Big Top is a dynamic auction game by Allplay where players bid on spectacular acts to assemble the most impressive circus and attract the largest audience. Each winning bid, however, enriches your competitors, making strategic bidding essential. Moreover, the attractions you've already won influence future bids; each attraction card has specific bid values that, when matched, grant additional points. This means you don't necessarily need to win an auction to benefit from your bid. In this competitive circus world, you must keep an eye not only on your own acquisitions but also on your opponents' bids.
How is the game played?
- Setup: Each player receives a player screen, corresponding tokens, coins, and a starting card. Shuffle the deck of attraction cards with the 'Game End' card placed among the last five cards. Deal one attraction card to each player as a starting hand.
- Auction Phase: The active player draws a card from the deck and chooses one of their two cards to auction. Bidding starts with the auctioneer and proceeds clockwise. The highest bidder pays the auctioneer and places the won card in front of their screen as an incomplete attraction. If the auctioneer wins their own auction, they pay the bank.
- Completing Attractions: Each attraction card has numbered circles. When a player places a bid matching a number on one of their incomplete attractions, they may place a coin on that number. Only completed attractions score points at the end of the game.
The game ends when the 'Game End' card is drawn. The player with the most points, based on completed attractions, wins the game.
Box Contents:
- 1 deck of attraction cards
- Player screens
- Coins in denominations of 1 and 5
- Player tokens
- 'Game End' card
Specifications:
- Number of Players: 3-4
- Age: 11 and up
- Playtime: Approximately 40 minutes