Continue if you are looking for games like Bohnanza and are curious about what similar games to play next. Bohnanza is a light and zany card game that is all about bean farming and doing business. The cards are colorful depictions of beans in various descriptive poses, and the object is to make coins by planting fields (sets) of these beans and then harvesting them.
To determine this list we broke down Bohnanza to what it is. The game is like tri-towers solitaire with a wheeling and dealing trading component unlike anything else. It is fairly simple, you need to manage the limited space on your board and in your hand to properly win. If you are looking for something similar, you have come to the right place. We took all this into consideration and came up with this list of the 5 board games like Bohnanza.
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#05 | Settlers of Catan
Settlers of Catan just makes the list of games like Bohnanza very specifically because of the open trading system. There are not many games that allow you to trade your resources in an unstructured way. This means there are basically no rules, it is up to your logic and real-life trading skills. Catan and Bahnaza have this, but not really anything else. The gameplay, however, is pretty different.
You need to grow your empire. Each game is completely different because all the resource tiles and numbers on them are changed and randomized each game. These control everything. You need to build settlements and cities to gain resources that are going to let you build even more and ultimately lead to victory points for the win. Every turn starts with the roll of two dice and that number corresponds to one of five resource types on the board. If you have a presence on that tile (or tiles) you get that resource. For 3 – 4 players, games run about 45 minutes.
FOR MORE: Settlers of Catan Page | How To Play Settlers of Catan | Settlers of Catan Review | Games Like Settlers of Catan | Buy Settlers of Catan on Amazon
#04 | Arboretum
Arboretum makes the list of games like Bohnanza is a simple card game with tight spaces, to manage that is very lightweight and has a simple but effective core mechanic. You have to make tough decisions and shuffle cards in an out of your hand to set yourself up for success. The scoring is also based on set collection but you do not have any trading to help you get there.
You play a deck with different color cards, each featuring a different species of tree; numbered 1 through 8 (changes depending on players). Starting with a hand of seven cards, each turn you draw two cards (from the deck or one or more of the discard piles), lay a card on the table as part of your arboretum, then discard a card to your personal discard pile. When the deck is exhausted, players compare and score. For 2 – 4 players, games run about 25 minutes.
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#03 | Mundus Novus
Mundus Novus makes the list of games like Bahnanza because it also has that industrious take on space management in the form of a not too intense card game. Things are spiced up a bit with card drafting instead of just drawing but you need the same strategic motivations and the trading system is solid which is hard to find.
Spain, 16th century. You are a powerful ship owner in search of wealth from the recently discovered Mundus Novus (New World). Your must charter fleets of ships to collect valuable goods and trade to form the best sets to expand your business empire and make your fortune. The game is played using two decks of cards: a deck of resource cards containing cards representing ten different resources, and a deck of development cards giving key special benefits. For 2 – 6 players, games last 45 – 60 minutes.
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#02 | Slyville
Slyville makes the list of games like Bohnanza because it brings together the trifecta of game mechanisms (hand management, set collection, negotiation) that create a nice little pressure free package similar to what Bohnanza offers. There are a few other bells and whistles but ultimately you are trying to put everything in its place and you need to be savory amongst your peers to get there.
Welcome to the city of Slyville, one of the world’s major trade and cultural centers in the Middle Ages. You are one of the mischievous, cunning and dishonest in a world of monks, scholars and trustworthy merchants. Slyville is a game of pretense and deceit where managing your resources matters just as much as your bluffing skills and the ability to figure out the opponents’ strategy. Above anything else, make sure to secure the most valuable deals for yourself. For 3 – 5 players, games go for 45 – 60 minutes.
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#01 | Oltre Mare
Oltre Mare takes the top spot on the list of games like Bohnanza because it basically takes the same game and translates it more of a board game than a card game. Instead of just having to manage space (hand and board) this moves more into managing economic growth. If Bohnanza is a 2D photo, Oltre Mare is a 3D sculpture.
This electrifying title is an engaging voyage through the Mediterranean Sea, in the golden age of sail. You start with the option to trade Goods (corn, wine, spices, etc.) for other Goods or for money (which also double as points) with fellow players. You then play cards from your hand to perform certain actions that allow you to earn money, to draw cards, or to move your ship on the map (where you can obtain special powers). For 2 – 5 players, games run about 1 hour.
