Description

Players are part-time farmers in Maatilapeli. Each player owns a small farm with some arable land and forest. It is possible to grow wheat, potatoes, sugar beets and strawberries. Players buy seeds, sow and harvest them and sell the crop paying also taxes. The most successful farmer in terms of capital wins.

A round of the square game board represents one year, each side roughly representing one season: in winter players decide which seeds to buy and to what extent, in spring the seeds are sown, in summer (and partly autumn) it is the harvest time.

Advancing on the board happens by rolling a die. Each square represents one week and has special instructions on it: paying random expenses, drawing a surprise card, getting income out of the forest etc.

The harvest times of different plants are sequential and differ in length. The die roll the player lands on one of the harvest squares of certain plant also determines the hectare price of that crop (lookup table used). It is possible to miss the harvest season of any plant resulting in a crop failure for which the state pays a small compensation.

Harvesting machinery may be bought to increase the crop price and a tractor decreases the sowing expenses. More land can be rented or bought as well. At the end of the year the taxes are paid, the accounts balanced and a new year may begin.

The game includes two sets of rules: in the simplified set e.g. everyone grows one hectare of each plant, there is no machinery or, obviously, no option to rent or buy more land.