The Archers

The Archers is a board game by Chad Valley from the 1960s based in the world of the BBC radio series ‘The Archers’ and set in the fictional town of Borchester. The game includes animal tokens, paper banknotes, a linen bag and an auctioneer’s gavel. There are six farm cards representing Allards Farm, Brookfield Farm, Heydon Farm, Coombe Farm, Barratts Farm and Manor Farm, and six player tokens representing the owner of each farm. The rules allow for a seventh player to act as banker/auctioneer.

Each player starts with £200, a farm card and a farmer token. Players roll dice to make their way around the game board, following any instructions on the spaces they land on. When players reach the central market area, an auction is held to purchase animal tokens drawn from the linen bag. Once three animals have been auctioned, players move around the Market Square spaces before the market closes. Players then return home and play restarts from the starting square.

Each player places any animals they obtain onto their personal farm board. A tractor must also be bought during the game. The winner is the first player to have a complete farm.