Bohnanza Rules: How to Play

Bohnanza

3–7 players

45 min

7.1

Bohnanza is the first in the Bohnanza family of games and has been published in several different editions, including a 2023 version with flowers. This entry lists a few different major card sets for Bohnanza: the base game for 3-5 players, the expanded game with the same name for 2-7 players (that is, first expansion included), and Bohnanza Pocket. In the game, you plant, then harvest bean cards in order to earn coins. Each player starts with a hand of random bean cards, and each card has a number on it corresponding to the number of that type of beans in the deck. Unlike in most other card games, you can't rearrange the order of cards in hand, so you must use them in the order that you've picked them up from the deck — unless you can trade them to other players, which is the heart of the game. On a turn, you must plant the first one or two cards in your hand into the "fields" in front of you. Each field can hold only one type of bean, so if you must plant a type of bean that's not in one of your fields, then you must harvest a field to make room for the new arrival. This usually isn't good! Next, you reveal two cards from the deck, and you can then trade these cards as well as any card in your hand for cards from other players. You can even make future promises for cards received right now! After all the trading is complete — and all trades on a turn must involve the active player — then you end your turn by drawing cards from the deck and placing them at the back of your hand. When you harvest beans, you receive coins based on the number of bean cards in that field and the "beanometer" for that particular type of bean. Flip over 1-4 cards from that field to transform them into coins, then place the remainder of the cards in the discard pile. When the deck runs out, shuffle the discards, playing through the deck two more times. At the end of the game, everyone can harvest their fields, then whoever has earned the most coins wins. The original German edition supports 3-5 players. The English version from Rio Grande Games comes with the first edition of the first German expansion included in a slightly oversized box. One difference in the contents, however, is that bean #22's Weinbrandbohne (Brandy Bean) was replaced by the Wachsbohne, or Wax Bean. This edition includes rules for up to seven players, like the Erweiterungs-Set, but also adapts the two-player rules of Al Cabohne in order to allow two people to play Bohnanza.

How to play

Setup, how a turn works and how the game ends, summarised from the rulebook by Eko, Meepzy's rules assistant.

Here is how to play the game, structured step-by-step from setup to the end of the game:

Setup

Place the 3rd bean field cards back in the box (p. 6).
The oldest player thoroughly shuffles the bean cards and deals five cards face down to each player as their starting hand (p. 6).
Players must keep their hand cards in the exact order they were dealt and are never allowed to sort them or change their sequence (p. 6).
Place the remaining bean cards face down in the middle of the table as a draw deck, leaving room next to it for a discard pile (p. 3).
The player to the left of the dealer starts the game (p. 3).

How a Turn Works

On a player’s turn, they are the active player and must perform the following four steps in order:

Plant bean cards: The active player must plant the first card in their hand, and optionally the second card as well (p. 11). Beans must match the variety in an existing field, or be planted in an empty field (p. 11). If no matching or empty field is available, the player must harvest and sell an existing field to make room (p. 11).
Draw, trade & donate bean cards: The active player draws the top two cards from the draw deck face up (p. 11). The active player can keep these drawn cards, trade them, or donate them, and can also trade or donate cards from their hand with other players (p. 11, 13).
Plant traded & donated beans: All players must now plant any cards they received through trades or donations, and the active player plants any kept drawn cards (p. 5).
Draw new bean cards: The active player draws three cards from the draw deck one at a time, placing each at the back of their hand in the exact order drawn (p. 5).

Harvesting, Selling, and Fields

Players may harvest and sell beans at any time, even on other players' turns (p. 14). When selling, you must sell all cards in that field, count them, check the beanometer on the cards to see your gold coin earnings, flip that many cards to their gold coin side into your earnings stack, and discard the rest (p. 14).
Each player starts with two bean fields, but can buy a 3rd bean field once per game for three gold coins taken from their earnings stack (p. 14, 15).

How the Game Ends

The game ends when the draw deck is exhausted for the third time (p. 8).
At the end of the game, players set aside their hand cards, then harvest and sell the beans remaining in their bean fields (p. 8).
The player with the most gold coins wins the game (p. 8). If players tie in gold coins, the tied player with the most cards in their hand wins (p. 8).

This summary was written by Eko from the game's own rulebook. It covers the essentials, not every edge case. For a specific rule, ask Eko and get the page it came from, or open the manual in the Archive.