by archivists
Some thoughts on the ConservatorSpeaking particularly of the two player game, one of the reasons the Conservator is strong, but by no means 'broken' (though I hesitate to use such a loaded and impossible to quantify word...) is that by renovating directly to stone you compromise your ability to block/threaten block (played early-mid game)or leave yourself vulnerable to being blocked (played late game). To go into more detail, if you play him early-mid game you are no longer able to block your opponent's renovate action. On the last turn You cannot take renovate/fences (arguably the strongest spot on the board) which therefore allows your opponent to save that best action for last allowing them a better choice of other point giving actions. Note that on the last turn your family members give diminishing returns, while action 1/2 may provide 5+ points, by action 4 and 5 you are usually happy with 1+ points (I've had many games where I could score no points for the last action and a few where the last two actions scored 0).
If on the other hand you use the Conservator late game (or last turn), you will also need to take start player in order to take your choice of renovate it is virtually always the case that one of the spaces is better for you, or you will be in danger of being left with a load of unused wood or a pile of resources that could have been the Well/Basketmaker's/Oven.
Much of the value of Conservator is its ability to surprise and create a large and unexpected point jump. It is best when your opponent is actively blocked you on clay but you still need an occupation action to play the card and maybe start player too. If you look like you are accumulating resources to renovate to Stone without the resources to renovate to Clay, then your opponent will assume you have Conservator and play accordingly - perhaps even attempting to block you on Stone/Reed/Occupation.
I sometimes like to play in a way to make my opponent believe I hold the Conservator without actually holding him :). This can force inefficient blocking moves. It is certainly one of those Occupations (another is the Layabout) that you should be aware of and remember your opponent could hold.
It all adds to an additional layer of depth / meta-strategy to this fascinating game...
On the Manservent. He is about a 5th pick and I have played him maybe once. Good if you can renovate early but then you have expansion problems and the same issue as an early Conservator when it comes to being unable to block (or threaten block) renovate
allstar64 wrote:
If you look through your deck of cards you'll find a occupation called the conservator. He actually does allow you to go directly from wood->stone. Here is a brief review of that card from another thread. Note that in that thread a card rated with 5 stars is considered borderline broken
Conservator
Obviously redonkulous. This saves you… what? 1 reed, 3-5 clay, and 1 renovation action? Absurd.
One supposed weakness to the occ is that you don't get to play a free Major/Minor Improvement. However, this isn't a valid concern. Let's compare someone who renovates fairly and someone who uses the Conservator and then spends an action on the Major/Minor Improvement space.
The "fair" player:
Spends 2 actions renovating
Spends about 1 action collecting 3-5 clay
Spends about 1/2 of an action collecting 1 reed
The Conservator:
Spends 1 action playing the Conservator
Spends 1 action renovating
Spends 1 action playing major/minor improvement
Even in this case the Conservator is better (he saves about half an action). However, the Conservator has 2 additional benefits on top of that:
1) You don't have to buy the Major improvement if there is a more efficient way of gaining points. For instance, rather than spending 1A on 3 stone and 1A on Major/Minor to get a well, you can just plow 2 fields.
2) You can wait until much later to renovate. Because of the limited number of renovation spots, the "fair" player needs to renovate to clay fairly early if he wants to get to stone. That means he also has to collect clay and reed fairly early. The Conservator can just wait until the last possible moment.
I have played this card literally every time I've gotten him, and I'm pretty sure I've never made a mistake in doing so. In competitive games where resources are tight, he has singlehandedly won me the game by ensuring me a stone renovation that otherwise would have been impossible. That's a good sign of a five star card.
Rating: :star::star::star::star::star:.
also here is the Manservant
Manservant
Due to the lack of relevant resources in 2-p and 3-p, it is usually very difficult to renovate early enough to make the Manservant worth it.
In 5-p and to a lesser extent 4-p, however, clay is abundant enough that renovating to clay and then building rooms becomes a genuine option. From there, acquiring the stone for the second renovation is not too much out of the way. In that environment, the Manservant can be good and even game-breaking, depending on just how early you can get him out.
Rating: :star::star::star:.
So yes combining direct to Stone with the Manservant is pretty borderline broken but playing by the actual rules getting to stone is not that easy especially since you want to extend your house and grow your family first.
Conservator
Obviously redonkulous. This saves you… what? 1 reed, 3-5 clay, and 1 renovation action? Absurd.
One supposed weakness to the occ is that you don't get to play a free Major/Minor Improvement. However, this isn't a valid concern. Let's compare someone who renovates fairly and someone who uses the Conservator and then spends an action on the Major/Minor Improvement space.
The "fair" player:
Spends 2 actions renovating
Spends about 1 action collecting 3-5 clay
Spends about 1/2 of an action collecting 1 reed
The Conservator:
Spends 1 action playing the Conservator
Spends 1 action renovating
Spends 1 action playing major/minor improvement
Even in this case the Conservator is better (he saves about half an action). However, the Conservator has 2 additional benefits on top of that:
1) You don't have to buy the Major improvement if there is a more efficient way of gaining points. For instance, rather than spending 1A on 3 stone and 1A on Major/Minor to get a well, you can just plow 2 fields.
2) You can wait until much later to renovate. Because of the limited number of renovation spots, the "fair" player needs to renovate to clay fairly early if he wants to get to stone. That means he also has to collect clay and reed fairly early. The Conservator can just wait until the last possible moment.
I have played this card literally every time I've gotten him, and I'm pretty sure I've never made a mistake in doing so. In competitive games where resources are tight, he has singlehandedly won me the game by ensuring me a stone renovation that otherwise would have been impossible. That's a good sign of a five star card.
Rating: :star::star::star::star::star:.
also here is the Manservant
Manservant
Due to the lack of relevant resources in 2-p and 3-p, it is usually very difficult to renovate early enough to make the Manservant worth it.
In 5-p and to a lesser extent 4-p, however, clay is abundant enough that renovating to clay and then building rooms becomes a genuine option. From there, acquiring the stone for the second renovation is not too much out of the way. In that environment, the Manservant can be good and even game-breaking, depending on just how early you can get him out.
Rating: :star::star::star:.
So yes combining direct to Stone with the Manservant is pretty borderline broken but playing by the actual rules getting to stone is not that easy especially since you want to extend your house and grow your family first.