Crows Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• Components
  • Crows
  • Board Tiles
  • Shiny Objects
  • Special Tokens
  • Other Components
• Setup
• Game Round
  • A) Each Player Takes One Turn
    • 1. Choose one tile and add it to the board
    • 2. Place the Shiny Object on one empty tile
    • 3. Optional: Play one Special Token
  • B) Crows Flock & Players Score Points
    • 1. Crows Flock
    • 2. Players Score Points
  • C) Murder Scatters & End of Round
    • 1. Murder Scatters
    • 2. End of Round
• Game End
  • Ties
• Variant Rules
  • Tile Choices
  • Random Trash
  • The Birds (Lots of Crows!)
  • Scoring Cap
• Credits

Game Overview

Players take turns placing tiles and then positioning their shiny objects to attract the most crows. Crows flock to the shiny objects based on simple rules. It is going to take some wits to attract the most crows!

When the deck of tiles has been exhausted, the player who has scored the most points wins.

Components

• 38x Crows
• 53x Board Tiles (14x Empty Trees, 14x 1-Crow Trees, 9x 2-Crow Trees, 2x 3-Crow Trees, 4x Trash, 5x Trinkets, 5x Cemetery)
• 8x Shiny Objects (2 of each color)
• 20x Special Tokens (4 of each type)
• 1x First Player Marker
• 4x +100 Score Markers
• 1x Scoreboard

Crows

Crows (identified with this graphic from now on: Crow) are wooden tokens placed on the board when Board Tiles showing crow icons appear.

Board Tiles

• Empty Tree: A tile with no crow icons on it.
• Crow Trees: A tile with 1, 2, or 3 crow icons on it. When placed, a number of Crows matching the number of crow icons are immediately placed on the tile from the Crow pile. Crow icons only matter for the initial tile placement and are then ignored for the rest of the game.
• Trash: Acts as an obstacle to flocking Crows. Any flocking Crow will stop on a Trash tile on its way to a Shiny Object.
• Trinkets: Gives priority to a Shiny Object when two or more tiles with Crows are the same distance away.
• Cemetery: Crows on a Cemetery score double points.

Tile types: Empty Tree, 1-Crow Tree, 2-Crow Tree, 3-Crow Tree, Trash, Trinkets, Cemetery.

Shiny Objects

Shiny Objects are placed during the game to entice Crows to flock towards them and thereby score points. Crows adore Shiny Objects!

Special Tokens

Every time a Shiny Object is placed on an Empty Tree tile, the player collects one Special Token. They may be played for a special power. Alternatively, Special Tokens can be held until the end of the game for bonus points.

• No Cemeteries: For this round only, Cemeteries do not double points -OR- worth 2 points at game end.
• Tombstone: Place on any tile; for this round only, it acts as a Cemetery -OR- worth 2 points at game end.
• No Flocking: Place on any tile with Crows; for this round only, these Crows will not flock towards Shiny Objects -OR- worth 2 points at game end.
• 2 Crows: Choose two Crows from any tile(s) and move them to any other single tile (these Crows cannot be placed on a tile with a Shiny Object) -OR- worth 2 points at game end.
• 3 Points: Worth 3 points at game end.

Other Components

• First Player Marker
• +100 Score Marker — If a score climbs above 100, continue from the beginning and take a +100 Score Marker
• Scoreboard

Setup

• Each player takes the two Shiny Objects of one color. One Shiny Object is placed on the start space of the Scoreboard; the other is played during the game.
• Separate out the four Trash tiles and give one to each player. Return any extra Trash tiles to the box.
• Shuffle all Board Tiles face-down and form a deck. For 3-player games, randomly return four tiles to the box; for 2-player games, randomly return eight tiles.
• Draw nine tiles face-up and arrange in a diamond pattern as shown below.
• Place a Crow on each tile for each crow icon on that tile. The remaining Crows form a pile.
• Shuffle all Special Tokens face-down and form a pile.
• Whoever most recently saw a crow takes the First Player Marker and begins the first round!

The nine starting tiles are arranged in a diamond pattern (numbered 1 through 9, three rows of three tiles staggered diagonally). The remaining tiles form the Tile Deck, the leftover Crows form the Crow Pile, and the unused Special Tokens form the Special Tokens Pile. Each player keeps their Shiny Object and Trash tile in front of them.

Game Round

The game is played over multiple rounds as follows:

A) Each Player Takes One Turn B) Crows Flock & Players Score Points C) Murder Scatters & End of Round

A) Each Player Takes One Turn

Starting with the First Player, each player completes the following turn sequence. Play proceeds clockwise until every player has taken a single turn.

1. Choose one tile and add it to the board
2. Place the Shiny Object on one empty tile
3. Optional: Play one Special Token

1. Choose one tile and add it to the board

A player may either draw the top tile in the deck -OR- select his Trash tile (if not already placed). He then places the tile on the board.

Draw top tile

• If a tile is drawn from the deck, it is played face-up on the table so that it touches another tile along at least one edge (not diagonally).
• It cannot be placed on top of another tile.
• If the new tile has crow icons, immediately place one Crow (from the pile) on it for each crow icon shown.

Trash Tile

• If the Trash tile is selected, it may only replace a tile in play that does not have Crows or Shiny Objects upon it.
• The replaced tile is then played anywhere on the table following the placement rules as if it were just drawn.
• Any crow icons are ignored as those Crows were already brought into play.

Placing a Tile: Valid Locations — a new tile is valid if it touches an existing tile along an edge. Placing a Tile: Invalid Locations — a tile placement is invalid if it does not touch an existing tile along an edge, or if it would sit apart from the group.

2. Place the Shiny Object on one empty tile

The player must now place his Shiny Object on any one tile with the following exceptions:

a. It cannot be placed on a Trash tile; b. It cannot be placed on a tile with Crows; and c. It cannot be placed on a tile with another Shiny Object.

If the Shiny Object is placed on an Empty Tree tile (no crow icons), one Special Token is collected. Special Tokens are kept hidden from the other players until used. Once the Special Token pile is exhausted, no more Special Tokens can be collected.

Example: Blue has just played the tile on the far left. The only valid locations for the placement of the Shiny Object are on the just played tile or on the middle tile. The other tiles are invalid because of (a) a Trash tile, (b) Crows, and (c) another player's Shiny Object. If Blue places his Shiny Object on the tile on the far left, he would collect a Special Token since it is an Empty Tree tile.

3. Optional: Play one Special Token

If the player has any Special Tokens, one may be played now.

• No Cemeteries, Tombstone, and No Flocking take effect during scoring.
• 2 Crows is resolved immediately.
• Each Special Token may only be resolved once; they are returned to the box at the end of the round.
• Once played, Special Tokens are no longer worth bonus points at game end.

B) Crows Flock & Players Score Points

After all players have taken their turn, the Crows flock towards Shiny Objects and players score points.

1. Crows Flock

Crows flock (move) to Shiny Objects according to these rules:

a. Crows flock to the nearest Shiny Object in the same row or column (not diagonally); b. Crows can move any number of tiles; c. If there is a gap between tiles, a Crow will ignore any Shiny Object in that direction, even if it is closer than another Shiny Object in another direction (this means a Crow might not move this round); d. If a Crow flocks over a Trash tile, it will stop for the round; if the Crow begins on a Trash tile, however, it will flock to the nearest Shiny Object; and e. If two or more Shiny Objects are the same distance from a tile with Crows, then flocking is resolved as follows:

• Priority is given to a Shiny Object placed on top of a Trinkets tile and the Crows will flock there;
• If still tied, the Crows will divide evenly between the Shiny Objects; if there are more Crows than can be evenly divided, the leftover Crows will not flock this round. f. Trash, Trinkets, and Cemetery tiles do not attract Crows on their own.

Flocking examples:

(a) Crows flock in rows and columns only, each to the nearest Shiny Object.

(b) A Crow can fly any distance.

(c) Crows cannot fly with a gap in their path.

(d) The first Crow flies into the Trash tile on the way to the Shiny Object and must stop for the round. The second Crow started the round on the Trash tile and so flies off to the Shiny Object.

(e) Each Shiny Object attracts one Crow because there is an evenly divisible amount. The extra Crow does not move.

All three Shiny Objects are equally distant from the five Crows. Each Shiny Object attracts one while two Crows do not move.

All three Shiny Objects are equally distant from the five Crows. Blue, however, is on a Trinkets tile and attracts all the Crows!

2. Players Score Points

After all flocking Crows have moved, players score points:

• Each Crow on the same tile as the player's Shiny Object scores 1 Point.
• Each Crow on the same tile as the player's Shiny Object if the tile is a Cemetery scores 2 Points.
• Crows remain on the board after scoring. They are only removed if the Murder is too large (see below).
• Points are recorded on the Scoreboard with players' other Shiny Object.

Example: Red scores 4 points, while Yellow scores 6. Yellow's three Crows score double because of the Cemetery tile.

C) Murder Scatters & End of Round

The poetic term for a flock of crows is known as a "murder."

1. Murder Scatters

After Crows Flock & Players Score Points, if six or more Crows flock to the same tile it is considered a Murder and the following special rules apply:

• Two Crows become a mated pair and fly off; return the two Crows to the pile.
• The remaining Crows must be scattered as follows:
  • The player whose Shiny Object attracted the Murder scatters the Crows per the spiral pattern below;
  • This player chooses from which tile the spiral will start (top, right, bottom, or left);
  • One Crow is moved to each successive tile in the pattern; if a tile does not exist on the board, it is skipped and the Crow scatters to the next tile in the pattern; and
  • Continue scattering until only one Crow is left in the Murder; that Crow remains on the original tile.
• If any tile becomes a Murder of Crows as the result of a scattering, it will not be scattered itself until the next round.

Murder Scattering – Spiral Pattern: The tile where the Murder formed is the center of a 20-tile spiral (numbered 1 through 20, spiraling outward). The Player who placed the Shiny Object attracting the Murder moves the Crows. He decides which tile – Top, Right, Bottom, or Left – acts as the first tile in the pattern.

Scattering example: (a) Seven Crows flock to a tile. (b) Two fly off as a mated pair. (c) The Crows scatter in a pattern until there is only one left on the original tile.

2. End of Round

• Each player takes back his Shiny Object.
• All Special Tokens played this round are returned to the box.
• The First Player Marker is passed to the left and that player begins a new round.
• If the tile deck is empty, the game ends.

Game End

When the tile deck is empty, the game is over. Players reveal all their unused Special Tokens and the bonus points are added to that player's score.

The winner is the player with the most points!

Ties

In case of a tie, the tied player who did not play a Trash tile wins. If the tie remains unbroken, all tied players share the win.

Variant Rules

Tile Choices

At the beginning of each round, draw one Board Tile for each player and place them face-up on the table. When players take their turns, they must choose one of the face-up tiles (or their Trash tile if still available) instead of drawing from the deck.

All unselected tiles at the end of a round (in the event one or more players selected their Trash tile) will remain available for the next round. Draw only enough new tiles so one is available for each player.

Random Trash

At the beginning of the game, mix all four Trash tiles with the other Board Tiles. Players will not start with a Trash tile but can draw them during the game. Do not remove tiles as per the setup for the basic game. Instead, for 3-player games, randomly return five tiles to the box; for 2-player games, randomly return ten tiles.

The Birds (Lots of Crows!)

When a Murder gathers, do not remove any Crows from the board. Scatter the Crows as normal.

Scoring Cap

(good for games with Children and Adults together)

If you want a friendlier game or want to accommodate a wider age-range of players, each player can only score a maximum of 12 points during each round.

Credits

Designer: Tyler Sigman Artist: Patrick LaMontagne Graphic Design: Kelsey Santucci Editor: Brian Mola Executive Producer: Phil Sauer

Translations: German: Ferdinand Köther French: Olivier Bourgeois Dutch: Peter Kruijt Spanish: Alex Ramos Italian: Fabrizio Autino

© 2010 Valley Games, Inc. Valley Games and the Valley Games logo are trademarks of Valley Games, Inc. www.valleygames.ca