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- BGG #4,715
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Inuit: The Snow Folk
- 2–4 players
- 30–45 min
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- 2019
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- BGG rating
- 5.6
Circus
2019
Rules assistance for Circus
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 20 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.8/5
Rules assistant for Circus
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Circus is a board game released in 2019 for 2–4 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Alexey Paltsev, Alexey Konnov, and Anatoliy Shklyarov.
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About the game
In Circus, players send their best artists into the ring to perform an act. If your artist is better than the previous one, then there is a deafening applause which earns you points. As it should be, the grand finale follows at the end of the performance, after which the points are counted. The player with the most points is the best circus director and wins the game. The game is played over 7 rounds. In each round, players use their upgrade cards to place upgrade cubes on their artists. Each differently coloured cube represents a different upgrade such as talent or costume. When you think your artist is ready, you send them to the ring for a performance. The success of this performance is based on which upgrades your artist has. Each cube that matches a cube of the previous performing artist is worth 1 point, but each cube that doesn't match is worth 2 points. The spectators like variety after all! In addition, each round the poster cards will determine which kind of artist is worth some bonus points. At the end of the game, players will send any remaining artists for one final performance and score extra points based on how good (upgraded) they are.
Categories
Publishers
- Amuza
Questions and answers
Circus supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Circus is 20 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Circus for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Circus has a complexity rating of 1.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Circus belongs to these categories: Card Game and Children's Game. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Circus and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Circus are: Alexey Paltsev, Alexey Konnov, and Anatoliy Shklyarov. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Circus as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.