Fields of Green and Living a Quiet Life of Simple Farming
Take a stroll through the apple orchard within Fields of Green on the way to a pair of fun, new fair attractions.
Onward with the exploration of the attractions in Fields of Green! There is nothing quite so relaxing as heading up a little tabletop farm. Scoring well is an entirely different matter, yet I still admire how enjoyable this game is as a solo experience. I can almost hear my tractor running at the slowest possible speed, meandering through the fields…
Game Overview
Game Name: Fields of Green
Publication Year: 2016
Designer: Vangelis Bagiartakis
Artists: G. Bobrowski, T. Jedruszek, and N. Robinson
Publisher: Artipia Games
Solo Mode: Included in Fields of Green: Grand Fair
Locations slowly build up over the 4 rounds of play in a simulation of a farm taking shape. There are countless possibilities, especially when it comes to the buildings and scoring victory points! Every farm feels a little different with such a wide assortment of fields, livestock, and more.
First Play
January 27, 2019
Complexity
3
Latest Play
November 20, 2024
Expansions
5
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
40
Play Time
35 Minutes
High Score
89
Game Area
34" x 28"
Low Score
0
An Overflowing Silo
This time around, equipment came out all the time. I managed to improve the main silo with containers and sacks. That meant extra storage space and victory points!
In my experience so far, purchasing extra silos for food storage has never panned out. Although free, this card is only useful for handling excess food during harvests.
Or maybe I’ve been playing poorly this whole time. Ha! My personal best score isn’t anything too amazing, after all.
I still tried out some new paths and strategies with these attractions in play. Equipment can be very lucrative!
In the Apple Orchard
It’s difficult to pick a favorite card, though I do love the apple trees! This scene reminds me of apple picking excursions from my childhood. So adorable!
Up close, it’s more apparent that there are a couple of people relaxing by a small harvest of fruit.
This always makes me smile. Again, it echoes back to the relaxing nature of the game. Nowhere does anyone look overworked or exhausted. Just… Living life calmly.
The iconography is also excellent! Apples require 2 water during the harvest phase. Easy to see and understand.
Evaluating Equipment
The equipment show turned out to be a very interesting attraction. It provided options when blindly drawing an equipment tile, and these were also available for sale.
Effectively, I had to focus on equipment more than I ever did. Keep in mind that each attraction is worth -5 victory points just for being in play, so it needs to be worth it.
I liked modifying a lot of locations, but this felt like I was forced to have a strategy that focused on equipment tiles.
This might come down to personal taste, but I don’t see myself wanting to use equipment tiles all the time.
Tossing Hay Bales
This might be the funniest attraction for me! It depicts tossing bales of hay, but the not-so-tiny tractor tracks the placement in the field. Makes me think I threw a tractor!
Each tier corresponds with various location costs in the upper left. The first time a card is built, the tractor moves.
If the next location built matches the same tier, that reward is claimed. The top tier offers 2 victory points.
Although this can present some strategic decisions, it was hardly worth it for me. Especially with the solo draft, relying on locations of similar values was very difficult.
Session Overview
Play Number: 18 and 19
Expansion 1: Fields of Green: Grand Fair
Expansion 2: Grand Fair: Kickstarter Promo Cards
Expansion 3: Fields of Green: Crop Circle
Expansion 4: Fields of Green: Kickstarter Promo Cards
Solo Mode: Included in Fields of Green: Grand Fair
Play Details: Equipment Show, Hay Bale Throwing Contest
Outcome: 64 and 57 (2 Losses)
I hung out with the watchdogs after totaling my scores. Not good! This was the first time I started to feel a little burned out on the attractions. The hay was heavy. Ha ha!
%
40 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
9
+ Pros (Positives)
- The harvest iconography is large and easy to find in the lower-left area of every location on the farm.
- Wooden components add a vintage feel to the game and are constructed very well with unique shapes.
- Despite some attractions not working well for the solo mode, there are still plenty to try out to customize a play.
- Many strategies aren’t as obvious at first and take some experience to figure out in order to score very well.
- Although the artwork is somewhat small, it’s simply beautiful and creates a relaxing farm by the final round.
- Each step in the sequence of play is simple to follow with minimal to no rules ambiguities or questions.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Some attractions require a certain strategy to make up for their negative points, which can be frustrating.
- Playing with solo goals that require multiple types of fields or livestock can sometimes feel unbalanced.
- A certain level of luck is needed to create a working engine from the cards, though this isn’t always required.
- There are a lot of components and cards, yet the box doesn’t include anything more than plastic bags.
Victory Conditions
Score 70+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 67%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 70 points.
Score at least 80 points.
Score at least 90 points.
Continue the Conversation
Do you enjoy playing Fields of Green? Are there any particular locations you gravitate towards? Maybe my sub-optimal scores are due to me often picking out fields and livestock that look cozy or adorable. Ha! Although I was a little tired after this outing, there are still a few more attractions to try. I’m looking forward to figuring out my favorites!
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