Celebrating Turkey Day on the Farm with Fields of Green
Take time to enjoy little slices of rural life on a farm as fields and animals aid in its growth with Fields of Green.
There is something so very wonderful and relaxing about Fields of Green. Perhaps the farming genre is well-stocked with all sorts of game choices, yet this one has always stood out for me! Each piece of artwork is simple while still depicting some sort of work. The mechanics are interesting, and everything comes together to make a great game!
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
Various types of cards may be purchased to expand a tiny farm. Over time, harvest abilities generate more and more resources. There are plenty of choices with a fun solo draft, and none of my farms ever end up alike! Scoring well is a challenge, yet it’s all wrapped in a relaxing world.
First Play
January 27, 2019
Complexity
3
Latest Play
October 28, 2025
Expansions
5
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
44
Play Time
35 Minutes
High Score
89
Game Area
34" x 28"
Low Score
0
Awards & Attractions
In the solo game, a trio of goals provides the foundation for card choices. Although not technically used as awards, I still like to think of them in this way!
Note, too, that I use a slightly modified goal draft: I choose 2 from the field and livestock options, 2 from everything else, and then narrow it down to the 3 cards I like most.
Also in play were some attractions! I only set out half the rewards at the Beer Festival, but corrected it right away.
This pair of attractions is my favorite, and it’s important to remember that each attraction scores -5 victory points.
Humble Beginnings
Every play starts the same with a water tower and silo, yet it’s so pleasant to watch the farm grow over time!
Water must be stored in order to tend to fields, or the occasional livestock. These don’t automatically refill, either, so it’s important to manage the water supply.
Food is also stored, though in a more general sense. This is often used to convert into money for more purchases!
Last, but certainly not least, is the sheer sense of calm the illustrations provide. Examined closely, there is usually a person doing simple work without a care in the world.
Bustling Along
In the span of just 4 years, I had myself a pretty amazing farm! The real challenge was figuring out how to get an engine going and turn that into victory points.
The way the tableau grows is also very different each time. Fields are usually clustered around water towers, but some cards offer bonuses for being far, far away.
I had some help from the attractions and did quite well when it came to my livestock. Coins were necessary!
This looked like a pretty good outing, although I say that even when my score is embarrassingly low. Ha ha!
Thanksgiving Prep
Without meaning to, I ended up with a very thematic sort of farm. Turkeys galore, for those in the United States ready for Thanksgiving this week!
Being both poultry and meat, though, I liked to think my turkey farm was a little more focused on… Turkey eggs?
Sure! Those eggs were all the rage in town as I sold them off during each harvest phase. With proper placement, I effectively traded 2 food for 8 coins each harvest.
That’s at the heart of the game: Figuring out how to transform resources into coins and victory points!
A Hidden Vault
My farmhouse was nestled in the heart of the farm and was worth 7 victory points to me. But I converted part of it into a vault, owing to all the coins I had left!
I needed at least 30 to achieve the solo goal… Definitely made it! Extra coins gave me victory points, yet I should have looked at acquiring more buildings at the end.
Earning enough resources early on is important. As shown here, though, it’s possible to go overboard.
These coins weren’t exactly wasted, though. Excess water would have been the worst. So not too shabby!
Watering the Apples
Where I truly succeeded was with a little grove of apple trees. They required a lot of water each harvest phase, but I collected plenty of food for the nearby water towers.
This amounted to trading 2 water for 5 food. With lots of livestock, that food was then converted into coins. Very smooth and fun to connect the dots from card to card!
Emptying out these water towers was also strategic, as I earned 5 victory points in the end for doing so.
There are a lot of things to consider during play, but a lot of the elements boil down to simple and fun conversions.
Session Overview
Play Number: 25 and 26
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: Beer Festival and Livestock Exhibition
Outcome: 80 and 64 (1 Win and 1 Loss)
I wanted to try to do even better, but my highlight was thinking about how I could turn my corn field into a corn maze. Ha! Wonderful game, as always, and so peaceful!
%
40 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
3
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
3
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- Every card is beautifully illustrated with a scene of simple farm life, while the icons and abilities are easy to read.
- There are all sorts of ways to progress based on the set goals and order of the cards from year to year.
- Although the challenge to score well can be very difficult, the overall atmosphere of the game is very relaxing.
- The solo card draft is mostly about choices, yet this works nicely since the decisions aren’t always obvious.
- Play time moves quickly and smoothly with a gameplay sequence that’s easy to follow without any confusion.
- Watching a farm grow from practically nothing into a high-scoring engine is exciting and satisfying.
– Cons (Negatives)
- It isn’t easy to allocate the right amount of table space since a farm can expand in any direction with many cards.
- Compared to the wooden components, the stars and coins are underwhelming and values are all the same size.
- Not all of the attractions work great with the solo mode and some of them feel a bit wasted for solo play.
- In the later rounds, it can be tricky to keep track of every harvest ability and understand the best card choices.
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 are some of the things you like about Fields of Green? I’m still nowhere close to reaching the highest scoring tier and I keep discovering new combinations with each play. Such a fun game to explore, though! The artwork is just so lovely and even when I do poorly, there’s always a card I can call my favorite spot. Absolutely love this one!
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