Happy Canada Day!
Category Archives: Miscellaneous
Looks Like LOLCat is Celebrating Canada Day a Wee Bit Early!
The (Board) Gamer’s Guide to Supply Management Part XXX: At the Gates of Loyang: Part IV – Going Solo Again!
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
Vegetables
|
Fields
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hand:
|
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
Vegetables
|
Fields
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hand:
|
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
Vegetables
|
Fields
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hand:
|
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
Vegetables
|
Fields
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hand:
|
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
Vegetables
|
Fields
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hand:
|
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
Vegetables
|
Fields
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hand:
|
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
Vegetables
|
Fields
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hand:
|
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
Vegetables
|
Fields
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hand:
|
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
Vegetables
|
Fields
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hand:
|
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
LOLCat Had a Hard Week!
LOLCat followed along very carefully this week, did you?
The (Board) Gamer’s Guide to Supply Management Part XXIX: At the Gates of Loyang: Part III – A Detailed Analysis
In our last post, we played a solo game of “At the Gates of Loyang” and did our best to balance regular customers and casual customers, use of helpers versus market stalls, and vegetable distribution in hopes of advancing to the end of the Path of Prosperity. We reached stone 15, which we thought was okay, until we noted that, according to the game’s (legendary) designer (Uwe Rosenberg), a “Good” player will reach stone 17. In other words, what we thought was a simple game did a pretty good job of putting us in our place, and it did so in less than an hour. Ouch!
However, we’re the rock stars of the upcoming resource revolution, so we should do better. And if we apply, and hone, our unique marketplace analysis skills, I bet we can. And while it’s hard to know just how well we can do in any given game, just like it’s hard to know how well we can do on any given buy, as we never know what cards we are going to be dealt until we get them (in the following turn), just like it’s hard to know what new opportunities are going to arise in the midst of a category sourcing project, we have the advantage that the game provides a fixed number of possibilities and an analysis thereof can shed light on the best general strategies to adopt and when to shift based upon the options presented to us.
So, in this post, we are going to do a basic analysis and then apply it in a subsequent game (in our next post). If we do better in the next game, we prove that up-front analysis works (both in games and in te real-world) and sharpen our analytical skills in the process (and in our profession, that certainly can’t hurt).
The game consists of 9 player fields, 6 common fields, 14 market stalls, 14 regular customers, 14 casual customers, and 13 non-lantern helpers. The breakdown is as follows:
Player Fields:
| Vegetable | Wheat | Pumpkin | Turnip | Cabbage | Beans | Leeks |
| 1×9 Plots | Y | Y | Y | |||
| 2×6 Plots | Y | Y | Y | |||
| 2×5 Plots | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| 2×4 Plots | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| 2×3 Plots | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Compatible Plots | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Maximum Yield | 45 | 45 | 45 | 24 | 14 | 06 |
Expansion Fields:
| Vegetable | Wheat | Pumpkin | Turnip | Cabbage | Beans | Leeks |
| 2×5 Plots | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| 2×4 Plots | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| 2×3 Plots | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Compatible Plots | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Maximum Yield | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 14 | 06 |
Total Opportunities for Planting Between Player and Available Fields:
| Vegetable | Wheat | Pumpkin | Turnip | Cabbage | Beans | Leeks |
| Compatible Plots | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 08 | 04 |
| Maximum Yield | 69 | 69 | 69 | 48 | 28 | 12 |
This analysis demonstrates that while one is always able to plant wheat, pumpkin and turnip, one is rarely able to plant beans and (especially) leeks. Furthermore, the maximum amount of leeks that one will be able to harvest is extremely limited, only 12 in the best case scenario (where a player acquires, and plants, both 3-plot public fields and both private fields before the end of round 6). Beans are also limited, as only 28 can be produced in the best case scenario (where a player acquires, and plants, both 3-plot public and private fields before the end of round 6 and both 4-plot public and private fields before the end of round 5), and that’s only if the player chooses not to plant any leeks. Cabbage, while not always able to be planted, can be planted in all but 2 private and 2 private fields, and can be readily available by round 4 even in the worst situation.
Casual (One-Time) Customers:
| Vegetable | Wheat | Pumpkin | Turnip | Cabbage | Beans | Leeks | Cash |
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | |||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |||
| Customer | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||||
| Customer | 2 | 1 | 9 | ||||
| Customer | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||||
| Customer | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |||
| Wants | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
Even though the object of the game is to primarily satisfy regular customers (as illustrated by the fact that there is a penalty for having more casual customers than regular customers in any round you service a casual customer), appropriately timed service to casual customers can be quite lucrative (even though they will require a third vegetable). Analyzing the distribution of casual customers, we note that even though the ability to produce different vegetables varies considerably, with some vegetables (like leeks) considerably rarer than others (like wheat), casual customers, on average, vary little in their demand for different vegetables as the demand difference between wheat and leeks is only two (2). This tells us two things:
- No matter what vegetables we produce, for any three vegetables we produce, there will be at least one casual customer who wants two of them.
- We probably shouldn’t orient our vegetable production strategy around casual customer demands.
Regular Customers:
| Vegetable | Wheat | Pumpkin | Turnip | Cabbage | Beans | Leeks | Cash |
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 7/8/9/10 | ||||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 7/8/9/10 | ||||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 6/7/8/9 | ||||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 6/7/7/8 | ||||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 6/7/7/8 | ||||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 5/6/7/8 | ||||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 5/6/7/8 | ||||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 5/6/7/8 | ||||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 5/6/6/7 | ||||
| Customer | 2 | 5/6/6/7 | |||||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 4/5/6/7 | ||||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 4/5/6/7 | ||||
| Customer | 2 | 4/5/5/6 | |||||
| Customer | 1 | 1 | 4/5/5/6 | ||||
| Wants | 5*4 | 5*4 | 5*4 | 5*4 | 4*4 | 4*4 |
This tells us that, like casual customers, regular customers, on average, vary little in their demand — the total demand difference between wheat and leeks is only four (4). However, of the 36 possible pairings (where we allow a customer to want a vegetable twice), there are only 14 pairings in the game, and the only vegetables wanted twice are wheat and turnip. Thus, your vegetable production should in part be driven by the demands of the regular customers who appear.
Marketplaces
| Vegetable | Wheat | Pumpkin | Turnip | Cabbage | Beans | Leeks |
| Trade Units | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Trade Units | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Trade Units | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Trade Units | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Trade Units | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||
| Trade Units | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||
| Trade Units | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Trade Units | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Trade Units | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||
| Trade Units | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Trade Units | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Trade Units | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Trade Units | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Trade Units | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Available Units | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Average Cost | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.15 | 1.38 | 1.63 |
While the distribution of vegetables for trade is rather equal, we have the situation where there are actually more of the rarer vegetables for trade than the more common one, but for a price. On average, the cost for leeks is 1.63 of your vegetables for 1 leek. (However, as you can only trade full units, this means more often than not, if you need a leek, and you cannot buy one, you’ll be trading 2:1 for it.)
So, at a first glance, this says you probably want to focus on acquiring the customers who desire the more easily produced vegetables, as the chances of meeting their needs is much higher. However, this is only one part of the picture. The other part is the selling price — customers may be willing to pay more Cash for the vegetables that are harder to produce, Cash that you need to progress down the path of prosperity.
If we analyze the demands of the casual customers, by generating an optimization model on a series of linear equations on the six vegetables available (Wheat, Pumpkin, Turnip, Cabbage, Beans, Leeks) by adding a Gratuity variable, and minimize over the sum of the gratuity variables, we find that the following are the average prices paid for each vegetable by Casual Customers:
| Vegetable | Wheat | Pumpkin | Turnip | Cabbage | Beans | Leeks |
| Average Price | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
In fact, only 4 customers pay more than these prices. The customers who want Bean, Cabbage, and Pumpkin; Cabbage, Turnip, and Pumpkin; 2 Cabbage and 1 Wheat; and Bean and 2 Cabbage are willing to pay 1 more Cash for these sets of vegetables than the other 10 casual customers.
If we now analyze the demands of the regular customers, by generating an optimization model on a series of linear equations on the six vegetables available (Wheat, Pumpkin, Turnip, Cabbage, Beans, Leeks) by adding a Gratuity variable, and minimize over the sum of the gratuity variables, we find that the following are the average prices paid for each vegetable by regular customers over 4 deliveries:
| Vegetable | Wheat | Pumpkin | Turnip | Cabbage | Beans | Leeks |
| Average Price | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
In fact, only four customers don’t pay these prices. Two customers, who want Cabbage and Leeks and Pumpkin and Cabbage, respectively, pay more (an extra 2 Cash), and one customer, who wants Cabbage and Wheat and Wheat and Leeks, respectively, pay less (by 2 Cash).
In other words, when all is said and done, we find that the average price for each vegetable when casual and regular customers are analyzed is the following:
| Vegetable | Wheat | Pumpkin | Turnip | Cabbage | Beans | Leeks |
| Average Price | 2.36 | 2.36 | 3.00 | 3.37 | 4.00 | 4.64 |
Each vegetable, with the exception of wheat and pumpkins, while harder to plant and harvest, is worth more, and leeks are worth almost double what wheat and pumpkins are worth. This says that if the opportunity arises to grow leeks and service customers who want leeks, this is the best course of action, but, if the opportunity is not available, given that almost every field can grow turnip, turnip is preferable to wheat and pumpkin, and if your choice is between wheat and pumpkin, you might as well grow wheat as it’s cheaper to buy. Also, there isn’t that much of a premium for cabbage over turnip, but beans are definitely worth pursuing as well. However, if one needs to do a lot of trading to meet demand, it’s best to grow and trade wheat, and even pumpkin, for leeks, beans, and even cabbage.
The Regular Helpers available are:
- Book-keeper Restock the shop as you see fit. Also, for a chosen vegetable, receive 1 Cash for each field planted with the vegetable.
- Haggler Once only, buy 2 vegetables of the same kind from the shop for the price of 1.
- Harvest Helper Harvest 2 vegetables from each field (except home field) that contains 4 or more vegetables OR each field planted this round holds one additional vegetable.
- Maid you may exchange all vegetables 1:1 at market stalls in one round
- Market Crier Refill all market stalls with vegetables or sell one to three vegetables from the market stalls to the shop at shop prices.
- Merchant You may buy, for 1 Cash from the shop, 1 of any vegetable that must be delivered at least twice to regular customers this round.
- Messenger-Boy Deliver twice to any regular customer in this action phase.
- Official The buy a “Two-Pack” action is free.
- Plough-Man Return all vegetables from one (non-Home) field that contains at least two vegetables to the supply. Then, re-sow the field OR immediately harvest from all fields that contain exactly one vegetable.
- Saleswoman Make all customers satisfied OR all casual customers delivered to this round pay the +2 Cash bonus.
- Shopper Buy 1 vegetable from the Supply for 2 Cash less than it would in the shop.
- Squire During the Card Phase, take 1 Card from your hand and up to 3 from the Courtyard.
- Tenant Farmer Pay 3 Cash to choose the next field from your private fields OR place one empty field under your private supply and select one other field from it.
Some of these helpers can be very useful, but only at the appropriate time. For example, the plough-man can be very useful if you have a number of fields that contain exactly one vegetable – as this can allow for more deliveries, especially in round 9 (or very early when advancing up the path of prosperity multiple spaces is cheaper). However, some of these helpers are more helpful when used in pairs. For example, using the haggler and the merchant allows a player to buy two vegetables that need to be delivered for 1 Cash. The Tenant Farmer followed by the Haggler can allow a player to sow two fields with the same vegetable for the price of 1. Knowing the abilities and interaction abilities allows one to compare the value of a potential helper to a Stall to casual customer to a regular customer to an extra field.
In our next post, we’ll go solo again and see how we do when we put our newfound insights to use.