Ora et Labora

Ora et Labora deserves its standing among the better designs of its kind. It has moving water, the full productive fuss one wants from this corner of the hobby, and a density that makes the board look as though it might answer a work email for you. It is rich without feeling casually overloaded.

At its core, production opens options, and those options create further chains. In early plays, that reads as a pleasingly open exercise in development: acquire things, convert them, assemble your little engine, and enjoy seeing it work. The water and production are not decoration; they are the frame that gives each move a consequence.

Then the metagame turns up. Certain moments can initially feel almost scripted, not necessarily because they are, but because experience reveals which lines genuinely matter and when they need cutting off. The interesting decision is when to keep building your own line and when to take the shears to somebody else's; with players who know the game, open production becomes considerably sharper.

At three, there seems to be room to develop, though not enough to disregard the other players. Our experience sat midway along the learning curve: enough familiarity to see the edges of the system, not yet enough for every choice to be merciless. A prompt return would make the game noticeably more cut-throat.

It remains an excellent game with depth that repays familiarity, even if, for three players, I would probably choose craftsmen for a rawer, tighter knot.