Agricola - tactics - I'm a rich bully!

Being a resource bully!

Acquiring resources first without spending them is a great way for you to mess with your opponents.  I'll parallel this with the first big decision in the game.  Sheep.

If you want that first batch of sheep there are a couple of ways you can assert yourself..

• early fireplace
• early pasture
• playing cards like the butcher or animal tamer
• building a couple stables

So that's obvious but what isn't obvious is what your first few actions mean.

If you're the first to get 2 clay.. you're essentially holding the cheap fireplace hostage

If you're the first to get 4 wood.. you have the potential to build two stables or a pasture

It's easier to threaten with 4 wood because you can always build stables, but without the fireplace you can't cook your delicious sheep so you have to spend more turns getting clay (or maybe you get lucky and people leave it alone)

The occupations usually aren't as effective as getting the resource itself. But if you know you can't win the resource battle, you can block the opponents intent and benefit a little from it.

So what's the point of this technique? When you get any resource type that other people don't have you lay  the first claim to everything that that resource can get.  Which means that they need to plan with the possibility of you taking the thing that they really need.  They can fake you out or force your hand, but it delays their game plan.