A strategic card game about resilient farming, ecosystem credits, and outsmarting rivals.
The Future Farmer Card Game is a strategic game where players race to build resilient, productive farms that generate ecosystem service credits (PES) — the currency that wins the game. Along the way, you’ll weather droughts, pests, and economic recessions while leveraging agroforestry, food forests, and cutting-edge innovations.
Before the polished cards you see today, every single card was sketched by hand, cut from paper, and shuffled into a homemade prototype. Evenings at the kitchen table became playtest sessions with friends and family — refining rules, balancing mechanics, and discovering which moments sparked the most laughter and strategy.
From a forester’s sketchbook to a game you can hold in your hands.
Challenge your friends and see who can build the farm of the future despite the effects of climate change. Survive hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts by increasing your farm’s ecosystem credits. Work with innovations to unlock new technologies that can boost your productivity. Gather the highest number of ecosystem credits by growing sustainably to win.
Shuffle the deck. Deal 5 cards to each player. Place the remaining deck face-down on the table.
Each turn, draw one card from the deck. If the deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile back in.
Play one card from your hand — a Farm Module to your farm, an Innovation, or a Challenge against an opponent.
Your hand should always be 5 cards. If you have more at the end of your turn, discard down to 5.
The first player to accumulate 15 ecosystem credits wins. You can adjust this goal to make games shorter or longer. For 3–4 players, or for longer 2-player games, play until the deck runs out — the player with the most credits at that point takes the win.
2–4 players, ages 10 and up. The deck contains 60 cards (53 unique) across three types. A game with 15 credits as the goal typically runs 20–30 minutes. Decide the first player randomly and play clockwise.
Form teams of two. Team members can share credits but not cards. Combine your strategies, protect each other’s farms, and race to the goal together.
Every card is rooted in real forestry and sustainable agriculture science. Farm Modules build your farm, Challenges test your resilience, and Innovations give you the edge.
Activities you implement in your farm. Each module produces ecosystem service credits — the more credits a card has, the harder it is to destroy. Build a diverse, resilient operation to reach the goal first.
18 CARDS · 1–5 PES EACHA farmer’s best resource. You’ll wear many hats on your farm — use the right tools to protect your farm, boost your productivity, or slow down your neighbours. Some provide ongoing benefits, others are powerful one-time plays.
21 CARDS · POWER & PROTECTIONThe climate is going bananas. One-off effects you play on yourself or on your opponents — sometimes both. Droughts, floods, pests, and recessions will test every farm at the table.
14 CARDS · CHALLENGESBrowse every card in the base edition. 53 unique cards, each rooted in real science.
Open your farm to visitors and show the city folks where their food comes from. A unique revenue stream connecting farmers and consumers.
+3 PESThe power of trees and crops combined. A sustainable system enhancing biodiversity, improving soil, and creating a resilient ecosystem.
+3 PESPlant rows of trees with crops in the alleys between. The trees provide shade, fix nitrogen, and create microclimates that boost yields.
+2 PESFish farming — raising aquatic organisms in controlled environments. For the pescatarians out there!
+2 PESAlso known as apiculture. Raise and care for honeybees to produce honey, beeswax, and pollination services. Let’s hope you’re not allergic.
+2 PESGrowing a single crop species on a large area. The old way — efficient but risky, vulnerable to pests and soil degradation.
+1 PESAn edible forest garden mimicking natural forest structure. Multiple layers of trees, shrubs, herbs, and ground cover. Open market 24/7.
+3 PESPreserve and protect forest ecosystems. Maintain biodiversity, prevent deforestation, and promote sustainable land use. Have you heard of wild pets?
+5 PESA managed single-species tree plantation. Less diversity than royal families, but efficient for timber and pulp production at scale.
+1 PESLinear rows of trees and shrubs forming living boundaries. Keep that nosy neighbour on their side of the fence.
+1 PESA small-scale personal garden growing a diverse range of food plants. The real farm to fork.
+3 PESGrow two or more crops in the same field at the same time. Like a conga line at a wedding — better together.
+2 PESA living boundary made of trees, shrubs, or hedges. Defines property, provides privacy, and even the sheep like it.
+2 PESA managed forest with diverse tree species. Greater resilience, improved biodiversity — you can see the animals coming back.
+3 PESAn agricultural area dedicated to fruit-bearing trees or shrubs. Your favourite fruits at your doorstep.
+2 PESIntegrate rice cultivation with fish in the same paddy. The fish eat pests and fertilise the water. It’s fishy in a good way.
+4 PESA linear planting of trees or shrubs providing shelter from wind. You want a breeze, not a storm.
+2 PESA small dedicated area for cultivating and managing trees. There is always room for more trees.
+2 PESDiscard to search any card in the deck and put it on your farm. Keep up with your tech.
Breed your own varieties. Selective breeding of plants and animals for desirable traits to enhance yields and resilience.
+1 PESDiscard to put a Farm Module from the Discard Pile back in your farm. Rule #1 in farming.
The green blanket. Plants grown to protect and enrich soil between harvests, suppressing weeds and fixing nitrogen.
+1 PESEvery farmer plays with one card always facing up. Join the team!
All players gain +2 PES credits. It’s a win-win for everybody.
+2 PES (all)Protects your Farm Modules from Wildfire. Expect the worst.
Flip a coin. Heads: +1 PES Credit. Tails: −1 PES Credit. Trust the science, right?
±1 PESAt the end of your turn, draw one card then discard one. Too much information? No way!
Discard to block a Challenge targeting your farm. Better safe than sorry.
+1 PES Credit for each Farm Module in your farm. Make it rain on your farm.
+1 PES/FMSteal a Farm Module from an opponent. If destroyed, return it. They were not using it anyway.
Return this card to your hand to prevent Drought or Floods. One step ahead of the competition.
Protect your Farm Modules against Drought. Plants also enjoy a little blanket.
Do not disturb your downstairs neighbours. Plant directly into undisturbed soil to preserve structure and boost organic matter.
+1 PESAt the start of your turn you can see a random card from an opponent’s hand. GPS: On.
+1 PES credit for each Farm Module in your farm. Painting is to a painter what pruning is to a farmer.
+1 PES/FMProtects your Farm Modules from Landslides. It also looks great.
If Forest Plantation or Forest Conservation enters the Discard Pile, put it on your farm. Private school for trees.
All your Farm Modules are immune to Drought. Water for every farm.
Protect your Farm Modules from Pests and Diseases. Give your farmland a manicure.
Destroy all Farm Modules of one opponent worth 3 or fewer credits. It’s a growing problem.
Destroy one Farm Module worth 3 or fewer credits. What dust happened?
Destroy one Farm Module of your opponent. Honey! I can’t find the sheep.
Destroy all Farm Modules of one opponent worth 2 or fewer credits. You should build an ark.
Destroy 2 Farm Modules with 1 PES credit. When frost bites.
Destroy one Innovation. It is everywhere now.
Destroy one Farm Module worth 3 or fewer credits. Is it hot in here?
Destroy one Farm Module with 2 or fewer credits. You’re not in Kansas anymore.
Destroy 2 Farm Modules. You did not see that coming.
Destroy one Aquaculture or Rice+Fish from one of your opponents. You wouldn’t want to swim there.
Destroy one Farm Module. It’s about to get salty.
Destroy all Farm Modules of one opponent worth 2 or fewer credits. I larva you.
Destroy all Innovation cards. Yours included. Did you hear about the market?
Destroy all Farm Modules in the game. Yours included. Fast and furious.
Every game sold plants a tree. Every backer grows The Grove.
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