by cjfoster
Though I don't have a lot of data to back it up, I echo the sentiment that it may be more important to be in a good position to use the Marketplace than to own it. After p1 takes the franc offering and buys the Marketplace, p2 can (and probably should) buy the 4f Building Firm—the cheapest Craftsman building in the game. For their action, p2 can (and again, probably should) visit the Marketplace for 1f (as suggested above), taking wood, clay, and iron. From here, p2 is in an excellent position to build another Craftsman building. The candidates:Fishery 10f [03]: 1 wood, 1 clay
Bakehouse 8f [05]: 2 clay
Charcoal Kiln 8f [07]: 1 clay
Smokehouse 6f [08]: 2 wood, 1 clay
Abbatoir 8f [09]: 1 wood, 1 clay, 1 iron
Only the Bakehouse can be sniped by p1, and only if p1 can take the clay offering at 2 clay. The most likely outcome, however, is that p2 owns two Craftsman buildings before p1 owns their first.
I've also noticed that the p2 gets the first opportunity to buy a special building. The first special building is built by the town at the end of R3, and the p2 starts in R4. Visiting the Marketplace, of course, gives p2 information about (and some control over) what that special building will be.