Farms Race (Kickstarter Edition)

Designers / Publisher / Year: Daniel Dranove and Tom Weiner / Medium Brow Games / 2024

Player Count / Playtime: 2–4 Players / 60-120 mins

Genre / Type / Mechanics: Euro, Economic, Territory Building, Farming, Animals, Negotiation

Kickstarter Components: The Kickstarter stretch goals for Farms Race included the Exploding Mutation card, along with several added Spy Cards, most notably the Carpet Bomb and Public Housing spy cards.

Reminds Me Of: Catan (1995), Scythe (2016)

---

Farms Race from Medium Brow Games was a blast. Literally. We all nuked each other…repeatedly.

Farms Race is a spoof of the popular game Catan, with an Orwellian Animal Farm-style theme, and I am here for it. It’s the same general resource gathering, building, and expanding gameplay you know, but with a chaotic twist: now you can develop weapons of mass destruction and wipe your opponents off the map like you always wished you could two hours into a game of Catan.

At its core, the game follows a familiar loop. You’re collecting resources, building up your farm, and expanding your presence on the board, but everything is dialed up. Progress isn’t just about building efficiently; it’s also about deciding when to disrupt everyone else. The addition of destructive options completely changes the pacing, turning what would normally be a slow burn into something much more unpredictable.

What I most enjoy is the fun “mutation” system that provides players with unique buffs. For instance, during my first playthrough I got the “Lucky” mutation, which allowed me to choose the resources I wanted instead of rolling for them. Talk about powerful. These abilities add a layer of asymmetry and can really shape how you approach the game.

I don’t play much Catan these days, and after playing Farms Race, I think I’d choose it over Catan. Sorry, Catan…but sometimes you just want a little chaos.

Verdict: A fun take on a classic experience that combines familiar mechanics with satisfying player interaction in the form of nuclear warheads.

Reviewed on 10/15/2025, updated 04/19/2026

---

Score Breakdown

Category	Description	Score (1–10)
1. Aesthetics & Components	Visual design, artwork, tactile quality, and overall presentation.	8
2. Rules Clarity & Accessibility	Ease of learning, clarity of rulebook, setup time, and iconography.	7
3. Strategic Depth	Amount of meaningful decision-making and long-term planning.	6
4. Luck vs. Skill Balance	How fairly chance and skill coexist.	7
5. Player Interaction	Engagement and social dynamics between players.	9
6. Pacing & Downtime	Flow, engagement, and smoothness of play.	8
7. Replayability	Longevity, variability, and continued appeal.	5
8. Theme Integration	How well the mechanics and story fit the theme.	7
9. Enjoyment & Emotional Impact	Pure fun factor—excitement, tension, satisfaction.	8
10. Innovation & Uniqueness	Creativity, originality, and distinctiveness from other games.	6
Overall Mean Score		7.1 / 10