Market Day
Market Day Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
Each quarter of the board depicts a farm belonging to one of the players. Missing from each farm are the most important animals: the horse, the cow, the sheep and the pig. Each player tries to be the first to buy all four animals at the market and so complete his farmyard.
Preparation
The animals are pushed out of the board and laid nearby. The cards are sorted out into four separate piles, one for each animal. These are laid face up near the board. Each player takes one of the tractors and places it on the "start" square.
Play
Starting with the youngest, players take turns to roll the dice and move their tractors round the board accordingly.
More than one tractor can stand on a square at the same time - there is no sending back.
The picture on each square indicates to the player what he should do:
- One animal (picture of a pig). On this square a player may take from the pile one card with the relevant animal.
- Two animals (picture of two sheep). Here a player may take two cards showing the relevant animal.
- Three animals (symbol key, page 3 of the leaflet). A player may take three cards with the relevant animal.
- Escaping animal (symbol showing an animal escaping). Here a player must return one relevant card to the pile. If he doesn't have one, nothing happens.
- Crowing cock (symbol of a crowing cock). The crowing cock brings luck! Here a player may take one card of his choice from the pile.
- Card-swap (symbol of farmers playing cards). The farmers are playing cards. The player receives one card from each of his opponents. The opponents choose which cards to give.
- Puncture (symbol of a punctured tractor). The tractor has a puncture. Miss a turn!
If ever there are not enough cards in the pile for any reason then the player is unlucky and receives fewer than normal. Occasionally a player might be unfortunate enough to receive no cards.
Buying Animals
The cards are vouchers. Everyone collects them with the aim of using them to buy animals. To be able to buy an animal a player needs four cards of the same animal. The purchace can take place only at the four markets, situated in the four corners of the board. Players do not need exact throws to land on a market square; any extra points are given up.
When a player has four or five cards of the same animal, he tries to reach a market square. Once there, he may exchange these cards for the animal. The cards are simply returned to their pile and the relevant animal is taken and put in its correct place in the player's farmyard.
At the market square with the green flag, a player may buy two animals, providing of course that he has the necessary cards.
A player may only hold a maximum of five cards of any one animal; 20 cards overall. Whenever a player has five cards of the same animal he may not take further ones even if he lands on a relevant square. Once a player has placed a particular animal in his farmyard, he may not hold cards for it.
End of Game
The winner is the first player to collect all four animals for his farmyard.
Optional Rules
For older children it can be more exciting to make the buying of animals slightly more difficult.
Only on the market square with the green flag may a player stop, if his dice throw would normally have taken him past. An exact throw is needed to land on the other three market squares.
Players may also continue collecting cards of animals which they already have in their farmyards. These can be used as "swaps". When two farmers meet, ie when their tractors land on the same square, they may exchange cards if they both agree.