If you’ve ever felt drawn to the soil and the sun, you might just have farming in your blood. With The Farming Game, you can take your green thumb and use it to your advantage. This fun and eccentric board game gives you the opportunity to build your very own farm, allowing you to choose which crops to harvest and manage all the expenses that come with it. Do you have what it takes to farm your way out of debt and win the game?

Option to Buy

The Farming Game begins with each character inheriting their very own piece of farmland and $10,000. Congratulations! You play the game on a board that’s laid out with 52 spaces, each representing one week out of the year. The first space is labeled Christmas Vacation, which gives you the initial $10,000 with which to purchase crops and cows.

A big portion of The Farming Game is left up to fate. Players will have to grow their farms through Option To Buy (OTB) cards that tell you what you’re allowed to buy, some of which may then prove fruitful after the harvest. OTB cards consist of different crops and cows that you can use your money to purchase up until you reach the Spring Planting Space.

You’re allowed to go into debt with this board game, as you have the option of taking out promissory notes to purchase property and resources. You do have to put up a deposit of 20% for purchases, however, so you can’t go into unlimited debt. Still, you’ll have to be willing to take on a good amount of debt at the beginning of the game if you want to have a fruitful harvest and be the first to earn $250,000.

After the Harvest

Once you pass the Spring Planting space, you’re no longer allowed to purchase cropland. However, you can now harvest some of your crops when you land on certain spaces. The way this works is that you roll a die when you land on a harvest space, which then earns you a certain amount of money depending on the number you roll.

You will have to deal with certain price fluctuations and business costs come harvest season, however. Things like fertilizer, equipment breakdowns, and labor problems can all gum up the works and put you even further in the red after the harvest. As you roll the die and move along the board, you’ll be placing your fate in the hands of Mother Nature to give you a plentiful harvest and help you rake in the big bucks.

The Farming Game is similar to Monopoly in its use of buying and selling things with paper money. However, this board game takes on a life of its own as its farming theme really adds a unique touch of life to the game. The use of debt is also an interesting component that raises the stakes of your gamble and allows for even bigger wins.

The Farming Game Spinoffs

There have been a few spinoffs of The Farming Game that turn this fun Monopoly-like game into something completely different. With The Farming Game Card Game, your fate rests on the Farmer’s Fate card instead of a playing board as you bid for and purchase crops and enhancements. Similar to the original game, you’ll have to roll the dice to see whether or not your harvest bears fruit.

There’s also a kids version of The Farming Game called The Farming Game Kids that has three levels depending on the age of the child. Level one is for ages 3-5, level two is for ages 5-7, and level three is for ages 7-9. Each level comes with its own rules for winning, allowing you to roll red and white dice while collecting and selling produce cards.

The Farming Game

The Farming Game is playable by 2-6 players, making it a good board game for families of all sizes. It’s suitable for ages 10 and up, as younger players may have difficulty understanding the rules. Playing time lasts around 2 hours, so it’s definitely a time commitment. Buy The Farming Game and enjoy the fruits of your labors!