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Bohnanza by Uwe Rosenberg

Bohnanza by Uwe Rosenberg art Bjorn Pertoft publish Amigo/Rio Grande Players: 2-7 Duration: 45 mins. PACE: Medium. Every turn is mostly about negotiating. So pausing for trades, but everyone is usually involved. COMPLEXITY: Light. There are lots of decisions, but the game is not complex. LUCK: Medium. Sometime the player draws the exact cards he needs, but much of the time players need to wheel and deal. TENSION: Low. But lack of tension does not mean lack of fun or even lack of challenge, in this case. VICIOUS: Medium. This game has so much co-operation in tarding that the viciousness could be low, but since players have the ability to not come thru on debts, this game can get very sticky with a group that plays that way. But that can make the game very fun if no one takes it personal. SOCIAL: High. Negotiating games are full of talking. Can be pretty funny when players start playing favorites or get grudges.. VISUALS: Excellent. Card games rarely get nicer  than this. Funny illustrations of human beans, and nicely colored cards. THEME: Good. The setting fits the game quite well, and the scoring system fits the farming theme. GAMER APPEAL: Probably. Some luck, but negotiating is always interesting. NON-GAMER APPEAL: Yes. One of the 3 most popular games I own. A bit tricky to learn first-time, but great game. 2 PLAYERS: Fair. It's a different game with 2 players, but not bad. No trading though. REPLAY: Excellent. It's the most popular German card game ever. I've played 50+ times. Good with 2-7 players. Best with 4-6 players.

Other games by Uwe Rosenberg Babel Bonhanza Klunker Mamma Mia

Quick summary | You wouldn't think ag ame about farming beans could be so fun, but sales figures for this title prove otherwise. Bohnanza is the best-selling "German" card game ever made. It is chalk full of decisions, trades, clever play, with appeal to almost every person. The game is largely a trading game, certainly you won't be able to win if you don't trade, and yet it is much more than a trading game. Bohnanza has the unique feature of players not being able to change the order of their cards, and having to "plant" (lay down in their play area) the card at the front of their hand every turn. Players may trade cards from anywhere in their hand, and that makes hand management vital. If the next card I must plant would force me to tear up a value "field" (set) then I might trade that front card away so that the next card, which matches one of my sets, when planted will add to the value of my sets. This game has room for viciousness, clever play, good planning, and good trading. The card art of the beans is funny and very well drawn and only adds to the enjoyment of the game (the Coffee Bean is shaking and doing 6 things at once, the Black-Eyes Bean is a boxer-bean up against the ropes with a huge black eye, etc.). It is social, and astonishingly replayable. (I've played over 100 times and still gladly play this game whenever requested.) This is the one card game that everyone should own.

This page by Yirmeyahu Avery