Tabletop games
Istanbul
MatagotRüdiger Dorn2014
- players
- 2–5
- minutes
- 60
- years
- 10+
In the box
16 Location tiles · Stacks of assistants and merchants · Wheelbarrows and wheelbarrow extensions · Goods cubes · Rubies · Bonus cards · Coins
Box details
- Designer
- Rüdiger Dorn
- Artwork
- Andreas Resch
- Publisher
- Matagot
- Mechanics
- Grid MovementSet CollectionModular BoardMarketRace
- Expansions
- Istanbul: Mocha & Baksheesh · 2015
- Istanbul: Letters & Seals · 2016
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
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The basics
The aim is to be the first to gather enough rubies: six with two players, five with three to five. On your turn, move your stack of merchant and assistants one or two places, then leave an assistant there (or pick up the one already there) to take the place's action: goods, money, upgrades or rubies, paying any merchants already present. As soon as a player reaches the required number of rubies, finish the round and the most rubies wins.
The rules, step by step
Setup
Bazaar in a grid, 1 merchant each, Assistants, wheelbarrow
- The bazaar place tiles are laid out in a grid.
- Each player receives a merchant and their stack of assistants, a wheelbarrow and a few lira.
- The governor and the smuggler start on their places.
How to play
1 or 2 places, Leave an assistant, Take the place's action
- On your turn, move your stack one or two places.
- To take a place's action, leave an assistant there, or pick up the one you left there earlier.
- With no assistant available, you cannot take the place's action.
- Arriving at a place occupied by other merchants means paying them lira.
- The places let you obtain goods, money, upgrades and, above all, rubies.
Scoring
Only rubies count
- Only rubies count towards victory.
End of the game
Required rubies reached, Finish the round, Tie: lira
- As soon as a player reaches the required number of rubies, finish the round so that everyone has played the same number of turns.
- The most rubies wins; in a tie, the most lira, then the most goods.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Variants
Number of players
3 to 5 players: 5 rubies
2 players: 6 rubies
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
What if all your assistants are on the board?
You have to go back to a place where you left one to pick it up.