There's a common myth in prevalence among the RM players that if a player stole a boar, than that player is 340 food ahead and the opponent is 340 food behind, it is not true, I'll tell you why.
This would have been true if the only resource in AoC would be food, and the source would be only boars, that is, imagine a game where there is nothing but 2 boars to each player, so if you stole a boar, then you can say that you are 340 food ahead and opponent is 340 food behind.
Actually it is not 340 food to be exact, it takes 8 villagers, 98 seconds to get 301 food from boar.
Now in that special game I mentioned above add berries as well along with boars, so now the player have three boars while the opponent eats one boar and then move those 8 villagers to berries. ( The player have 3 boars, so he don't need to make a mill for now, but he have to since you have to make 2 dark age buildings to advance, so he won't benefit from saving 100 wood by not needing mill. )
The player who is eating extra 2 boars after finishing the first one would get 602 ( 301 x 2 )food in 196 ( 98 x 2 ) seconds, mean while on the other side, the berry villagers would gather 415 food in those 196 seconds.
When all the 4 boars are eaten, 3 by p1 and 1 by p2
602 - 415 = 187, 187 / 2 = 98 approx.
so when you steal opponents boar, you are 98 food ahead, and your enemy is 98 food behind. ( now compare it with 340 in the boar myth, however this is not the real total resource count as we haven't consider wood )
( in total you are 187 food ahead )
The reason for huge disparity between the myth and real number is that the villagers won't be idle, they would shift to other resources. While the opponent villager who are working on 3rd boar, won't be working on wood, berries and other resources which they would actually work, if player hadn't stole the boar.
Now add wood into the account as well to turn this into a real game, it gets much complicated now.
in those 196 seconds, the player gain 602 food.
while the opponent gathers 485 food from 2 deer, 2 villager on berries and 3 farms, he loses 280 wood in total for 3 farms and an extra mill for deers. ( stealer ( lamer ) don't loose any wood, since you don't need farms or deers if you have 3 boars )
So now the real game calculation.
If you steal your opponents boar.
1.) You are 65 food ahead, and your opponent is 65 food behind. ( 130 in total )
2.) You are 140 wood ahead and your opponent is 140 wood behind. ( so you have 280 wood more )
The reason stealing boar is most effective in Arabia games is because of the 2nd factor, the wood factor.
Conclusion:
1.) If you stole a boar, you didn't won the game, there's lot to do yet, you just have a early feudal wood advantage, try to use it at the fullest, the advantage would dissipate fully by 20th minute of game ( In most games, not all, in some the advantage can go upto post imperial, but that's rare. ). After clicking feudal age, you are without farms and deers, plant some farms now, if you plan to go scouts, you can have less lumberjacks ( 8 ) since you are much ahead in wood
2.) If you have your boar stolen, try to advance up age asap, then work on wood, you have more farms than your opponent, don't worry about food intake.
This would have been true if the only resource in AoC would be food, and the source would be only boars, that is, imagine a game where there is nothing but 2 boars to each player, so if you stole a boar, then you can say that you are 340 food ahead and opponent is 340 food behind.
Actually it is not 340 food to be exact, it takes 8 villagers, 98 seconds to get 301 food from boar.
Now in that special game I mentioned above add berries as well along with boars, so now the player have three boars while the opponent eats one boar and then move those 8 villagers to berries. ( The player have 3 boars, so he don't need to make a mill for now, but he have to since you have to make 2 dark age buildings to advance, so he won't benefit from saving 100 wood by not needing mill. )
The player who is eating extra 2 boars after finishing the first one would get 602 ( 301 x 2 )food in 196 ( 98 x 2 ) seconds, mean while on the other side, the berry villagers would gather 415 food in those 196 seconds.
When all the 4 boars are eaten, 3 by p1 and 1 by p2
602 - 415 = 187, 187 / 2 = 98 approx.
so when you steal opponents boar, you are 98 food ahead, and your enemy is 98 food behind. ( now compare it with 340 in the boar myth, however this is not the real total resource count as we haven't consider wood )
( in total you are 187 food ahead )
The reason for huge disparity between the myth and real number is that the villagers won't be idle, they would shift to other resources. While the opponent villager who are working on 3rd boar, won't be working on wood, berries and other resources which they would actually work, if player hadn't stole the boar.
Now add wood into the account as well to turn this into a real game, it gets much complicated now.
in those 196 seconds, the player gain 602 food.
while the opponent gathers 485 food from 2 deer, 2 villager on berries and 3 farms, he loses 280 wood in total for 3 farms and an extra mill for deers. ( stealer ( lamer ) don't loose any wood, since you don't need farms or deers if you have 3 boars )
So now the real game calculation.
If you steal your opponents boar.
1.) You are 65 food ahead, and your opponent is 65 food behind. ( 130 in total )
2.) You are 140 wood ahead and your opponent is 140 wood behind. ( so you have 280 wood more )
The reason stealing boar is most effective in Arabia games is because of the 2nd factor, the wood factor.
Conclusion:
1.) If you stole a boar, you didn't won the game, there's lot to do yet, you just have a early feudal wood advantage, try to use it at the fullest, the advantage would dissipate fully by 20th minute of game ( In most games, not all, in some the advantage can go upto post imperial, but that's rare. ). After clicking feudal age, you are without farms and deers, plant some farms now, if you plan to go scouts, you can have less lumberjacks ( 8 ) since you are much ahead in wood
2.) If you have your boar stolen, try to advance up age asap, then work on wood, you have more farms than your opponent, don't worry about food intake.