Have a cuppa and sit down with Fields of Arle’s tea-themed first expansion

Fields of Arle is considered to be Uwe Rosenberg’s most autobiographical game, so if its first expansion is anything to go by, it seems the German design genius is probably fond of a good ol’ cuppa.

Tea & Trade introduces the hot brew to the titular region of Germany, where it’s apparently so popular in real life that inhabitants have pushed back against efforts to wean them off onto locally-produced drinks such as beer, of all things.

In Fields of Arle, tea serves as a resource that can be upgraded to improve the efficiency and abilities of workers – so not too dissimilar to the role it plays in most offices, then. Serving tea to workers essentially bumps their tools up the track more quickly, as well as allowing them to perform an action twice (once you’ve waited for 10 minutes while they boil the kettle, we presume).

The expansion isn’t just about tea, though. A new ‘ditcher’ action allows workers to dig ditches to dehydrate the land, making it easier to plow and opening up more space to raise sheep than in standard pastures. In typical Rosenbergian fashion, having two sheep in an empty dehydrated space results in a third sheep appearing during spring.

Tea & Trade also sets sail, adding a new harbour board to hold fishing cutters and trade ships, which upgrade resources and provide extra food when used effectively.

Finally, the expansion expands the player count up to three from its current solo or pair play, with an extra set of components.

The German-language edition of Tea & Trade will be released at Essen next week, so it will hopefully find its way over to the UK in the coming weeks.