Turnip
Turnip Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 50 – Turnip cards (5 sets of 10, one set in each player color)
- 20 – Turnip tokens
- 5 – Player boards (1 in each player color)
- 1 – Turtle Tax Collector token
- 1 – Turnip Crown (First Player) token
Setup
I. Give each player a player board. II. Give each player the 10 cards that match their player board color to place in their hand (4 #2s / 3 #3s / 2 #5s / 1 #7). III. Place the Turnip tokens within reach of everyone. IV. Place the Turtle Tax Collector token in the center of the table. V. The player who most recently touched a real-life turnip (not a radish, not a beet—a turnip, thankyouverymuch!) will go first, so give them the Turnip Crown (First Player) token.
Starting a Season
At the beginning of the season, each player selects one card to place face down in their Stash on their player board. This card stays there until the end of the season and is worth points equal to the # printed on it. (Tip: If this is your first time playing, just choose a card at random.) Now you will play a series of rounds until at least one player runs out of cards.
Starting a Round
Starting with the first player then going clockwise, players take turns until someone declares a Harvest. On your turn you may:
- Plant 1 or 2 turnip cards, OR
- Declare a Harvest (not on your first turn in a round)
Planting Turnip Cards
Plant Turnip cards by playing them in front of you. Place the first card face down, and if you play a second card, place it face up. Then you must claim (out loud) how many total turnips are in front of you. You can tell the truth or lie, but if you claim that you planted 100 turnips, someone will probably figure out that the math doesn't work and then call Turn Up on you. (See Why Lie? below.) If no one calls Turn Up, put your planted cards into your Field, then the next player begins their turn.
Note: When placing cards into your Field, leave them in the orientation they were played: Any revealed cards remain face up, and any unrevealed cards remain face down.
Examples in the rulebook: Planting 1 Card and Planting 2 Cards.
Calling Turn Up
As the game progresses, your suspicions rise. Are your fellow farmers the salt of the earth, or are they dirty liars?!? Well, if you suspect someone of lying, there's a way to catch them in the act—call Turn Up! After a player has claimed how many turnips are in front of them, any other player may choose to call Turn Up! The active player must reveal the face down card they just played. If they planted truthfully, they receive a Turnip token (worth 2 points). However, if they committed heresy and lied, the person who caught them receives that Turnip token. Either way, their turn ends as normal—they put their planted cards face down into their Field, then the next player takes their turn.
Note: Turnip tokens are not limited, so if you run out of physical tokens, track them some other way.
Turn Up ties: If two or more players declare Turn Up at the same time, the player closest to the active player in turn order wins the tie.
Declaring a Harvest
After your first turn this round, instead of planting turnips, you may declare a Harvest. Now all players reveal the cards in their Field and total the number of turnips on them. The player with the highest total wins the round, collecting all the Turnip cards planted that round and placing them face down in their Market. Each card is worth 1 point, regardless of the # on it.
Examples in the rulebook: Harvest totals of 7 and 15.
Harvest ties: If two or more players have the same total value of turnips in their supply, split all the cards evenly among the winning players, then place any remaining cards under the Turtle Tax Collector token.
When to Declare a Harvest?
Choosing when to declare a Harvest is one of the keys to victory. You'll win the round if you have the most turnips planted, but do you really know how many turnips your fellow farmers have in their Fields? Not only do you need to pay attention to who played what, but you also have to decide if you want to try to win this round or hold your cards for later in the season. Usually the player who has won the most cards will win the season, so properly timing the Harvest can be vital to your strategy.
Why Lie?
Because it's fun, of course, but be careful because it's also a SIN! Lying judiciously keeps everyone guessing how many turnips you really have in your Field, potentially giving you the edge you need to win the round. But don't get caught!
Setting Up the Next Round
Now that the Harvest is over, it's time to prepare for the next round by doing the following steps in this order.
I. Give the Turnip Crown token to the player to the left of the winner of the previous round. If there was a tie, choose randomly from the possible first players. II. The winner(s) of the previous round must now pay the Turtle Tax by choosing a card in their hand, if able, and placing it face down under the Turtle Tax Collector token. All cards that go here are out of the game for the rest of the season. III. If any player is out of cards in their hand, end the season. Otherwise, start another round with the new first player.
Ending the Season
When at least one player is out of cards in their hand, it is time to end the season and score points as follows:
- Gain 2 points for every Turnip token in your Market.
- Gain 1 point for every Turnip card in your Market. (Note: 1 point per card, regardless of the # on it.)
- Gain 2 points for every Turnip card left in your hand.
- Gain points equal to the # printed on the card in your Stash. (e.g., if the stashed card has a value of 5, gain 5 points.)
Whoever has the most points wins the season!
Example in the rulebook: 3 cards in Market (3 points) + 2 Turnip tokens (4 points) + #7 stashed (7 points) + 3 cards in hand (6 points) = 20 points total.
Ending the Game
When playing your first game, we suggest playing just one season, to get the hang of the crafty plays required of turnip farmers. However, a game of Turnip can also be played over multiple seasons to give you a fuller experience (and a chance at redemption).
Variants
Here are some variants we suggest:
Baby's First Farm | 1 season | 10-15 min: For first time players. After 1 season, the player with the most points wins.
Biannual Showdown | 2 seasons | 15-25 min: A good, quick game for a mix of beginners and experienced players. After 2 seasons, add up each player's points. Whoever has the most points wins.
A Holy Year | 3 seasons | 25-40 min: Suggested game length for experienced players. After 3 seasons, add up each player's points. Whoever has the most points wins.
The Great Turnipocalypse! | ? seasons | 45 min: A game for those who believe that the end is nigh. Set a timer for 45 min. Play as many seasons as you can in the time limit. Once the 45 minutes is reached, finish the current season, and then add up each player's points. Whoever has the most points gets to live - I mean - wins.
Let the Turnip Times Never End! | ? seasons | ? min: A game for those who never want to stop. Just keep playing as many seasons as you want, or until a predetermined goal is reached (we suggest 200, maybe 250 points). Add up each player's points from season to season. Once you all get tired, or at least one player has reached the goal, the game ends. The player with the most points is your Turnip Overlord.
Note: Turnips are the most divine of plants and are often harvested multiple times in one season. So get to planting!
Before each game, make sure everyone knows which variant you are playing. Hopefully you are turnip enough to give each one a try. If playing a variant with multiple seasons, make sure to write down how many points each player has at the end of each season, and then reset the game to the beginning of setup to start the next season.
Ties
From time to time, you may come to the end of a game and two or more players are tied in points. Among the tied players, the first one to donate $1 or more (preferably more) to the turtle charity of their choice is the winner! Here is a list of some great ones: https://www.rosegauntlet.com/pages/tiebreakers
Otherwise, you must do as peasants do, and share the victory.