Estonia Buys 500 Copies of Agricola

Yes, really. And at full retail price, rather than from an internet site where they could have saved a few thousand Euros.

The idea was cooked up by the Estonian Ministry of Agriculture, probably after a wild night of beer pong and herring burgers, in order to "promote farming and countryside life among the youth."

Agricola is a Eurogame in which players expand and improve their farms.

Says the Ministry's PR rep: “One of our biggest tasks is to promote country life and farming, especially among youth. We plan to hand out the board games and organize tournaments. It’s a marketing tool."

I'm sure this means I'm hopelessly provincial, but whenever I read "Estonia" I think "Elbonia," and now I'm imagining people up to their elbows in mud while playing a Minor Improvement.

H/T: Erik Arneson