Caverna: The Cave Farmers*

Caverna: The Cave Farmers is a worker-placement board game that builds upon the mechanics of its predecessor, Agricola. It combines farming and cave dwelling themes, where players manage a dwarf family and their expanding homestead.

Gameplay Overview

• Worker-Placement Mechanics: Players use family members to perform various actions each turn.
• Farming and Mining: Balance between cultivating the land and mining resources from the mountain.
• Cave Development: Dig into the mountain to create dwellings and workspaces, while finding valuable resources like ore and rubies.
• Agriculture: Clear forests to create fields and pastures for crops and animals.
• Family Expansion: Grow your dwarf family to increase the number of actions you can take.
• Weapon Crafting and Expeditions: Mine ore to forge weapons, allowing for expeditions that grant bonuses.
• Building and Customization: Use 48 different furnishing tiles to develop your cave, each providing unique benefits.
• Solo Play Option: A variant for solo play to familiarize with game mechanics.
• New Elements: Introduces new concepts to Agricola's formula, including the cave part of the board and new animals like dogs and donkeys.
• End Goal: Aim for the most efficiently developed home board to win.

Conclusion

Caverna: The Cave Farmers offers a rich and immersive experience for fans of worker-placement and strategy games. It enhances the Agricola experience with additional elements like cave exploration and resource mining, providing a deep and engaging gameplay experience. The game's mix of farming, resource management, and strategic development, along with the addition of expeditions and weapon crafting, makes it a highly replayable and versatile game. It's well-suited for players who enjoy planning, building, and optimizing their strategies to create a thriving homestead.