Ora et Labora

I completely understand why Ora et Labora is considered one of his best works. Water flows, there is a lot to manage, and it offers that lovely stew of choices and production that I expect to see on the table. Still, the more I play it, the more I catch myself feeling that it is a little scripted at certain points—though that may simply be my own impression.

The first games feel mostly exploratory. Everyone happily opens up their production, tries things out, and learns where their choices connect with this whole system that keeps moving and producing.

Then the real game begins. Ora et Labora has many layers of metagame, and when players know well what they are doing, strategies do not simply get to flourish undisturbed: the chop-chop begins, moves become sharper, and the interaction becomes far more cut-throat. I think we are still somewhere in the middle of that learning curve.

I would very much like to play it again soon, because I am almost certain the next game will be noticeably fiercer. Even so, at three players I probably prefer Craftsmen: it gives me more raw complexity. We shall see.