Canvas Critters Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
  • Critter Meeples
  • Ribbons
  • Canvases
  • Cards
  • Character Standees and Tokens
  • Other Components
• Game Setup (3-6 Players)
• How to Play
  • Round Order
  • Step 1: Select a Theme
  • Step 2: Make Your Mosaic Masterpiece
• Community Judging
  • Step 1
  • Step 2
  • Step 3
  • The Golden Ribbon
  • Don't Be So Judgmental
• Scoring
• Break Down
• Final Scoring
• 2-Player Rules

Overview

Canvas Critters is a party game in which 2* to 6 players create eye-catching mosaics. Between rounds players secretly award each other's mosaics with ribbons—you will give your friends points for fulfilling that round's theme. Each player will have a turn to select the theme, then the player with the most points wins!

*In a 2-player game, both players create different mosaics and try to guess the other player's secret theme! (See the 2-Player Rules below.)

Components

Critter Meeples

• 12 Giraffes
• 12 Turtles
• 12 Penguins
• 12 Sharks
• 12 Foxes
• 12 Crabs
• 5 Elephants
• 5 Flamingos
• 5 Octopuses
• 5 Whales
• 5 Snakes
• 5 Rhinos

Ribbons

18 Ribbon Tokens (6 sets of +3, +2, and +1). Each has a front (the value) and a back.

Canvases

6 Canvases (double-sided print - black/white)

Cards

36 Theme Cards

Character Standees and Tokens

6 character standees, 6 character tokens, 6 character golden ribbons (+5). The characters are Paul, Riley, Oats, Luca, Bertram and Cisco.

Other Components

• 1 Bianca Blanco Active Player Card
• 1 Critter Meeple Draw Bag
• 1 Sand Timer (one-minute timer)
• 1 Score track (located on the interior of the box bottom)
• 1 Rule Book

Game Setup (3-6 Players)

1. Place all critter meeples in a pile at the center of the table, within reach of all players.
2. Give each player a double-sided canvas.
3. Give each player a set of three ribbon tokens numbered "+3", "+2", and "+1". (In a 3-player game, only give players the "+3" and "+1" ribbons. Place the "+2" ribbons back in the box. They will not be used.)
4. Each player takes a character standee, its corresponding character token, and their golden ribbon.
5. The last person who looked at a painting is the starting player. They receive the Bianca Blanco active player card and will select the theme for the first round.
6. Shuffle the theme deck and hand it to the starting player.
7. Place the sand timer near the center of the table, within reach of all players.
8. Place the score track off to the side of the table so it won't get knocked over when players reach for critter meeples! Each player places their character standee by the "1" space.

How to Play

Art might be about self-expression, but this gallery is all about Bianca. She is a tastemaker of the highest order, and she sets the tone and theme for every show in Gallery Grove. Make whatever art you wish, as long as it fits her chosen theme.

ART TIP: Players can choose which side of the canvas they use during the game. Players can flip their canvas or restart their mosaic at any point during the round, as long as the timer has not run out.

Round Order

Players will do the following in order each round:

1. Select a Theme
2. Make Mosaic Masterpieces
3. Community Judging
4. Scoring
5. Break Down

Step 1: Select a Theme

Once all players are ready, the player with the Bianca Blanco card draws the top card of the theme deck, selects a theme from those listed on the card, and announces their choice. This will be the theme for the round—all player judging will be based on this theme.

Step 2: Make Your Mosaic Masterpiece

As soon as the theme has been selected for the round, players begin creating their mosaic based on that theme. There is no turn order—players simultaneously select critter meeples from the center pile and place them on their canvases.

The following rules apply to making your mosaic:

1. Players select one critter meeple at a time from the center pile, using only one hand.
2. Players can use both hands to position their critter meeples however they like: laid flat or on their side, stood upright, or even stacked on top of one another.
3. Each mosaic MUST contain at least 7 critter meeples.
4. All of a player's critter meeples must fit entirely within their canvas' frame.
5. Players can freely return their critter meeples or exchange them with ones from the center pile, one at a time.

Illustrations: Correct - a mosaic entirely within the frame. Incorrect - only 6 pieces, and pieces are hanging off the edge.

The first player to finish creating their mosaic grabs and flips the sand timer. They must stop taking and placing critter meeples. The other players have until the sand timer runs out to finish their mosaics.

Once all players have finished their mosaics, or the sand timer runs out, players stop adding/moving critter meeples on their canvases. The round ends and players move on to judging.

Community Judging

Since Bianca was a bit harsh in her critiques in last season's festival, this year she was encouraged to delegate her curating responsibilities to you. This way, Bianca appears benevolent, and the artists can only be cross with each other—and Gallery Grove remains the toast of the town. Let the judging begin!

Step 1

Once the round ends, players turn their canvases to face the center of the table, so all players can see all of the mosaics clearly.

Step 2

Starting with the active player and proceeding clockwise, each player announces their mosaic's title.

ART TIP: A creative title that gets a laugh or helps the other players judge is always a good idea!

Examples: "Dandelions at Night", "Roses are Pink", "Tulips in Vase".

Step 3

Once all players have named their mosaic, it's time to award ribbons. Starting with the active player and proceeding clockwise, each player will award all of their ribbon tokens to the players whose mosaics they feel are most deserving. They do this by placing each of their ribbon tokens face down beside the players who they believe did the best (+3), second best (+2), and third best (+1).

• Players may NOT award their own mosaic a ribbon.
• Players may NOT award more than one of their ribbons to the same player (with the exception of their golden ribbon, see The Golden Ribbon below).
• Players may NOT peek at any awarded ribbons until the end of the round.

ART TIP: Awarding points is totally subjective. You should consider how well the mosaic fits the theme, or if you think it's nice, or if it made you laugh—the criteria are up to you!

The Golden Ribbon

Each player has one golden ribbon that can be awarded once during the course of the game. If you feel a mosaic was exceptional, you may award that player your golden ribbon, which gives 5 additional points that round. Once given, it is removed from play for the rest of the game.

Don't Be So Judgmental

If a player still has their golden ribbon at the end of the game, deduct 5 points from their total. Make sure you reward creativity!

Scoring

After all players have awarded their ribbon tokens, it is time for scoring to begin. Each player flips over any ribbon tokens they received and counts up the total points on them, then moves their character standee that many spaces forward on the score track.

Examples: a player receiving +1 and +2 ribbons has a total of 3 points; a player receiving +3, +2 and the golden +5 ribbon has a total of 10 points.

If a player passes '50' on the score track, they flip over their character token (showing "+50") and continue moving their standee from the beginning of the score track.

Break Down

The Gallery is only as good as its next showing and Bianca does not like anyone overstaying their welcome. Break down the gallery immediately after scoring so that a new round of artistry can begin.

• Step 1 - Players return all critter meeples to the central supply.
• Step 2 - Return all of the ribbons to their original owners (minus any golden ribbons, if used this round).
• Step 3 - Place the sand timer back near the middle of the table, prepared for the next round.
• Step 4 - Pass the Bianca Blanco active player card clockwise to the next player. Rounds repeat in this order until everyone has been the active player once (or twice in a three player game). At the end of the final round, the game is over.

Final Scoring

It is the moment you've all been waiting for, the moment when Bianca Blanco declares one of these talented artists the recipient of their very own show in her esteemed gallery. It is a priceless award (mostly because there is no actual money given out), but just think of the exposure! The winner of this contest will be the talk of the town for weeks to come. So, tally up those points and see who will be the most decorated Mosaic Maker of them all.

Note: Each player still in possession of their golden ribbon deducts 5 points from their score (see Don't Be So Judgmental above).

The player with the most points on the score track is crowned the game's winner!

In case of a tie, the tied players play another round, and the other players award ribbons until the tie is broken.

2-Player Rules

Setup and overall gameplay rules are the same, with these changes:

1. Each player takes the "+1" and "+3" ribbons of their character.

2. Each player draws a theme card, keeping it secret.

3. Each player selects a theme from their theme card for their mosaic. They then place their theme card face down, keeping it secret from the other player.

4. Once both players are ready, one player flips the timer, then each player constructs a mosaic based on the theme they chose.

5. After each player has finished creating their mosaic, or the timer runs out, take both facedown theme cards and shuffle in two random theme cards from the top of the deck. (In the 2-player game the mosaics are not titled.)

6. Flip all 4 theme cards face up.

7. Each player then places a ribbon in one of two ways:

   • a. Place the "+1" ribbon under one of the theme cards (worth 1 point if this was your opponent's chosen card).

     OR

   • b. Place the "+3" ribbon on a specific theme on a specific card (worth 3 points if this was your opponent's chosen theme).

   The mosaic's creator gains +1 point if their opponent guesses the theme correctly.

8. Play continues for 5 rounds, with the most points determining the winner.

9. If there's a tie, play additional rounds until the tie is broken, or simply share the victory.