Super Farmer (1943)

In Superfarmer, each player takes a role of the owner of the animal farm. The main goal is to breed, exchange and gather different animals (rabbit, sheep, pig, cow, horse and two kinds of dogs) and the winner is a person who can gather at least one of each kind (except the dogs). But be careful there are foxes around trying to snatch your rabbits and wolves which can eat all your other animals (that is why you need dogs to protect your herd).

The game was designed, and originally named "Hodowla zwierzątek" ("Animal husbandry") in the occupied Poland during Word War Two by famous polish mathematician Karol Borsuk and his wife. In these hard times the game became very popular and there were many home made copies sold by the Borsuks family. Sadly during the Warsaw rebellion at the end of war all copies were destroyed save one that was in another city. After the war it was returned to the Borsuks family. Now one of the Polish publishers decided to release the game.

The turn of each player consists of two actions: first you have a possibility to exchange your animals according to the special table (e.g for six rabbits you get one sheep, three pigs for a cow) and then you roll two special 12-sided dice with the pictures of animals on the sides. You count the number of pairs of the animals on rolled dice (together with the ones on the farm) and this is how many new animals you get, divided by two. The trick is that there is a fox on one dice and the wolf which are eating your animals.

The game is mostly based on the luck factor (dice). But there is a little strategy to it. Do you go for more "expensive" animals (which have less probability of creating offspring) or you stay with fast breeding but "cheap" rabbits. Do you exchange your animals for an "insurance" (dogs) from the foxes and wolves or risk in order to catch up with others farmers?

Game was intended for children but surprisingly it is also fun for adults.

Reimplemented by:

• Have You Herd? (with simplified rules)
• Rancho (with more complex rules!)