Before playing, build the circus. See the photograph of the base box in the source.
The four sides of the base box have perforations and cuts, 4 places in total. Carefully cut these out. The perforations and cuts may not line up exactly, so cut slowly and carefully.
Next, apply the stickers to the plastic circus. Follow the photograph of the base box. On the walls, place the stickers showing the tent and the fleas. On the bars (hill-shaped ramps like a jump), place the red-and-white stickers. On the basement (the hollow in the centre of the circus), place the stickers of the fleas in darkness. Apply these to the four places above.
On 8 of the white chips, apply net stickers to both sides. On another 8 of the white chips, apply crazy stickers (fleas with dizzy eyes) to both sides.
Finally, apply stickers of the matching colour to the front and back of each of the four colours of chips: red, blue, yellow and green.
Game Preparation
The plastic circus stays in the base box while playing. Each player sits at one of the four sides of the circus.
The 15 small black chips are scoring chips. The player who holds the most of them at the end of the game is the winner.
Each player receives the following to start the game:
10 chips in total: 6 chips of their own colour, 2 crazy chips and 2 net chips
1 large black chip
1 felt mat
See the circus diagram in the German rules. The area marked "Manege" is one player's action area. In the example in the diagram, the area shown is the action area of Player C (Spieler C). Place your felt mat inside this area and flick your chips from it.
The circus is divided into four zones, with a basement in the centre: ZONE1, ZONE2, ZONE3, ZONE4 and Keller (basement).
Playing the Game
Decide the starting player by any method you like. That player takes the first turn. Play then continues clockwise.
On your turn, choose one of your chips (a flea, a crazy chip or a net chip) and flick it into the circus. Place the chip on your felt mat and flick it with a large black chip. Press the edge of the chip on the felt mat with the large black chip, with a snap, so that it bounces.
A flicked chip stays where it lands. It may land in one of the four areas of the circus, or it may fall into the basement.
Your turn ends when you have flicked a chip. Then it is the next player's turn.
If a flicked chip lands outside the circus, for example when it bounces off the wall (the outer box), or bounces out of the circus after landing in it, or flies far past the circus, you may flick that chip again. Put the chip back on your felt mat and try once more. If this second attempt also fails, remove the chip from the game. Put it aside. In short, each chip gets two attempts. After the second attempt ends, whether it succeeded or failed, your turn ends and it is the next player's turn.
Of course, if your first attempt lands the chip inside the circus (including the basement), you may not make a second attempt. A re-flick is allowed only when the chip landed outside the circus.
Chips that are on the circus remain there for the rest of the game. A chip already in the circus cannot be taken back and used again. Chips left in the circus cause changes, for example by getting in the way of chips that come in later. If a chip is knocked out of the circus, put it at once into the basement (the hollow in the centre of the circus).
Felt Mat
A player may lay their felt mat anywhere outside the circus (within their action area) and flick chips from it. For the action areas, see the diagram in the German rules. The action areas are divided by the four corners of the circus (dotted lines). You may flick a chip over a wall into the circus, or flick it through a cut in the base box.
Crazy Chips
A zone with a crazy chip in it is thrown into panic. It does not matter who entered that zone. No one can score from that zone.
Net Chips
A net chip can remove crazy chips. When a crazy chip is removed, that zone once again counts for points.
If a zone has 2 crazy chips in it, 2 net chips are needed. Likewise, if there are 3 crazy chips, 3 net chips are needed.
One net chip removes one crazy chip in that zone. The net chip and the crazy chip both stay where they are in that zone.
Placing more net chips in a zone than there are crazy chips has no additional effect. (Translator's note: however, setting a net in advance is also a valid tactic.)
Chips on the Circus
All chips that are on the circus stay there for the rest of that game. Chips that are already in the circus cannot be taken back and used again.
Scoring
Each player scores as soon as they have flicked their last chip, that is, their tenth chip. Note: this does not end the game.
Note: Each player's points are scored at the end of their own turn. Points are not scored for all players at the same time.
The circus has four zones. In each zone, count which colour has the most chips. The player with the most chips is the winner of that zone. If players are tied, the player with a chip closer to the bar (the hill-shaped ramp with red-and-white stickers) wins. For the zones and their corresponding bars, see the German rules. Each zone corresponds to the side of the bar with the slope.
Example: in Zone 3, blue (B) is winning. Blue and yellow (Ge) each have 2 chips, but blue has one chip closer to the bar. However, yellow will eventually send a third chip in. Then yellow will have the most chips, and yellow will be the winner of that zone.
A player receives one small black chip, the winning point chip, for each zone in which they are the winner. If you win every zone, you receive 4 chips (points). Keep winning point chips beside the felt mat. No one can score from a zone with a crazy chip in it, unless the crazy chip has been removed with a net (in which case the points are scored).
New Round
Return all chips used in the round (the 6 chips of your colour, 2 crazy chips and 2 net chips) to your hand. The state is the same as at the start of the game. The player to the left of the previous round's starting player becomes the starting player of this round.
With 2 or 4 players, play a total of 4 games.
With 3 players, play a total of 3 games.
After the final game, the player with the most winning point chips (small black chips) is the winner of the game. If players are tied, the game is a draw.
(Translator's note: if you run out of winning point chips, make a note of the scores.)
Advice
With 2 players, it is best to sit facing each other.
With 3 players, you may change seating positions from game to game.
(Translator's note: with 3 players one side of the circus is empty, so a particular player may gain an advantage. It is a good idea to decide in advance, for example, to leave the seat directly opposite the starting player empty.)
When playing with children aged 5–6, it is better not to use the white chips (crazy chips and net chips). The strategy is reduced and the game becomes simpler.
