by sfox
I really like the Priory but I wouldn't say that it is that big of an advantage. I do agree that it is the best building of the initial buildings, but there are others which are quite good too.What are the scores in your games typically? I haven't seen someone win O&L in a 3/4 player game without scoring 250+ points in a long time (at least not in a game that I've played, new players do tend to score much less of course). Maybe everyone is trying to pursue exactly the same strategy which would make having access to the Priory very valuable.
It also depends on when the Priory is built. As the first player I usually build the Priory with my first action but that means I don't get the free action with my Prior when I build it (since there are no other buildings available). If the person who builds the Priory gets to make immediate use of it that does make it significantly stronger. It is my opinion that the Priory is strong enough that the first player should almost always build it as it helps make up for the first player's disadvantage of not getting first shot at the buildings in the A/B/C/D rounds.
In the Irish version going for the false lighthouse (and usually also the houseboat) is probably a stronger opening than the Priory. The lighthouse is really strong early game but considerably weaker than the Priory late game.