Tops
Tops Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 3 tops
- 10 Objective cards
- 36 coloured discs (12 red, 12 blue, 12 yellow)
- 18 tokens
Object of the Game
All players pursue the same goal: as soon as the 3 tops come to rest, each player hopes to have reached one of their two Objectives.
This is the case when the three colours shown on an Objective card match the colours of the top discs on the 3 tops. The player who achieves this wins a token as a reward. The first player to hold 5 tokens wins the game.
Setup
Before the first game, carefully detach the Objective cards, the tokens and the coloured discs from the pre-cut boards.
Assembling the tops: the tops are assembled as shown in the diagram.
Shuffle the Objective cards face down on the table. Each player draws 2 cards without showing them to their opponents.
Each player then receives the same number of discs:
- 2 players: 6 of each colour = 18
- 3 players: 4 of each colour = 12
- 4 players: 3 of each colour = 9
The Game Begins
One player is in charge of spinning the 3 tops. They spin them hard and the game begins!
All players then try, at the same time, to place their coloured discs on the moving tops, always aiming to reach one of their two Objectives. Each player is free to decide at any moment which of their two Objective cards they are playing for.
The following rules must be observed:
- It is forbidden to touch the tops.
- If a player touches a top, intentionally or not, they must immediately spin it again.
- It is forbidden to prevent opponents from placing their discs, for example by keeping a hand over the tops for too long.
- It is forbidden to add a disc to a top that has already stopped.
- Discs that fall beside a top may not be picked up again and remain on the table for the time being.
- Players may stack as many discs as they like on the same top.
Result
As soon as the 3 tops have stopped, the result is known. The player holding the Objective card that matches the 3 coloured discs on the 3 tops wins 1 token.
If no player holds the matching Objective card, nobody wins a token.
And the Game Continues
The discs on the tops and those that fell beside them are shared among the players: the winner of the round chooses one disc first, then the other players follow clockwise, until all the discs have been shared. If there was no winner during this round, the youngest player starts.
All Objective cards are reshuffled. Each player again draws 2 cards and continues to play with their discs.
Tips
- A player who no longer has all three colours of discs can only hope that an opponent places the colour(s) they are missing on the tops.
- Of course, a player is free to choose when to start placing discs on the tops. Sometimes it is worthwhile to wait!
End of the Game
The game ends as soon as a player has won 5 tokens. That player is declared the winner.