a game by reiner knizia

15 min3 – 5 7+

➼ 80 Circus cards, with the values 0 – 7 in ten colours➼ 9 Action cards, 3 of each kind➼ this rules leaflet

The object of the game is to collect many valuable Circus cards to achieve the highest

points score. In the course of the game, cards with circus attractions are displayed in one row in the middle of the table. On his turn, a player chooses and takes a card from the row, either into his hand, or to form a Trio for bonus points. Before selecting his card the player may, if he wishes, draw cards and add them to the row in order to improve his choices. However, if he draws an attraction which is already in the row, he forfeits his right to take a card. The game ends when one player succeeds in staging a Gala Show, with one Circus card from each of the ten attraction.

The Circus cards depict ten different attractions, each in a different colour. In

addition there are three types of Action cards, with special functions. All the Circus cards and Action cards are shuffled together and placed as a face-down deck in the middle of the table. The youngest player begins, then play proceeds clockwise.

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On his turn a player may draw cards from the deck and display them face-up in a row

in the middle of the table. A player may draw as many cards as he wishes, one at a time. However, if the player reveals an Action card, or reveals an attraction (colour) which is already displayed, then he must stop.

f or fe it i n g a tu r nWhen a player reveals an attraction (irrespective of its value) which is already displayed in the middle, the new card is placed face-up on a discard pile, and the player’s turn is immediately finished. (The player may not take a card, form a Trio, nor call a Gala Show.)

tak i n g a car dAs long as his turn is not forfeit, a player may choose a card from the display and take it into his hand. If, at the start of his turn, there are one or more cards already displayed in the middle, the player can simply choose to take one of these, without revealing any new cards. When a player takes a card from the display this finishes his turn, unless he announces that he is forming a Trio.

f or m i n g a tr i oDuring his turn, a player may form a Trio by placing three cards of the same value face-up in front of him. The card taken from the display in the current turn may form part of the Trio. A player may form one or more Trios on his turn. At the end of the game, each Trio counts ten bonus points.

Example: On her turn, Adrienne reveals the 6-Aerialist and the 1-Sideshow. She does not wish to reveal any more cards. She takes the 6-Aerialist and announces that she is forming a Trio. From her hand she places a Trio of 3’s in front of her, then a sec-ond Trio of 6’s, including the card she just took.

th e act i on car d sIf a player reveals an Action card from the deck on his turn, then he must stop revealing any further cards and must take the Action card and follow its instructions. Thereafter, the Action card is placed on the face-up discard pile. Once the action has been performed, the player does not take another card, but he may form a Trio or call a Gala Show before his turn finishes.

There are three types of Action card:➼ Mind Reader - Request One Attraction from an Opponent

The player selects one opponent, who must then give up a card to the player. The opponent chooses which of his cards to give, and hands it over face-up, so that everyone can see it. If an opponent has no cards, he does not have to give one.

➼ Magic Eye - Draw One Attraction from an Opponent

The player selects one opponent and draws one card at ran-dom from the opponent’s hand. The player must show the card, so that everyone can see it, before taking it into his hand. If an opponent has no cards, none can be drawn from him.

➼ Great Parade - Reveal New Cards from the Deck until Duplicated, then Take One Card

The player reveals further cards from the deck, placing them into the display, until an already displayed attraction is revealed (or until he reveals the last card from the draw deck). As usual, this new card is then discarded face-up on the discard pile. Thereafter, the player takes one of the displayed cards into his hand. If the player reveals another Action card, then the old Action card is superseded by the new Action card. The player follows the new instructions.

If a player has at least one of each of the ten attractions in his hand then he may, at the end

of his turn, call a Gala Show. This finishes the game, and he scores ten bonus points.If no Gala Show is called the game will finish at the end of a turn in which a player draws the last card from the deck. This player may complete his turn as normal.

At the end of the game each player calculates his score. To determine his score, a player totals the

highest value card of each attraction (colour) in his hand. (A Gala Show counts as part of the player’s hand.) Where a player has more than one card of the same attraction (colour), the lower value cards do not count.In addition, each Trio placed in front of a player scores ten points. Trios in a player’s hand do not score. The player who calls a Gala Show receives an additional ten point bonus. Other players who may have sufficient cards in their hands to call a Gala Show (but have not done so) do not receive this additional bonus.

The player with the highest points score wins.

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grailgamesinfo@gmail.com | www.grail-games.comPO Box 4 Ashfield NSW 1800 AUSTRALIA

Warning: Choking hazard! Keep away from children under the age of 3.Printed in China. | Please keep this information for future reference

© Dr Reiner Knizia 2016. All rights reserved. Artwork and Presentation ©2016 Grail Games.

Grail Games, The Mike Line and the Mike logo are © Grail Games. The Grail Games’ goblet is TM and © Grail Games. All rights reserved.

For forums, images, videos and reviews, visit:www.grail-games.com & www.boardgamegeek.com

gam e d e s i g n Reiner Kniziaartwor k Heiko Günther

s pe cial than k s to Indra Kupferschmidt, Karen Easteal, Mandy Tong and Phil Walker-Harding.

This game is number 5 in Grail Games’ Mike Line - small games that

bring large amounts of fun and strategy

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Mike games!