2023
3 Ring Circus
Players run a traveling circus in late-19th-century America, hiring performers and staging shows across towns, small cities, and big cities to build fame. On each turn, a player either hires an artist card to add to their troupe or moves to an available map space to perform. Different locations offer different rewards: towns give basic income, small cities reward based on company setup, and big cities demand specific artist types but yield substantial fame. Artist cards act in sequence during shows, so planning the order of acts is important. Regional scoring occurs when a major circus arrives, rewarding the troupes that have performed most in that area.
- Players
- 1–4 best 3
- Playing time
- 45–75 min
- Age
- 12+
- Complexity
- 2.8 / 5
About the game
Photos from Ludoya tables
All photos in Ludoya
Where to buy it
Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.
On Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 338
- Plays logged
- 454
- Players
- 1h 27m
- Average play
- 160
- In collections
- 15
- On wishlists
7.3/10
from 63 Ludoya reviews
Roggie6.8 Not sure how much replayability is there and not a huge fan of the randomness of the end game goal cards.
No plays logged
SirKappy7.6 Fun 4/5 · Interaction 3/5 · Appeal 5/5 · Uniqueness 4/5 · Replayability 2/5 · Accessibility 3/5
First impressions · 2 plays
Iggy7.3 Diversión 4/5 · Interacción 3/5 · Atractivo 4/5 · Originalidad 3/5 · Rejugabilidad 4/5 · Accesibilidad 3/5
Played it 15 times
Rules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
How do I calculate the money cost when I play a card into a row?
You pay the difference between the value of the card you are playing and the highest-value card already in that row (minimum 0); rows must have strictly increasing values so you cannot play an equal-valued card into the same row (p. 9).
When do I move my Pedestal marker and how are Pedestals counted?
Whenever you place a card that provides Pedestal symbols (or triggers pedestal effects), move your Pedestal marker to reflect the total Pedestals visible on your Circus board — including icons on cards, effects from preceding cards in the row, and uncovered board Pedestals (p. 10).
Can I play Money cards when I Perform a Show, and how do small towns work?
You may play one Money card with the Money icon during a performance for its one-time effect, and small towns host only one show per game — the performing player places a Circus token there and gains at least one Money card plus extra Money cards for each neighboring small town that hasn't hosted a show (pp. 12–13).
What do I need to perform in a medium city, and what if I don't have enough Pedestals?
For a medium city you must have enough total Pedestals (including temporary bonuses for the city's preferred performer type and Instant effects) to match a free slot in that city; if you don't meet any available slot's Pedestal requirement, you cannot perform there (p. 14).
Do I have to include a specific artist to perform in a main city and which slot do I take?
Main cities require that your show includes the city’s required Artist type (middle icon) to perform and award a base 6 Fame Points plus extras for adjacent supporting artists; when placing your Circus marker in a main city you must use the left-most available slot and get first/second-visitor bonuses as shown (p. 15).
How does the Barnum caravan move and how is regional scoring resolved (including ties)?
After each performance the Barnum caravan moves one step counterclockwise and when it enters a main city the Barnum tile is flipped and regional scoring occurs at the end of the Barnum-tile holder’s turn; regional scoring awards 10/6/3 Fame Points and ties are broken by left-most slot in the main city, then highest-numbered taken slot in a medium city, then proximity of small-town visits (p. 16).
Official score sheet
3 Ring Circus score sheet
Every scoring category, from the Ludoya kit. On your phone the totals add up by themselves.
Free, on web, Android and iOS
Play 3 Ring Circus with Ludoya
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.