How to Play Agricola: Farmers of the Moor

Game Objective

In "Agricola – Farmers of the Moor", players start the game with Moor and Forest tiles on their farm. The objective is to use Special actions to remove these tiles, freeing up space for fields and pastures. Removing the tiles provides Wood and other Fuel, which are needed to heat the players' homes. The base game "Agricola" is required to play this expansion, and knowledge of its rules is essential.

In the Family Game without hand cards, the objective is to achieve X points. In the Family Game with hand cards, the objective is to achieve X points. In the full game with Occupation cards, the objective is to achieve X points.

Setup

To set up the game, follow the steps below:

1. Degrees of Complexity: All players must agree on the desired level of complexity.
   • At level 3, the game is like the Family version of the base game, without cards in players' hands.
   • At level 4, the game is played with the boards and Action cards from the Family version. Additionally, each player receives a hand of 7 Minor Improvements. Players must agree whether to use cards from the Basic or Advanced deck, or mix them, or add cards from the Agricola base game.
   • At level 5, the game is played with the complete Agricola base game (described as a variant).
2. Distribution of Moor and Forest tiles: Each player draws a Start card and places the Moor and Forest tiles on their board as indicated on the card. Each distribution is equivalent, but a player with tiles near their house has a larger open area for pastures and fields.
3. Special Action cards: The top left corner of the Special Action cards indicates the number of players with which each card is displayed. Place the appropriate Special Action cards face up in a common area. Only 2/2/3/4 Special action cards are used in games with 2/3/4/5 players, respectively. Unused cards should be returned to the box.
4. New Major Improvements: Add the additional Major Improvements to those from the base game. The top left corner of the cards shows where they are placed during Setup. The new Major Improvements are placed under the base game's Major Improvements. Place the Peat-charcoal Kiln and the Forester’s Lodge on the game board extension for Major Improvements, with the Museum of the Moors and Riding Stables cards underneath. There are 2 identical Horse Slaughterhouse cards and 2 Cookhouse cards, which are placed under the Fireplaces and Cooking Hearths.
5. Multi-use Markers: Place the Multi-use markers aside, ready for use. During the game, they are placed on specific Minor Improvement cards as soon as they are played, indicating how many times the Action indicated on the Improvement card can still be used.
6. Bed markers, “Not yet in use” markers and others: On the back of the Multi-use markers are the Bed markers and the “Not yet in use” markers. The Bed markers are used to indicate that a Family member has fallen ill. The “Not yet in use” markers are for a game variant. Additionally, there is a marker used for the Family Burial Plot Minor Improvement and one for the Forest Path.
7. Round Cards: The round card "1 Major or Minor Improvement" MUST appear in Round 1. In Rounds 2 to 4, the order of the Round cards is still left to chance.
8. Starting Player: Choose a starting player. As in the base game, they receive Food at the start of the game, and all other players receive Food. However, in solo mode, the solo player starts with 0 Food.
9. Fuel: No Fuel is distributed at the start of the game.

Game Flow

The game proceeds based on the rules of the base "Agricola", with the following additions and modifications:

• Work phase: This is the phase of each round where players place their Family members.
• Person Actions vs. Special Actions: There is a distinction between a Person action and a Special action. To perform a Person action, place a Person marker on the game board. Instead of performing a Person action, a player can take a Special Action card and perform at most one of the Special Actions described on it. This player's Person markers remain in their house to be used for additional actions later in the round.
• Special Action Cards: A player can take a Special Action card from the common play area. They place it face up in front of them. Players can pay Food to the Supply to take a Special Action card that is face up in front of another player. In this case, they take the Special Action card and place it face down in front of them. A Special Action card that is face down cannot be taken by another player for the rest of the round. At the end of each round, all Special Action cards are returned face up to the common play area. You can only perform a Special Action if you have at least one Person Action remaining.
• Moor and Forest Tiles: Players MUST use Special Actions to remove Moor and Forest tiles. Moor and Forest tiles can NEVER be fenced or covered by other tiles. No stable can be built on them and no animal can be pastured on them. Some Minor Improvements allow Moor and Forest tiles to be covered by other Moor and Forest tiles. Even so, only the visible tiles (the ones on top) are counted, both for the texts of other cards and for scoring at the end of the game.
• Harvest: Players MUST harvest during the Field phases. This is not optional.
• Heating Rooms: During the Feeding phase of each Harvest, players must now not only feed their Family members as in the base game, but also heat their Rooms. For each room in their Wooden Hut, players must pay 1 Fuel. A player living in a Clay Hut pays less Fuel. A player living in a Stone House pays less Fuel.
• Illness (Bed markers): For each required Fuel that a player fails to pay to heat their homes, they receive a Bed marker. They place the markers on top of their Family members. A player can never have more Bed markers than Family members. A Person with a Bed marker falls ill during the next round. The only action they can perform is to drag themselves to the Infirmary. The player discards the Bed marker on that Person and receives Food. Any number of Person markers can be placed on the "Infirmary" action space. A Family Member can visit the Infirmary even if they do not have a Bed marker.
• Solo Rules: In solo mode, all Special Action cards are used. In setup, shuffle them and place them in a face-down deck. At the start of each round, flip a new Special Action card, unless the previous round's card is still available. If the previous round's card is still available, choose to leave it face up or place it under the face-down pile and flip a new one. If the face-down pile is empty at the start of the round, the most recently used Special Action card is used again and displayed face up from that point. In each round, the solo player can use exactly one of the Special Actions shown on the face-up card. The card is then discarded and not used again during the game. Once per round, the player can prevent a card from being discarded by paying Food. The Special Action card is treated as if it had not been used and remains face up.

Actions and How to Play

In addition to the base game actions, "Farmers of the Moor" introduces Special Actions and new Major Improvements and Minor Improvements.

Special Actions

Special Actions are additional actions that players can perform without placing one of their People. There are seven Special Action cards, distributed according to the number of players.

• Cut Peat: Select a Moor tile from your Farmyard and return it to the Supply. In addition to freeing up a space in your Farmyard, you receive Fuel from the Supply. This action cannot be used by a player who no longer has Moor tiles.
• Slash and Burn: Choose a Forest tile from your Farmyard and replace it with a Field tile. The Field tile must be placed in the space from which the Forest tile was removed. The rule that all Fields must be contiguous applies here. This action is not always possible. It cannot be used by a player who no longer has Forest tiles.
• Fell Trees: Return a Forest tile from your Farmyard to the Supply. In addition to freeing up a space in your Farmyard, you receive Wood from the Supply. This action cannot be used by a player who no longer has Forest tiles.
• Horse Coper: Take a Horse from the Supply. In 4-player games, you must pay Food for the Horse. Like other animals, Horses must be kept in your Farmyard. The rules for keeping Horses are the same as for other types of animals. They can only be used to feed the family with the Horse Slaughterer or Cookhouse Major Improvements or with specific Minor Improvements. Players can take a new Horse and immediately convert it into Food without having to accommodate it first on their farm.
• Hiring Fair: Receive Food from the Supplier. In 4-player games, players who perform this action receive Food from the Supplier.
• Black Market: The Black Market is only used at specific complexity levels. Pay Fuel to the Supplier to be able to play a Minor Improvement. You must pay for the Minor Improvement as usual and must meet any requirements to play it.
• Clandestine Work: Pay Fuel and Food to the Supplier to be able to play or acquire a (Minor or) Major Improvement. You must pay for the Improvement as usual and must meet any requirements to play it.

Major Improvements

• Peat-charcoal Kiln (M001): Whenever you use the Special action “Cut peat”, you receive 1 additional Fuel. If you have at least one horse at the moment, you receive 1 more Fuel. In the final Harvest, you can exchange 3 (5) Fuel for 1 (2) Bonus point(s). Place face up at the start of the game.
• Forester’s Lodge (M002): Whenever you use the Special action “Fell trees”, you receive 1 additional Wood. If you have at least one Horse at the moment, you receive 1 more Wood. At the end of the game, you receive 1 Bonus point for each Forest in your farmyard. Place face up at the start of the game.
• Cookhouse (M014): Can be purchased by returning a Fireplace or Cooking Hearth. Allows converting Goods into Food at any time (Vegetables, Sheep, Wild boar, Cattle, Horses) and converting Grain when using the “Bake Bread” action. Starts under a Cooking Hearth.
• Cooking Hearth: Can be purchased by returning a Fireplace. Allows converting Goods into Food at any time (Vegetables, Sheep, Wild boar, Cattle) and converting Grain when using the “Bake Bread” action.
• Fireplace: Allows converting Goods into Food at any time (Vegetables, Sheep, Wild boar, Cattle) and converting Grain when using the “Bake Bread” action.

Minor Improvements

Minor Improvements are arranged as in the base game. Prerequisites are shown in the top left corner, costs in the top right corner. An asterisk indicates additional information in the main text of the card. Played Improvement cards must remain in front of the player until the end of the game and cannot be removed. Some Minor Improvements affect the sowing of crops. New Field tiles must always border previous Field tiles (exception: “Wild Fields”). A card that also allows a "Sow" action does not also allow a "Bake Bread" action.

• Stock-breeding Prize (M129): At the end of the game, you receive 1 Bonus point for each other player in the game, provided you have at least 1 animal of each of the 4 types. (In a 5-player game, you receive 4 Bonus points.) These points are doubled or tripled if you have 2 or 3 of each type of animal. (*Farmyard spaces on Improvement cards are also counted.)
• Thicket (M065): Choose up to 2 Forest tiles and place 1 additional Forest tile on top of each of them. You can remove 1 tile with the Special action “Fell Trees” – you cannot use the “Slash and Burn” action on spaces with 2 Forest tiles.
• Church (M132): To upgrade the Village Church to the Church, you receive 2 Food. At the end of each round, you can tithe up to 1 Fuel to gain 1 Bonus point. (*The Village Church is under the Well.)
• Pheromones (M032): You immediately receive 1 Food. Additionally, each player who has at least one stable or pasture receives 2 Food.
• Peat Pellets (M101): You immediately receive 1 Fuel for each Moor tile remaining in your Farmyard. AFTER PLAYING THIS CARD, PASS IT TO THE PLAYER TO YOUR LEFT, WHO ADDS IT TO THEIR HAND.
• Open Grill (M028): Return a Fireplace. Allows converting Goods into Food at any time (Vegetables, Sheep, Wild boar, Cattle, Horses) and converting Grain when using the “Bake Bread” action.
• Forest Kindergarten (M031): Whenever you perform any “Family Growth” action, you receive 1 Food for each of your Farmyard spaces that contains a Forest tile. (This includes Improvements that allow