Strategies by Player Count

Crazy Farmers plays very differently depending on the number of players. With two players, it is a game of direct confrontation, with highly tactical play and strategic depth. With three or four players, it is a game of psychology and long-term planning.

2 Players

The general strategy in a 2-player game is to limit your opponents options as much as possible, while leaving yours as open as possible. This means positioning your fences and tractor strategically, as well as saving your cards for the right moments. Like any other strategy game, you want to be able to predict how the game will play out several moves in advance.

Here are some strategy ideas that experienced players typically employ:

(1) Blocking with tractor and fences: Remember that your tractor and two trailing fences cannot be cut. Besides just serving as a safety net for you, you can use this power aggressively. Look for situations where you can place your tractor and two trailing fences in the way of your opponent without exposing the rest of your fence. You may be able to force them to retrace their steps and gain an advantage.

(2) Leaving yourself several return options: Consider where you are going to be at the end of your turn. Will you have one path back to reconnect your fence? Two? How many hay bales would your opponent need to place in order to completely ruin your plans? Sometimes, just moving one space over can completely change the number of return options that you have.

(3) Limiting your opponents return options: Often, when using hay bales, beginners make the mistake of just putting them directly in front of their opponent's tractors. It is much more effective to place them along the edges where the opponent must go to reconnect to their field.

(4) Using movement parity (odd vs even) to your advantage: When you have only three moves, it is impossible to end a turn on the same corner you started on (without using a card). Much like the idea of opposition in chess, if you end your turn adjacent to your opponent, they will be forced to the corner where they currently stand. The opponent has few options: move three spaces, in which case you cut their fence, backtrack, which is also good for you, or only move one space (by moving one space, then backtracking, then moving that one space again). In short, you severely limit their good options.

(5) Creating a threat to cut a fence: While cutting a fence can devastate your opponent, most advanced players will protect themselves. Instead, try to end your turn in a position where you could cut your opponent's fence of the next turn if they do not reconnect to their territory. This will force them to go back prematurely and lose out on the "+1 move" bonus on their following turn.

(6) Save cards so that your opponent cannot anticipate your moves: It is tempting to use your cards as soon as they are available, but holding on to them allows you to create more threats (see #5). Know the cards that are available and try to anticipate which cards your opponent has based on their play. Are they being extra aggressive? They might be setting up to use an electric fence. Are they giving you a chance to invade their territory? They might have a watchdog.

(7) Avoid shapes that are easily recaptured: The shape of your field matters a lot. If you have a plot which is surrounded on four sides by opponents plots, then they can easily take it back in a single turn (it only requires two moves along the unoccupied edges). This is especially bad if the field has a barn on it, giving your opponent two cards. Try to avoid situations where you create barns that are easily recaptured, since two cards can be exactly what your opponent needs to swing the game.

3 or 4 Players

The general strategy in a 3-player or 4-player game is to not be too. Unlike the 2-player game, it is less tactical and more about psychology and long-term planning. You want to avoid confrontation and set up situations where you can quickly capture a lot of territory later in the game.

(1) Avoid confrontation: Confrontation is zero-sum: while you gain and lose, the other players will pull ahead. Try to avoid it, if you can. Let the other players fight amongst each other while you quietly build up an advantage. Going later and seeing which directions earlier players started their fields can be very helpful for this read.

(2) Do not get a big lead early: Your opponents will start to gang up on you if you get too far into the lead. To avoid this, get a few cards early and then set up a situation where you can use those cards later to gain a lot of territory quickly.

(3) Shape your field for a quick territory grab later: A well-timed Nitro, Bribe, or Helicopter (or combinations thereof) can make an enormous difference if you plan for it early. For example, if you have a Helicopter and a Nitro, then save some space behind your field in a "C" shape which you can quickly close off. On the other hand, if you have a Bribe and an Electric Fence, look for an opponent who is overextended and quickly take their territory near the end of the game. Again, a "C" shape is very beneficial for quickly annexing a lot of territory.