I have never doubled the meeples, even for 600+ tile games. In my opinion, doubling the meeples breaks the game mechanics in which you have to carefully use your meeples. It's only if using Markets of Leipzig and/or barber surgeons expansions that I added two normal meeples.
Although I must admit: we hardly ever play with farmers so there's less of a possibility of leaving a meeple stuck for the entire game, and we play with just one set of each, so no doubles, not even of the base game. I think if you do play with farmers, two extra meeples per person is probably sufficient, although again, I can't speak from experience there. As for 3. Not sure about the Messenger, because I haven't played that one, but I don't think it makes sense to double Robber-meeples, since they're only used on the scoreboard and I think it would take away some of the fun of trying to guess who you're going to 'rob' if you add a second robber... (especially if you play with just three people, like we usually do. )Hope that helps, even if it's from a novice forum member.
I'm more like a Carcassonne polywog and I've not yet played Robbers
I have played farmers once (my last game) and I'm just beginning to wrap my head around it.
It was a solo game where I was playing "Black Decar" and had even lapped him on the score track, but then the tussle for a massive farm began (~15 city one so 45 points on offer.) Literally on the last draw black Decar drew a dragon tile and the dragon immediately ate my farmer on a Hill (counts as two). I'd thought I countered it enough by having the Dragon do in one of his farmers, but that last tile linked another farmer into the field and so even the tie was lost and Black Decar's comeback was complete (also nabbed a double monastary with three vineyards about six turns before the end of the game to boot. )
Now is there a tool that counts the tiles up for you in your collection?....
Started by Rhoobarb2005
Started by Nebus
Started by CKorfmann
Started by cicerunner
Started by nickbuol