Vinesweeper

Vinesweeper is a members' minigame released on 19 February 2008.

Requirements

 * Level 10 farming
 * Spade (or 5 coins to buy one)
 * 10,000 coins to rent 10 flags, possibly more in case you lose a flag. First 10 flags are free.

Getting to the Minigame
At any farming patch talk to or right-click 'Teleport' Tool Leprechaun if there is one wandering around the patch area. Request to be teleported to the minigame. He will say 'Avach nimporto' to be teleported. There is a portal northeast of the farmhouse to return to the patch.

Playing the game
To start, speak to Farmer Blinkin, who will give you 10 free flags and tell you how to play the game. You can only have a maximum of 10 flags.

The game involves an grid of holes. After digging at a hole with a spade a number will appear at the digging location. The number indicates the number of adjacent squares that hold a seed. The number ranges from zero to five. (0 is invisible, 1 is blue, 2 is green, 3 is red, 4 is yellow, 5 is purple.)

In case of a zero, the minigame will show an empty area if the edge of the empty area is close enough the numbers on the edge will be displayed instantly too. Digging at a location that carries a seed, destroys the seed.

After locating a square with a seed indicate the location by planting a flag. A farmer will retrieve the seed and give points as a reward. If the indicated location does not carry a seed, the flag will be lost and the number of points is reduced.

Once you have used your 10 flags, you will need to retrieve them from Farmer Blinkin, who will also offer to replace any you have lost for 1000 coins each. You can also buy them from Mrs. Winkin in the house for 500 points.

Rabbits
After planting a flag, rabbits will race the farmers to the indicated spot. Rabbits can be chased away by feeding them Ogleroot, which can be found during the digging process. This will give you 30 hunting experience. If a rabbit reaches your flag first, you lose the flag and get no points.

Tips
These are just tips, you don't have to follow them, but perhaps its smart to do so.


 * There never is a seed on the edge of a numberless spot, so if there are mounds next to an empty spots its always safe to click those.
 * If you don't know where to start or if you think there is a seed but you are not sure, use the investigate option. it doesn't always work, but it doesn't hurt to try.
 * Don't plant a flag near a rabbit hole (they're on the outer rim of the fields).
 * Always stay close to farmers to increase the chance a rabbit will be too late.
 * If you can't figure out where the seeds are, it's possible to follow other players, but you get (less) points that way too.

Points


Points can be spent by trading with Mrs. Winkin inside the house.

Farming experience
The game gives 1 farming experience for every 6 points spent. The price of seeds is such that you will get roughly 1 farming experience for every 5 points spent. You only get farming experience for trading in points.

Farming Seeds (and other items)



 * Note 1 The Super compost potion needs the Garden of Tranquillity quest to be completed

Making money
Most items that you buy for your points can be sold to other players or at the Grand Exchange, here are a few examples of how much money you can get for your points.

Prices are updated at Grand Exchange Market Watch/Farming.


 * The highest net wealth return per-point is Ranarr seed.
 * Super compost potion can make upto 60 Super composts, potentially selling for 60,000gp is probably the best reward.

Music

 * Charmin' Farmin' - visiting the area

Trivia

 * Vinesweeper is very similar to the familiar casual game minesweeper. The pun is typical for RuneScape.
 * The main NPCs bear the names "Winkin" (the Mrs. and absent Mr.) and Farmer "Blinkin". This is a reference to a bedtime poem about three fishermen named Winkin', Blinkin', and Nod who sail into the sky in a wooden shoe. The poem alludes to a sleeping child and, specifically, the world of dreams. "Now Winkin' and Blinkin' are two little eyes and Nod is a little one's head. And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies is a wee one's trundle bed."
 * When you examine the portal is says: Gnome sweet Gnome?, a pun on Home! Sweet Home!? (examine of the house portals)


 * When you ask Mrs. Winkin if she has any flags for sale, you say, "Have you got any flags for sale?" This isn't proper grammar, and is stereotyped as "hillbilly grammar."