by sfox
lacreighton wrote:
For what it's worth, around here most people go for the Cloister Courtyard ahead of the Priory. And they win with that too. But we are hardly experts, we have probably played 20 games or so.
O&L is an efficiency game and the courtyard is not a very efficient building since you are only getting +3 goods with an action. It is flexible though so that somewhat makes up for the inefficiency and it is occasionally useful even late game. Paying to use the courtyard when you don't own it is a really bad deal (you lose 3 goods and 1 coin to get 6 goods). I rank the courtyard as a slightly above average building. I do build it on occasion but
With the Priory other players will pay to use it several times and the owner will generally use it several times as well, so it tends to net you at least +1 use of your Prior over the course of the game. It also allows you to use the more powerful buildings right after they are built without paying a coin and you still get to use one of your own workers so that again allows you to recycle your Prior sooner.
There is of course always a bit of a meta game going on though, so if everyone in your group thinks the courtyard is an amazing building and is willing to pay you a coin to use it, the value of owning it in your group is going to be much higher than the building's true value.