Bohnanza is a vivid proof of the fact that “calm and boring farming games” can also be interesting, catching and even not so easy to play, and not so calm at all. In this card game we enter a world of farmers, who eventually must become very skilled players in order to survive…
Bohnanza is a German-style card game of trading and politics, designed by Uwe Rosenberg and released in 1997 by Amigo Spiele in German and by Rio Grande Games in English.
The name of the game is a pun on the words “bonanza” and “Bohne” (German for “bean”). The official English release preserved the name Bohnanza.
Uwe Rosenberg and Hanno Girke have designed a number of expansions to the game, some of which were released as limited editions by Lookout Games. Also Bohnanza has inspired six spinoffs; additionally, one Amigo card game, Nicht die Bohne, is named in parody of the game.
The basic Bohnanza game is played with a deck of cards featuring comical illustrations
of eleven different types of beans (of varying scarcities), which the players are trying to plant and sell in order to raise money.
The principal restriction is that players may only be farming two or three types of bean at once, but they obtain beans of all different types randomly from the deck, and so must engage in trading with the other players to be successful. The original game is for three to five players (aged 8-10 and up) and takes about 40-60 minutes to play, but the Rio Grande edition adds alternative rules to allow games for two or seven players.
One of the main difficulties of Bohnanza is that the order of cards in hand does matter, and mustn’t be changed – one must play cards in hand only in the order he or she got them.
This game requires good memory, strategy and trading skills, fast thinking and a healthy sense of humor.
Get Bohnanza card game and enter the world without “jacks” and “giants” to participate in a real “beans’ farming war”!
Watch the following video to get a first look at the game and its rules.
Worlds on Board 