UFO Farmer
UFO Farmer Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal of the Game
Players are aliens who come to Earth to investigate unknown animal species. They arrive at the farm of a Superfarmer. Their goal is to abduct the most animals.
Box Contents
- 54 tokens of animals: 13 horses, 13 sheep, 13 rabbits, 13 cows
- 2 wolves
- Starting player marker
- 12 plastic spaceships (fleet shared by players)
- 4 spaceship bases
Rules for 3-4 Players
Game Preparation
Place the animal tokens onto the table. In a 3-player game, return 3 horses, cows, sheep and rabbits to the box; in a 4-player game, all animals are used. Each player takes 3 of the spaceships (from the shared fleet of 12 spaceships) and 1 base. Whoever last looked at the stars receives the starting player marker.
Sequence of Play
The game is played in rounds. In each round players cover animals with spaceships and then take back any 3 spaceships with animals: players should try to remember which animals are covered by which spaceships when making their decisions! At the end of the round, players lift the spaceships which they took back and check which animals they have uncovered. Successfully collected animals go to their owner's base. The game ends when, at the end of the round, there are fewer animals on the table than spaceships.
Tracking Animals
Starting with the starting player and continuing clockwise, each player chooses an animal and covers it with one of their spaceships. Tracking continues until all players have placed all their spaceships.
Capturing the Animals
Starting with the starting player and continuing clockwise, each player chooses any one of the spaceships on the table (it doesn't matter who placed it!) and pulls the spaceship toward himself, carefully keeping the animal underneath covered and hidden from everyone's sight (including the player taking it). Capturing continues until all players have 3 spaceships in front of them.
Animals to the Bases!
At the end of the round players lift their 3 newly claimed spaceships and reveal their 3 captured animals, in clockwise order from the starting player.
If a player has:
- 3 identical animals – take 2 of them as prizes and return 1 to the table.
- 3 different animals – take 1 of them as a prize and return 2 to the table.
- 2 identical animals and 1 different animal – return all 3 to the table.
Successfully captured prize animals go to their owners' bases.
Wolf Tokens
Unlike other animals, wolves can not be taken by the aliens. Captured wolves always escape back to the table.
Example: Helena captured a horse, a cow and a wolf. She has 3 different species of animals. The wolf returns back to the table. Having the choice between a horse and a cow, Helena decides to keep the horse as her prize.
At the end of the round, the starting player marker moves to the next player in clockwise order (on the current starting player's left hand side).
Game End
The game ends when, at the end of the round, there are fewer animals on the table than spaceships. (I.e. 12 with 4 players, 9 with 3 players, 8 with 2 players.)
Layout note: in the leaflet, the "If a player has" table, the wolf tokens rules and the game end rules are printed in the right-hand column after the 3-4 player sequence. They are kept here under the 3-4 player section in printed order; the wolf and game end rules apply to all player counts.
Rules for 2 Players
In a 2-player game, return 6 horses, cows, sheep and rabbits to the box. Each player takes 4 spaceships and 1 base. During each round each player captures 4 animals, but then reveals only 3 of their 4 animals.
Scoring
Basic level (for younger children): Each prize animal is worth 1 point.
Advanced level (for older players): The number of animals in each of the species is squared, then those squares are summed.
Example: Helena collected 5 horses, 3 cows and 2 sheep, so she gains 5x5 + 3x3 + 2x2 = 38 points.
The player who scored the most points wins.