Caverna: The Cave Farmers (2013)

“Caverna is awarded the Best Board Game of the Year 2013! Game Of The Year: Caverna: The Cave Farmer.”

“Board Game Quest recognized Caverna: The Cave Farmers as the Best Strategy/Euro Game of 2013, praising it as a robust spiritual successor to Agricola that addresses many common criticisms, offering a rich experience with abundant components and a fresh feel.”

Tom Vasel considers Caverna one of the best games he has ever played, praising its numerous options, lower stress level compared to Agricola, and high-quality components, ultimately stating it replaces Agricola in his collection.

The reviewer highly praises Caverna for its immersive dwarven mining and cave-building theme, finding it more appealing than Agricola and highlighting its interesting gameplay elements.

The reviewer describes Caverna as a fun worker placement game offering a smorgasbord of opportunities with many actions available, noting its flexibility for 1-7 players, though it plays tighter with two and might have downtime with seven.

“Over and under, I really like Caverna. I think it is one of the classic games, and a great example of well executed worker placement.”

The reviewer highly enjoys Caverna, praising its well-done mechanics and great replay value, noting it as a stronger game in terms of pure mechanics compared to Agricola.

Rahdo highly praises Caverna, noting its improvements over Agricola with smoother mechanics, more elegant gameplay, and engaging changes like the tile-based special powers and simplified rules.

“Caverna is the better game, because you can do everything while still providing a very tense gaming experience.”

The reviewer suggests that Caverna remains a highly enjoyable and relevant board game, indicating its enduring quality and value for players even years after its initial release.

The reviewer highly recommends Caverna, praising it as an excellent game that is easier to digest than Agricola, and appreciates its more positive reinforcement mechanics. They initially replaced Agricola with Caverna in their collection.

The reviewer expressed strong affection for the base game Caverna, considering it their second favorite Uwe Rosenberg design, praising its engaging gameplay and freedom of choice when compared to other similar titles.

The reviewer enthusiastically praises Caverna as a smart, tactile, and joyful experience, considering it a significant upgrade to Agricola with extensive choices and a satisfying sense of building a unique dwelling, despite its learning curve and high price point.

The reviewer regards Caverna as a substantial upgrade to Agricola, praising its extensive options, strategic depth, and multi-faceted gameplay, despite noting that the setup and tear-down are cumbersome and the core experience can feel familiar to those who have played Agricola.

“Caverna can seem daunting at first glance with a big game board, player boards and hundreds of tokens and tiles, but its simple worker placement mechanic makes this game easy to learn and teach to others.”

“The game is most fulfilling when set your mind on a strategy and focus on it. At the end of the game, you look down at your empire of dogs and sheep, your home is furnished with wool shops and cuddling rooms, and you feel satisfied knowing that you accomplished what you set out to do.”

The reviewer provides a comprehensive walkthrough of Caverna: The Cave Farmers, highlighting the game's engaging mechanics where players manage a dwarf family, cultivate resources, and explore their cave and forest to build a prosperous operation. The detailed explanation and positive description of gameplay elements suggest a strong appreciation for the game's design and immersive experience.

The reviewer, adopting the persona of Mortar the Dwarf, offers a comprehensive walkthrough of Caverna's worker placement mechanics, detailing various strategic avenues like farming, mining, and expeditions, which indicates a positive appreciation for the game's depth and engaging gameplay.

The reviewer describes Caverna as a very good game, offering a smorgasbord of opportunities for players. While he enjoys the game, he notes it feels tighter with two players and anticipates potential downtime with a full seven players.

“That being said, I do quite like Caverna, just not as much as Agricola. Both games are excellent, and playing either one is well worth your time.”

The reviewer finds Caverna to be a less punishing and more accessible worker placement game compared to Agricola, making it suitable for a wider range of players, including younger ones, although the solo experience is not recommended.

The reviewers from Before You Play present Caverna as a robust worker placement game that expands upon its predecessor, Agricola, by offering more flexible strategies, easier food management, and introducing new elements like expeditions.

“The reviewer found Caverna to be a fun and complex worker placement game with a staggering number of options and components, but ultimately decided it wasn't a game they needed to own, despite being willing to play it again.”