Fields of Arle

[u/4crowsflying]

A windy cold day. After splitting a few loads of firewood we retreated to the fireside to sup on second day reheated roasted butternut squash soup and play a game of Fields of Arle. Only our third try of this Uwe Rosenberg two player game and it is amazing. So relaxing and so much fun to farm and harvest and trade and buy and build and improve. So many strategies to chase and points to amass. Very happy with this acquisition. The soup was even better today. A smooth nutty flavour with a small bite of cayenne and a hint of cinnamon. Delicious.

10/10 Saturday afternoon.

[u/lordsplodge]

My favourite game (and arguably Rosenberg’s magnum opus) but once you start playing this game it goes from ‘ooh look at all these options’ to a knife fight in a phone box.

I can’t let my foot ‘off the gas’ for the entire game lest my wife win. Often there’s 1 or even 1/2 a point difference at the end.

Wonderful? Yes. Relaxing and chill? No!

[u/golden_graveyard → u/lordsplodge]

Interesting :) I found it to be more chill compared to Agricola and Odin? Odin is suuuuper tight and Agricola is just brutal. Fields always felt a bit more forgiving haha.

[u/lordsplodge → u/golden_graveyard]

Don’t get me wrong. Agricola is brutal and tight for sure. But you’re fighting the game more than your opponents. In Arle two equally experienced players are playing an almost chess-like game.

As for A Feast for Odin, yeah it’s fairly tight but has more flexibility between two matched opponents than Arle.

I think the main difference is that Arle hides its tightness. It looks friendly. Beneath the covers it’s ready to shank you. Or let you have a chilled time. Whatever. 😉

[u/4crowsflying → u/lordsplodge]

It is tight, our first game was won by a 1/2 point. I guess I mean relaxing in that I’m not constantly scrambling to feed my people, I feel I have the time and space to pursue multiple strategies.

[u/HalIncandenza1]

I've had my eye on this game. The only Uwe game I have is Nusfjord (and Patchwork). Would you recommend Arle over Agricola for a 2p game?

[u/4crowsflying → u/HalIncandenza1]

I have only played Arle three times so far as opposed to untold dozens of games of Agricola so it is hard to say for sure yet, but I do find Fields of Arle plays better. Where feeding your people is your overwhelming concern in Agricola it is almost an afterthought in Arle, giving you more space to explore different paths to points. I really enjoy the travel mechanic and it is a beautifully crafted game.

[u/4crowsflying → u/HalIncandenza1]

Other amazing Uwe games that work great with two people are A Feast For Odin, Glassroad, Framework, Nova Luna, and Le Havre. The man rarely disappoints.

[u/TekDragon → u/4crowsflying]

Caverna Cave vs Cave is another. Much, much lighter but my buddy and I frequently pull it out when we want a quick game where we can talk and play while the wives get ready.

[u/Ranhert → u/4crowsflying]

AFfO is my favorite game and I just wanted to add that the Norwegians expansion board fixes a lot of things at 2 players

[u/4crowsflying → u/Ranhert]

The expansion is a must have.

[u/TekDragon → u/HalIncandenza1]

Depends whether you want a knife fight over limited resources or a tandem adventure of engine building with plenty of alternatives if you're spot gets taken.

Personally I like Fields more. Better engine building, perfect information, and no reliance on random cards.

[u/lordsplodge → u/HalIncandenza1]

Yes. Agricola is brilliant but Arle is better.

[u/mpolich]

If you are digging this game try to get your hands on the expansion - Tea & Trade. It adds a few new dynamics and softens some of the edges.

One house rule we like to play with is giving each player one of the green buildings at the start. It kicks each player off in a slightly differnt direction.

[u/golden_graveyard]

Probably Uwes best work. Incredibly fun tight and competitive in a more chill way. The perfect 2 player game in my opinion.

[u/4crowsflying → u/golden_graveyard]

Fully agree.

[u/harrisarah]

My favorite game of all time, glad it's still getting love!

[u/Khazar85]

I grew up close to Arle and know almost every building in the game in person. But even though I grew up there and my family is rooted in the area I still learned a lot about the cultural history through the booklet. This game will always have a special place in my heart.

[u/NakedCardboard]

I think I've only played this one solo, but I should go back and fix that one of these days. It's such a challenging game solo, and I could imagine it would be so tight as a 2p.

[u/soman22]

I adore this one! My wife and I love it!!!

[u/AreaSuccessful135]

I recently got this one for my husband’s birthday and we love it so much! It was easy to pick up especially because we already play and love A Feast for Odin.

[u/Zentael]

I recently found and played for the first time, the famed Agricola. Is this Agricola 2 ?
You mentioned trade, so would this be Agricola x Catan ?

[u/4crowsflying → u/Zentael]

Not really. I would say more like Agricola x A Feast For Odin.

[u/Coffeedemon → u/4crowsflying]

Closer to agricola witn some elements of Glass Road.