Circling Around Fields of Green: A Delightful Solo Game
Start a small farm and watch it thrive with fun decisions, unpredictable events, and pleasant scenes in Fields of Green.
Not quite content with my recent outing in Fields of Green, I was back to trying out a few more strategies! This is a very enjoyable solo experience that can be a bit luck-dependent, yet I adore the artwork. Looking closely at each card often reveals a delightful little bit of farming life. I had some higher scoring tiers to work towards… Back to my solo table!
Game Overview
Game Name: Fields of Green
Publication Year: 2016
Designer: Vangelis Bagiartakis
Artists: G. Bobrowski, T. Jedruszek, & N. Robinson
Publisher: Artipia Games
Solo Mode: Included in Fields of Green: Grand Fair
The goal is to meet a trio of objectives and find ways to balance victory points. Fields and livestock may seem like the obvious additions, but buildings and constructions can be quite important to the full picture. The experience moves along quickly with lots of fun sorts of moments!
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
Circling the Crops
With so many cards in the different decks, I still find a few that I often skip over. This one might seem a little odd, yet I found some really useful ways to utilize it!
Actually, I ended up with multiple crop circles to really get into the theme of a sci-fi farm this time. Ha ha!
I love finding these discoveries, too, and then taking a moment to appreciate the artwork even more. Look closely, and there is a flurry of activity to investigate.
Originally, I thought this was the publisher’s logo, but now I wonder if it might be something else? Mysterious!
Helpful Local Events
The events mini-expansion continues to be the best for me! A few cards don’t work for solo or during the first year, but I continue to see a lot of variety with them.
The little stories add a lot to my experience, too. I actually never saw local buyers before, but that was really helpful for earning a lot of extra coins during the first year.
And even the introduction of small disasters add to the narrative I like building as I literally build my farm!
Sometimes, it’s a small module that makes the biggest difference in a delightful game experience.
Tractors Everywhere
With the expansion, tractors are included to track progress on the attractions. I’ve left these out for a bit, as I find they take me out of the core gameplay too much.
But never fear: Those tractors still get put to use! I use them to mark my progress on the solo objectives.
This isn’t exactly correct, as open areas can remove a completed goal… Yet this is close enough for my purposes.
Little “Vroom, vroom!” noises can be heard as I move these tractors a very important inch or so onto the cards. I really do love board games so much. Can you tell? Ha ha!
Yearly Progress
Another component that isn’t necessarily utilized in the solo mode is the gigantic, special first player token I have. Now that’s certainly a proper tractor to admire!
Normally, there is a small cardboard disc to mark the current year. Since there is no rotation order to worry about with solo, the arrows on it serve no purpose.
A-ha! I found another way to drive around my solo table, approximately an inch at a time. Even more fun!
When there is a lot going on, I still find the sequence of steps easy to follow. This tractor hasn’t gone astray yet!
Recognizing the Signs of Having Fun
With all of the posts I make and constant comments on the monthly SGOYT lists, it can seem like I’m not spending a lot of time actually playing games… Which is actually somewhat true. However, setting aside all of the metrics and ratings, there are some surprising things that show up when I’m having an extra good time. Those are the great games!
Often, this involves vehicular noises that can also be nonsensical. Does a bicycle have a loud motor? Nope, except at my table! If a meeple moves quickly from one side of the map to the other, would a person ever yell out in delight? Nope, except at my table! Ha! It’s these strange noises that are like my excitement and happiness escaping. So much fun!
I will also find other uses for components that normally don’t need to be in play. These tractors all could have stayed in the box, but then how could I pretend I was driving one of them? This is also a useful lesson for me in terms of figuring out when I’m not having fun. I’m often far too quiet, or erupting with frustrated sighs. I need more, “Vroom, vroom!”
November Turkeys
One would assume that turkeys might be all the rage during a play in November… I even doubled up on these famous birds for an even better outing with this farm!
Alas, it seemed like I got into turkey farming when the world didn’t need any more poultry. They did not help me at all, and the income was paltry. Especially for poultry…
Oh, no! My terrible jokes usually are a good sign about a game, and I continue to simply love this game.
My scores weren’t the greatest, although I could see a path to some of the highest scoring tiers. Just not with turkeys!
Surely Sheared Sheep
Ah, but I did manage to do quite well when I decided to get one step ahead of the seasons and focus on winter wool.
One shearing shed? Nah, not enough. Two shearing sheds? Somewhat acceptable, but no. Three shearing sheds? Yes!
Every card has 3 copies, and although it might seem like duplicates would be worse, there are cases when this isn’t so. Shearing sheds were amazing! But those sheep…
Technically, I think I attempted to shear some buffalo and cattle. We won’t even think about what happened with the chickens and peafowl. No more shearing sheds for me!
Session Overview
Play Number: 35-38
Main Expansion: Fields of Green: Grand Fair
Other Expansions: Many (4)
Solo Mode: Included in Fields of Green: Grand Fair
Play Details: Early Planning & Events Mini-Expansions
Outcome: 80, 65, 89, 70 (3 Wins & 1 Loss)
There we go! It took some luck with the events and lots of equipment, but I managed to pull off my highest score yet… Still shy of the second highest scoring tier, but very cool to achieve! And even with a few embarrassing open areas, I had a great session overall. Just so much fun!
%
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)
- Managing to reach the highest scoring tiers takes a lot of experience, making it quite a challenge to chase after.
- Play time is quite consistent, even with a couple of small mini-expansions, and the game doesn’t drag on.
- There is a real sense of building a farm not for looks, but for the satisfaction of making something of the land.
- Little stories are entirely optional, yet the detailed artwork lends itself to telling tales of the characters.
- Many different strategies may be pursued, and there isn’t necessarily a definite path to victory during each play.
- The solo card draft works very well with important decisions and deciding how to prioritize the available cards.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The coins and stars have different values, but are the same shape and color so that they’re very hard to tell apart.
- Unexpected expansion in the play area can make it hard to plan, and the whole tableau sometimes needs to shift.
- There is a fair amount of luck when it comes to finding the right types of cards at the right moments.
- Finding all of the harvest costs and abilities can sometimes be tricky during the final round with so many cards.
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
What do you enjoy the most about Fields of Green? Have you managed to earn a personal best score lately? I can’t seem to get enough of this one lately, and really do wish I could get a regular group of games together for consistent plays. No matter: I enjoy the hobby in every way I can, and this one seems like it will always earn a place in my top solo games!
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