# Bohnanza: Die Jokerbohnen

## General Info
- **Year Published**: 2016
- **BGG Rating**: 7.2
- **BGG Rank**: —
- **Players**: 2-7
- **Duration**: 45 min
- **Weight**: —
- **Publishers**: AMIGO, PaperGames (III)
- **Categories**: Card Game, Expansion for Base-game, Farming, Negotiation
- **Mechanics**: Hand Management, Set Collection, Trading

## Verdict
Perfect for base game owners looking for less frustration and more harvest combos.Adds strategic flexibilityEasier set completionSimple and quick rulesImproves game fluidityRequires the base gameCan favor lucky drawsRECOMMENDED

## Description
Ever had that moment in Bohnanza where you're desperate for a specific bean to complete your harvest, but nobody is willing to trade? That's exactly where the Joker Beans come in! This expansion, which started as an exclusive promotional item in European magazines and later reached other markets as a bonus, adds six Joker Bean cards that bring a delightful flexibility to the table. Essentially, they act as the 'wild cards' of the deck: they can adapt to any bean type, as long as you already have something planted in that field.

The dynamics are simple yet strategic. You can plant a Joker Bean in any field that already contains at least one bean card. From the moment it hits the soil, it assumes the identity of the bean beneath it. Want to bolster a common bean field to make it more profitable? The joker helps bulk up the crop. You can even stack multiple jokers in the same spot to ensure a massive harvest. However, there's one crucial detail: a Joker Bean cannot 'start' a field. If you begin your turn with all fields empty and the first card in your hand is a joker, you cannot plant it; the card goes straight to the discard pile. That's just the law of nature in Bohnanza!

When it's time to harvest, the joker follows the 'Bean-o-meter' of the card directly below it. If the joker is on top of the stack, it looks at the underlying card to determine how many coins that field will yield. This adds an interesting layer of planning, as you must carefully decide where to slot these jokers to maximize your profits. It's a small addition that doesn't change the core essence of the game but removes the frustration of being stuck due to a missing card, making negotiations even more cunning and games more fluid. If you already love the base game, these six cards are the seasoning your farm was missing to become truly productive.

## How to Play
Game Objective
Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Setup
To start the fun with Wild Bean, follow these steps:

    Shuffle the 6 Wild Bean cards with the rest of the cards from the base game Bohnanza.
    Each player can plant Wild Beans in their fields or trade them in the same way as other beans.


Game Flow
Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Actions and How to Play
The Wild Bean is a versatile card but has specific usage rules:

Planting the Wild Bean

    The Wild Bean can be planted in any field that has at least 1 bean card.
    Once planted, it corresponds to the same type of bean already planted in that field.
    You can also plant multiple Wild Beans in the same field.
    Important! A field cannot start with a Wild Bean. If you are the active player and all your fields are empty and the first card in your hand is a Wild Bean, place this card in the discard pile instead of one of your fields.


Harvesting the Wild Bean

    The Wild Bean also assumes the Beanometer of the field where it was placed.
    If the Wild Bean is on top, being the first visible card of the plantation, then the Beanometer of the bean card below it must be considered.
    When harvesting a field, you turn the last cards placed in the field into coin cards, in the amount indicated by the Beanometer.
    Important! This item (Wild Bean) cannot be sold.


End of Game and Scoring
Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Tips to Win
Refer to the manual for details on this section.

## FAQ
### Do I need anything else besides this expansion?
Yes, you absolutely need the Bohnanza base game to play.

### What exactly do the cards do?
They act as wild cards, assuming the color/type of any bean already planted in the field.

### Can I start a field with a Joker Bean?
No! The field must have at least one regular bean before you can plant a joker.

### How many cards are in the expansion?
It contains only 6 Joker Bean cards.

### Does the game become much more complex?
Not at all. The rule is very intuitive and doesn't increase the base game's complexity.

### Can I trade the jokers?
Definitely! They make excellent bargaining chips during negotiations with other players.