I am going to have to weigh in here, as I have played GtR a lot, and happened to get my first black box game in last night. This very conversation came up at the table. My personal belief is that overall the roles are balanced. *Gasp* Unless I have specific reasons to do otherwise, I personally ensure I have at least one of each client, and then focus architect. The reason being that when you take a craftsman action, you have no idea what is in your opponent's hands. For all you know they have everything they need to complete a major structure on your leader turn. With architect you know exactly what your opponents will and will not be able to do on your leader turn. Then when they play craftsman, I am still set up to make something of it. So far as keeping the pool sparse, that is precisely why I do things like do 3 of a kind (2 of a kind with circus) to follow immediately before my leader turn and guarantee what I need is in the pool. As always I believe the most important strategy focus of the game is ensuring that your opponents get less out of your leads than you do.
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