Formidable Farm
Formidable Farm Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 1 supplies board
- 119 trade cards
- 90 field crops: 30 wheat, 20 tomatoes, 20 cucumbers, 10 pigs, 10 sheep
- 1 starting card
- 4 "rule breaker" overview tiles
- 4 discs (in four player colors)
- 1 rule booklet
Game Preparation
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Put out the supplies board.
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Place the field crops (sorted by type) in a supply next to the supplies board.
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Choose a color and take 1 disc and the overview tile. Place both in front of you. Return unused discs and overview tiles in the game box.
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Shuffle all 119 trade cards. Deal the following number of cards to each player.
- 1 player: 30 cards
- 2 players: 20 cards
- 3 players: 17 cards
- 4 players: 15 cards
Place your cards unseen as a face down stack in front of you. You also need some space for your pile of fulfilled trade cards.
Draw the topmost 3 trade cards from your own stack and take them in your hand.
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Place the remaining trade cards as a face down market stack next to the supplies board. Draw 5 trade cards and place them as the market face up in a row. You need some space for a discard pile.
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Randomly determine the player who places the starting card in front of them to start Formidable Farm.
How to Play
You take your player turns in Formidable Farm in clockwise order one after the other and always perform several simple actions:
You get supplies, fulfill up to 3 trade cards, and can use several fee-based "rule breakers". Afterward, you refill the market and the next player takes their turn.
When a player has fulfilled all their trade cards, finish the current round and then the game ends.
If you are the only player who fulfills all your trade cards, you win Formidable Farm. If several players do this, the player among them wins with the most remaining valuable field crops wins the game.
Formidable Farm offers a challenging solo game. All the following rules apply for it. Following this, we explain the few necessary additions (see "The Solo Game" below).
Trade Cards and Field Crops
There are 119 different trade cards in Formidable Farm. Even though they all differ from each other, you can easily understand them. Each front side shows costs on top and rewards on the bottom while the back side shows a coin as a sign that you fulfilled that trade card:
- Costs — top of the card
- Reward — bottom of the card
- Fulfilled trade card — the back side, showing a coin
The costs: The top of the trade cards shows the costs that you need to pay entirely to fulfill the trade card. For most cards, you need to pay 1 or more field crops and place them in the supply: wheat, cucumbers, tomatoes, sheep, and pigs. A few cards have special costs that you will find in the glossary on the back page of this rule booklet.
The field crops have different values. You get better rewards for sheep and pigs, and weaker rewards for wheat. Thus, the supplies board offers 3 wheat, 2 cucumbers or 2 tomatoes, and only 1 sheep or 1 pig. When you need to pay costs with any type of field crops, do not spend too many valuable field crops!
The rewards: The bottom of the trade cards shows the rewards you can use. They are always useful, but not obligatory. The only mandatory part to fulfill the trade cards is to pay their costs.
Many times you get field crops as rewards which you take from the supply. Always take the full listed amount. You can collect any number of field crops in front of you. Although you want to fulfill the trade cards as promptly as possible and it usually does not take that long to collect the necessary field crops, the supply of field crops is unlimited. If a resource runs out, please use matching alternatives.
Most of the other rewards can be used up to a certain number of times, though you can choose not to use them at all.
Applies only for drawing cards: If there are not enough cards in your stack to draw the listed number of cards, take any 1 field crop per missing card.
Fulfilled trade cards: At the end of your turn, place your paid trade cards face down in front of you. As of now, they count as fulfilled. Their back sides show coins as a reminder that you can use them for fee-based "rule breakers". After paying with these cards, place them face up on the discard pile next to the market.
Your Turn
During your turn you get supplies and fulfill up to 3 trade cards before you finally refill the market.
You can freely choose the order and can fulfill individual trade cards both before and after getting supplies.
You can also use several fee-based "rule breakers". As long as you pay their costs you can use them at anytime during your turn.
Get Supplies
You always choose an empty space of the 6 different supply spaces of the supplies board. Place your disc during your first turn on the circle of the chosen supply space. During all following turns you must move your disc and choose another empty supply space.
Take field crops: Take the type and number of field crops as printed on the supply space and place them in front of you: 3 wheat, 2 cucumbers, 2 tomatoes, 1 sheep, or 1 pig. You can collect any number of field crops.
Draw a trade card: Draw 1 trade card from your stack and take it in your hand. You can have any number of trade cards in your hand.
Fulfill Trade Cards
To fulfill a trade card, play it in front of you, pay the costs, and then optionally take the reward.
Although it is your goal to fulfill your stack of trade cards as fast as possible, you can also choose to fulfill trade cards in the market to gain those rewards. This makes sense if you can get missing field crops or draw more trade cards from your stack.
Important: At the start of the game, the player taking the first turn can only fulfill at most 1 trade card from the market and the player taking the second turn can only fulfill at most 2 trade cards from the market. There are no restrictions from the third player turn onwards. Keep in mind that you always can only fulfill up to 3 cards per turn, regardless if these are cards from your hand or from the market.
At the end of your turn, place the currently fulfilled cards face down in front of you. You can pay with them starting with your next turn. If there are less than 5 cards in the market, draw cards from the market stack and refill the market back to 5 trade cards. When the market stack is depleted, shuffle the discard pile next to the market and place them face down as a new market stack.
Now, the next player takes their turn.
Fee-Based "Rule Breakers"
You can use the following fee-based "rule breakers" during your turn:
- The same supply: Instead of choosing an empty space when getting supplies, you can leave your disc on the same space, paying 2 fulfilled trade cards to do this. Then, you can take the same supply again from your previous turn.
- Occupied supply space: Instead of choosing an empty space when getting supplies, you can place your disc on top of the other disc(s) on an occupied space, paying 1 fulfilled trade card per disc already on that space to do this.
- Take an additional field crop: You can take as many desired field crops as you like from the supply, paying 3 fulfilled trade cards for each field crop taken.
- Draw an additional trade card: You can draw as many new trade cards from your stack, paying 3 fulfilled trade cards for each card drawn.
Do not be surprised: You never "off-handedly" draw cards in Formidable Farm. You only do this when getting supplies, taking rewards, or paying for the fee-based "rule breaker".
Although the glossary on the back page of the rule booklet may look scary, the individual rewards are all really simple. We will show you one of them in the example below.
Example for a Complete Player Turn
- At the start of your turn, you have 2 tomatoes, 4 wheat, and 4 trade cards in your hand. You already fulfilled 4 trade cards, that you can spend for "rule breakers".
- You fulfill the first trade card from your hand, pay 2 tomatoes, and take 1 sheep from the supply as your reward.
- As your second trade card, you fulfill a card from the market. You pay 1 wheat and place 2 cards from your hand below your stack to draw 2 trade cards from your stack. You could have exchanged the third card in your hand as well.
- Now, you get supplies. You move your disc on the supply space for 1 pig and pay 1 fulfilled trade card as it is already occupied by another disc. Then, you take 1 pig from the supply.
- Additionally, you pay your remaining 3 fulfilled trade cards and take 1 tomato from the supply.
- You fulfill a third trade card as well and pay 1 tomato, 1 sheep, and 1 pig. Then, you take 8 wheat from the supply.
- Finally, you place the 3 fulfilled cards face down in front of you and refill the market back to 5 cards.
End of the Game
When a player has fulfilled their last trade card, finish the current round, so all players can take the same number of turns.
If only 1 player has fulfilled all their own trade cards, they win the game!
If several players do this, they compare their remaining field crops: Count 1 point per wheat, 2 points respectively for each cucumber and tomato, and 3 points respectively for each sheep and pig. The player with the more valuable field crops wins the tie. If you tie again, you share the victory!
The Solo Game
You only need to make a few modifications for the solo game.
Game Preparation
- You choose a disc and overview tile, place 1 of the remaining discs as a "countdown" disc on the circle of the supply space marked +1, and the other 2 discs in a stack next to the supplies board.
Your Turn
You have exactly 18 turns to fulfill all 30 trade cards of your stack.
Get supplies: Regard the supply space with the "countdown" disc as occupied. If you want to move your disc on that space to get supplies, you must pay 1 fulfilled trade card as fee for the "rule breaker".
Fulfill trade cards: You can fulfill any number of trade cards during each of your turns.
The countdown: At the end of your turn, you move the "countdown" disc clockwise 1 space forward.
When you move it back on the supply space marked +1 for the first time after six turns, return one of the discs next to the supply board to the game box. After 12 turns, accordingly return the second disc to the game box.
End of the Game
The game ends immediately, when you fulfilled all your 30 trade cards. You satisfied all wishes of the village population and win Formidable Farm.
When you move the "countdown" disc on the supply space for the third time after 18 turns and still have unfulfilled trade cards in your hand or your stack, part of the village population remains unsatisfied. You lose the game and quietly sneak home.
Glossary
The trade cards use pictograms in place of words. This section spells out what each symbol means.
Field Crops
- Wheat, Cucumber, Tomato, Sheep, Pig — the five field crop types.
- A four-leaf-clover symbol means any type of field crop (your choice).
General Symbols
- A card outline / a fan of cards — played trade card / cards in hand.
- A stack of cards with a coin back — your stack.
- "Provide A to take B" (n times) — you may do this up to n times.
- "Trade A and B" (n times) — a two-way trade; you may do this up to n times.
- A card with a coin design — fulfilled trade card.
- A row of 5 card backs — the market with 5 trade cards.
- Three dots before a card — the next played trade card in the same turn.
- An "=" sign — identical field crops.
- A "≠" sign — different field crops.
- A triangle — a supply space on the supplies board.
- An oval/disc shape — your disc.
- A backward-curving arrow — the previous player.
Special Costs
- Place 1 of your fulfilled trade cards below your stack.
- Take 1 of your fulfilled trade cards in your hand.
- Place 1 trade card from the market below your stack.
- Place 3 trade cards from the market below your stack.
- A circled "3" — pay 3 fulfilled trade cards.
- A sheep/pig icon with an "x" — pay any number of sheep or pigs.
Rewards
- "+1" through "+5" — draw 1, …, 5 trade cards from your stack (e.g. "+5" means draw 5 cards). Only for this reward: if there are not enough cards in your stack to draw the listed number, take any 1 field crop per missing card.
- A "+1"/"+2" icon paired with your disc, a supply-space triangle, or the previous-player icon — get supplies once or twice without moving your disc on the supplies board: your space / adjacent space / opposite space / any 1 space / the space with the previous player's disc.
- Draw the bottommost trade card from your stack.
- Draw up to 5 trade cards and place them in any order back on top and bottom of your stack.
- Place up to 3 cards from your hand below your stack to draw the same number of cards from your stack.
- "+1" with a card-and-coin icon — draw 1 trade card and place it face down as fulfilled. Do not take rewards. This does not count towards the limit of 3 fulfilled trade cards per turn.
- "+2" with "1" — draw 2 trade cards, then place 1 card from your hand below your stack.
- "+3" with "2" — draw 3 trade cards, then place 2 cards from your hand below your stack. Only for these two rewards: if there are not enough cards left in your stack, instead draw 1 trade card. If your stack is depleted, take any 1 field crop.
- A field crop icon with a multiplier arrow to another field crop (e.g. "1 wheat → 1 tomato", up to four times) — provide field crops to take other field crops.
- A clover icon with a multiplier arrow to "+1" (e.g. up to three times) — provide any 1 field crop to draw 1 trade card from your stack.
- Two curved arrows forming a loop — immediately take another turn after finishing this turn.
- Three dots with "-1" and a clover — pay 1 listed field crop less for the next trade card in the same turn.
- "1" with an arrow to a market row — trade 1 card in your hand with 1 trade card in the market.
- "1" with an arrow to a fulfilled-card icon — trade 1 card in your hand with 1 of your fulfilled trade cards.
- A fulfilled-card icon with a multiplier arrow to a clover — provide fulfilled trade cards to take any field crops.
- "4!" — play a fourth trade card in your turn (this card as well).
- "3." with an arrow to a clover — play this as the third trade card in your turn to take any 1 field crop.
- A disc icon — get supplies as explained in "Your Turn".
Credits
We give our thanks to Hans im Glück and Lookout Spiele for allowing us to use their pigs and sheep for Formidable Farm.
- Author: Friedemann Friese
- Graphics: Sylvain Leroy
- Layout game components: Antoine Morandi
- Layout rule booklet and game box: Harald Lieske
- Proofreading: Linus Wolf, Ronald Hrkać, Christian Frank, Dale Yu, Brian Yu
- Editing and Production: Henning Kröpke
Copyright 2025, 2F-Spiele, Bremen/Germany. Published in North America by Rio Grande Games, Inc.