Crop Circles
Crop Circles Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 pad of 100 game sheets (printed on both sides)
- 2 dice
Each sheet shows: round markers, Crop Circles (x7), evaluation of criteria, UFO spaces (x3), links (x4; Side B only), and final score.
Object of the Game
Make the most attractive "Crop Circles" on your plantation using the numbers shown by the dice each round. Build circles trying to make the best use of the numbers in each throw. At the end of the game, whoever has the most points wins.
Game Setup
Each participant receives a game sheet and a pencil. Agree on which side of the sheet to use (side A is recommended for the first games). Each game sheet has 7 normal Crop Circles and 1 macro Crop Circle. The first player is the last person who had a close encounter of the third kind.
Course of the Game
A game lasts exactly 19 rounds. Each round, the active player rolls both dice and announces the numbers aloud.
Each participant must write both numbers in the round marker of their game sheet, and then write each number in any empty space of their Crop Circles. Finally, the person to the left begins a new round by rolling both dice and announcing the result.
Example 1: Germán rolls the dice and says aloud: "4 and 6". Each participant writes both numbers in the corresponding round marker. Finally, each participant freely writes a 4 and a 6 in any available space of their sheet.
UFO Spaces
After the dice roll, and before writing the numbers on your sheet, you may cross out one or more of the 3 UFOs on your sheet to modify a number. Each crossed-out UFO adds or subtracts 1 from the value of one of the dice, and also allows going from 6 to 1 (or 1 to 6) with a single UFO. You may use more than one UFO in the same turn. At the end of the game each unused UFO gives 3 points.
Completing Crop Circles
A Crop Circle is completed when it has numbers in all seven of its spaces. If someone completes one or more Crop Circles during a round, they must evaluate them immediately and write each score in the corresponding criterion box. Once the group has written both numbers, and evaluated Crop Circles if applicable, the round ends. The dice pass to the person on the left, who starts the new round.
Evaluating Crop Circles
To calculate the score a Crop Circle gives, consider 1 base point for the center number, add the points given by the selected criterion and, if applicable, add the round bonus and the perfection bonus.
There are four criteria for evaluating Crop Circles. Each criterion works based on the number placed in the center of the Crop Circle (green or light blue space) and checks whether each of the surrounding numbers fulfills it. Each criterion can only be used on two Crop Circles during the game.
The evaluation criteria are:
- Different: each number different from the center number gives 1 point.
- Neighbors: each number that is a neighbor of the center number gives 1 point. That is, it is exactly one number higher or lower. Note: the numbers 6 and 1 are considered neighbors.
- Straight (Escalera): count how many consecutive numbers allow an ascending straight to be made starting from the center number. After 6 comes 1. Each number that meets the requirement gives 1 point. Note: the numbers do not need to be in order within the Crop Circle. In a perfect straight the center number is repeated.
- Equal: each number equal to the center number gives 1 point.
Round bonus and perfection bonus
If you meet the following requirements you can earn more points:
- Round bonus: you can earn extra points if you complete Crop Circles in the first rounds. The extra score is the one indicated in the round marker.
- Perfection bonus: if the Crop Circle is perfect, that is, all the numbers meet the chosen criterion, you earn as many extra points as the criterion indicates. If you obtain this bonus on a Crop Circle, highlight its score box (this is needed to count the points of the macro Crop Circle at the end of the game).
Example 2: Vanessa completes a Crop Circle in round 4. She decides to evaluate it with the Straight criterion. Vanessa receives for that Crop Circle:
- 1 base point
- + 3 points Straight (3, 4, 5)
- + 7 round bonus
- + 0 perfection bonus
- = 11
Vanessa records 11 points in her first box for the Straight criterion.
Example 3: Vanessa completes a Crop Circle in round 18. She decides to evaluate it with the Different criterion. Vanessa receives for that Crop Circle:
- 1 base point
- + 6 points Different (1, 3, 4, 4, 2, 6)
- + 0 round bonus
- + 1 perfection bonus
- = 8
In that round there is no longer a round bonus, but she did obtain the perfection bonus since all the numbers are different from the center one. Vanessa records 8 points in her last box for the Different criterion and highlights it because it is a perfect Crop Circle.
Last Round and Macro Crop Circle
In the last round, number 19, each participant will only have room to write one of the 2 numbers. Then each participant must evaluate every completed Crop Circle, as usual.
Before calculating the final score, you must evaluate the macro Crop Circle. This is a special Crop Circle, formed by the 6 green spaces and the light blue space of the game sheet. It must be evaluated under the only criterion still available at the end of the game, considering the number in the light blue space.
For the macro Crop Circle, the points obtained must be multiplied by the number of normal perfect Crop Circles achieved during the game (highlighted score boxes). That final score is written in the eighth evaluation box.
Example 4: Martín evaluates his macro Crop Circle under the Neighbors criterion, since it is the only evaluation box available at the end of the game.
- 1 base point
- + 6 points Neighbors (1, 3, 1, 3, 3, 3)
- + 3 perfection bonus
- + 2 perfect Crop Circles
- = 20
The six numbers in the green spaces are neighbors, so Martín gets 6 points and the perfection bonus. Previously he completed 2 perfect Crop Circles, so he multiplies the score by 2 (the macro Crop Circle itself is not counted as a perfect Crop Circle for the purposes of the multiplication). Martín obtains 20 points.
End of the Game and Scoring
To find out the score obtained, each participant must add up:
- The points of the 8 criteria boxes
- 3 points for each unused UFO
- (Side B) 3 points for each successfully built link
Whoever has obtained the most points wins. In case of a tie, whoever achieved the most perfect Crop Circles wins. If the tie still persists, whoever used the fewest UFOs is the winner. If the tie continues, the victory is shared.
Side B: Links
Side B of the game sheet works exactly the same. The only difference is the presence of 4 links (sections of three connected pink spaces), which can give extra points if they are built successfully. To build a link, the three numbers written must add up to 6 or less, or add up to 15 or more. Each link successfully built gives 3 points at the end of the game.
Example 5: At the end of the game, Martín evaluates how many links he built successfully. The first link on the left contains a 2, a 3 and a 1, adding up to 6, so it is considered successful. The first link on the right contains a 5, a 6 and a 6, adding up to 17, so it is also considered successful. The other two links add up to 8 and 10, so they are not considered successful. Martín obtains 6 points for his links.
Solo Mode
For solo games the game works the same. Try to achieve the best possible score. In the following table you can see your performance at the end of the game:
| Score | Performance |
|---|---|
| <60 | You couldn't even cut the corn properly! Try again! |
| 61-80 | The few tourists who reach your farm acknowledge that an extraterrestrial civilization passed by... one that leaves much to be desired... |
| 81-100 | Although most doubt they belong to aliens, your fields make it to several Internet forums. You are very close to achieving it! |
| 101-120 | Your Crop Circles grab several headlines and are the new sensation. Good job! |
| 121-140 | Thousands of ufologists visit your farm. They consider it the definitive proof! Job done. |
| +141 | Wow! Your score seems out of this world! Your farm is considered intergalactic heritage. |