 |
| Field 3 Lots | Helper Plough-Man | M.S. Turnip/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 |
| Helper Squire | 4-Field | C.C. Wheat/Cabbage/Leeks 10 |
Card Phase:
1) Market Stall Turnip/Cabbage Leeks from Hand (as the 5-fields aren’t that useful and we’re not ready for the casual customer)
2) 3-Field from Courtyard for 3 Cash (1 Cash to buy, 2 Cash to play, leaving us 3 Cash)
Action Phase:
1) Deliver Pumpkin/Cabbage to R.C. and gain 6 Cash (which brings us to 9 Cash)
2) Buy Leeks from the Shop for 6 Cash (and go back down to 3 Cash)
3) Sow Leeks in 3-Field
4) Store 1 pumpkin in storehouse
5) Advance 1 space up Path of Prosperity for 1 Cash
Round 4:
Harvest Phase:
Harvest: 2 Pumpkin, 1 Cabbage, 1 Leek
Acquire: 4 plot field
Prosperity: 4
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Vegetables
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Fields
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Hand:
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Courtyard:
| Helper Saleswoman | R.C. Beans/Leeks 7/8/9/10 | M.S. Pumpkin/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 |
| C.C. Wheat/Turnip/Beans | C.C. Pumpkin/Cabbage/Beans 10 | M.S. Wheat/Pumpkin/Leeks 1/1/1 |
| Helper Squire | Helper Plough-Man | M.S. Turnip/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 |
| M.S. Wheat/Beans/Leeks 1/1/2 | 4-plot Field | C.C. Wheat/Cabbage/Leeks 10 |
Card Phase:
1) Helper Saleswoman from Courtyard (as this will definitely help us later)
2) M.S. Pumpkin/Turnip/Beans 1/1/1 from Hand (as this is one of the best stalls)
Action Phase:
1) Deliver Pumpkin/Cabbage to RC for 6 Cash (taking us to 8 cash)
2) Trade Pumpkin in Storehouse for Turnip
3) Deliver to C.C. Pumpkin/Turnip/Leeks for 10 Cash (taking us to 18 cash)
4) Buy Turnip from Store for 5 Cash (taking us down to 13 cash)
5) Sow Turnip in 6-Field (as it’s slightly more valuable than pumpkin and wheat)
6) Buy Wheat form Store for 3 Cash (taking us down to 10 Cash)
7) Sow Wheat in 4-Field (as we primarily plan to use it for trading when needed)
8) Move 2 spaces up the path of prosperity for 7 Cash
Round 5:
Harvest Phase:
Harvest: 2 Pumpkins, 1 Cabbage, 1 Leeks, 1 Turnips, 1 Wheat
Acquire: 4-plot Field
Prosperity: 6
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Vegetables
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Fields
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Hand:
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Courtyard:
| C.C. Wheat/Turnip/Beans 9 | R.C. Beans/Leeks 7/8/9/10 | M.S. Pumpkin/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 |
| Helper Squire | C.C. Pumpkin/Cabbage/Beans 10 | M.S. Wheat/Pumpkin/Leeks 1/1/1 |
| M.S. Wheat/Beans/Leeks 1/1/2 | Helper Plough-Man | M.S. Turnip/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 |
| M.S. Wheat/Cabbage/Beans 1/1/1 | 4-field | C.C. Wheat/Cabbage/Leeks 10 |
Card Phase:
1) R.C. Beans/Leeks 7/8/9/10 from Courtyard (as that’s where the money is and we can plant beans)
2) R.C. Pumpkin/Turnip 4/5/6/7 from Hand (as we have lots!)
Action Phase:
1) Deliver Pumpkin/Cabbage to R.C. 1 for 7 Cash (taking us to 10 Cash)
2) Deliver Pumpkin/Turnip to new R.C. for 4 Cash (taking us to 14 Cash)
3) Trade Wheat for Beans with M.S. 1
4) Deliver Beans/Leeks to new R.C. for 7 Cash (taking us to 21 Cash)
5) Buy Beans from Shop for 6 (knocking us down to 15 Cash)
6) Sow Beans in 4-Field (as we now need them)
7) Advance up the Path of Prosperity 2 spaces for 9 Cash
Round 6
Harvest Phase:
Harvest: 2 Pumpkins, 1 Cabbage, 1 Turnip, 1 Leeks, 1 Wheat, 1 Beans
Acquire: 3-plot field
Prosperity: 8
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Vegetables
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Fields
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Hand:
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Courtyard:
| C.C. Wheat/Turnip/Beans 9 | C.C. Pumpkin/Cabbage/Beans 10 | M.S. Pumpkin/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 |
| Helper Squire | Helper Plough-Man | M.S. Wheat/Pumpkin/Leeks 1/1/1 |
| M.S. Wheat/Beans/Leeks 1/1/2 | 4-Field | M.S. Turnip/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 |
| M.S. Wheat/Cabbage/Beans 1/1/1 | Helper Market Crier | C.C. Wheat/Cabbage/Leeks 10 |
Card Phase:
1) Helper Messenger-Boy From Hand as he will let us earn extra cash this round
2) M.S. Turnip/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 from Courtyard for 2 Cash as we need more turnip to use the Messenger Boy and may need more beans and leaks later
Action Phase:
1) Trade Wheat for Turnip with M.S. Turnip/Beans/Leeks
2) Use Messenger Boy to Deliver Pumpkin/Turnip twice to to R.C. 1 for 5 + 6 Cash (bringing us to 15 Cash)
3) Deliver Beans/Leeks to R.C. 2 for 8 Cash (bringing us to 23 Cash)
4) Buy Leeks from Shop for 6 Cash (taking us down to 17 Cash) as we are out
5) Sow Leeks in 3-Field
6) Store 1 Cabbage
7) Advance up the Path of Prosperity Twice for 11 Cash
Round 7
Harvest Phase:
Harvest: 2 Pumpkins, 1 Turnip, 1 Wheat, 1 Beans, 1 Leeks
Acquire: 3-plot field
Prosperity: 10
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Vegetables
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Fields
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Hand:
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Courtyard:
| C.C. Wheat/Turnip/Beans 9 | C.C. Pumpkin/Cabbage/Beans 10 | M.S. Pumpkin/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 |
| Helper Squire | Helper Plough-Man | M.S. Wheat/Pumpkin/Leeks 1/1/1 |
| M.S. Wheat/Beans/Leeks 1/1/2 | 4-Field | C.C. Wheat/Cabbage/Leeks 10 |
| M.S. Wheat/Cabbage/Beans 1/1/1 | Helper Market Crier | Helper Tenant Farmer |
Card Phase:
1) C.C. Wheat/Turnip/Beans from Courtyard (as we believe we will be able to serve this CC in this round or a later round)
2) C.C. Pumpkin/Bean/Leeks from Hand (again, we believe we will be able to serve this CC)
Action Phase:
1) Trade 1 Pumpkin for 1 Turnip with Stall 0
2) Trade 1 Wheat and 1 Cabbage for 1 Beans with Stall 2
3) Buy 1 Wheat from Market for 3 (taking us down to 3 Cash)
4) Deliver Wheat/Turnip/Beans to CC for 9 Cash 9 (taking us up to 12 Cash)
5) Deliver Pumpkin/Turnip to R.C. for 7 Cash (and up to 19 Cash)
6) Deliver Beans/Leeks to R.C. for 9 Cash (and up to 28 Cash)
7) Buy Beans from Shop for 6 Cash (and back down to 22 Cash)
8) Sow Beans in 3-Field
9) Advance 2 Spaces along the Path of Prosperity for 13
Round 8
Harvest Phase:
Harvest: 2 Pumpkins, 1 Turnip, 1 Wheat, 2 Beans, 1 Leeks
Acquire: 5-plot Field
Prosperity: 12
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Vegetables
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Fields
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Hand:
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Courtyard:
| Helper Squire | C.C. Pumpkin/Cabbage/Beans 10 | M.S. Pumpkin/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 |
| M.S. Wheat/Beans/Leeks 1/1/2 | Helper Plough-Man | M.S. Wheat/Pumpkin/Leeks 1/1/1 |
| M.S. Wheat/Cabbage/Beans 1/1/1 | 4-Field | C.C. Wheat/Cabbage/Leeks 10 |
| R.C. Pumpkin/Beans 5/6/7/8 | Helper Market Crier | Helper Tenant Farmer |
Card Phase:
1) R.C. Pumpkin/Leeks 6/7/7/8 from Hand (as it is a valuable R.C. for us)
2) M.S. Wheat/Pumpkin/Leeks from Courtyard for 1 Cash (as we will need Leeks and this gives us cheap Leeks)
Action Phase:
1) Use Saleswoman and Deliver to
C.C. Pumpkin/Beans/Leeks for 11 Cash and gain a bonus of 2 Cash (taking us up to 21 Cash)
2) Trade Turnip for Leeks with Stall 3
3) Deliver to R.C. Beans/Leeks for 10 Cash (and now up to 31 Cash)
4) Use Merchant to Buy Leeks from Supply for 1 Cash (and back down to 30 Cash)
5) Deliver to new R.C. Pumpkin/Leeks for 6 Cash (and climb up to 36 Cash)
6) Store 1 wheat in the storehouse
7) Advance 3 Spaces along the Path of Prosperity for 30 Cash
Round 9
Harvest Phase:
Harvest: 1 Pumpkin, 1 Turnip, 2 Beans, 1 Leeks
Prosperity: 15
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Vegetables
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Fields
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Hand:
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Courtyard:
| Helper Squire | C.C. Pumpkin/Cabbage/Beans 10 | M.S. Pumpkin/Beans/Leeks 1/2/2 |
| M.S. Wheat/Beans/Leeks 1/1/2 | Helper Plough-Man | C.C. Wheat/Cabbage/Leeks 10 |
| M.S. Wheat/Cabbage/Beans 1/1/1 | 4-Field | Helper Tenant Farmer |
| R.C. Pumpkin/Beans 5/6/7/8 | Helper Market Crier | Helper Shopper |
Card Phase:
1) R.C. Wheat/Pumpkin 4/5/5/6 from Hand, as we believe we can fill it
2) C.C. Pumpkin/Cabbage/Beans 10 from Courtyard, as we believe we can fill it
Action Phase
1) Trade Turnip for Pumpkin with Stall 3
2) Trade Beans for Pumpkin with Stall 1
3) Buy Cabbage from Shop for 5 Cash (and go down to 1 Cash)
4) Deliver to CC Pumpkin/Cabbage/Beans for 10 Cash + 2 Cash Bonus (and go up to 13 Cash)
5) Deliver Wheat/Pumpkin to new R.C. (4) and gain 4 Cash (and go up to 17 Cash)
6) Deliver Pumpkin/Leeks to R.C. 3 and gain 6 Cash (and increase to 23 Cash)
7) Advance 2 Spaces along the Path of Prosperity for 18 Cash, and
end the game with 5 Cash.
Game End:
1) End up on jade stone 17.
This is a “Good” Performance for a Solo Game, especially our second, and considerably better than our first — proving that analysis, and appropriate planning, works!
Verdict? Our analysis, which told us certain vegetables were more profitable relative to their cost, and which told us that certain market stalls and helpers were more valuable than others, especially when used at the most opportune time, paid off and we progressed two stones further on only our second try. Given that these stones cost 33 Cash, which requires satisfying at least 3 more casual customers or (almost) fully satisfying 2 regular customers over multiple rounds, we know we did significantly better. Analysis works. And, moreover, as we stated in the preamble post to this series, sharpening our analytical skills will help us in our jobs (and in our life). So mastering some of these Euro worker placement / pickup-and-delivery / tile placement etc. games is not a waste of time. (Especially the worker placement / agriculture / pickup-and delivery / tile placement / trading games of Uwe Rosenberg or Stefan Feld. Trust the doctor on this one!)
For those of you who want more proof that our better performance isn’t a fluke, at a later time we’ll post the run through of the next solo game the doctor ran through using the results of this analysis and the lessons learned in the first two games. We again reach stone 17 – which is quite good as the solo game severely limits the number of cards you will encounter (as only 20 will rotate through the courtyard and only 36 through your hand) and prevents you from seeing any card more than twice (compared to a regular game where discarded cards get reshuffled into the deck after every round). However, for our purposes, this is good as you will often only get one crack at a specific opportunity or resource in the market, as each vendor or partner will typically be unique.
In our next series, after a bit of a break, we’ll run through the solo-version of Agricola (with the Farmers on the Moor expansion) and then, after another much-needed break, demonstrate how your analysis and strategy changes when a second player is thrown into the mix (which is a good simulation of what happens in the real world when you are trying to acquire materials in a seller’s market where demand equals, or exceeds, supply and you are going head to head with your competitors).
I want to plant
I want to trade
I want to walk down the path
That’s covered in jade
I want to go out
And trade the grain
At the Gates of Loyang