How to Play Marrakech

Game Objective

In the vibrant Carpet Market in Marrakesh Square, merchants are vying for the title of best trader. The main objective is to have the largest quantity of visible carpets at the end of the game, while also accumulating the greatest fortune. A player's fortune is the sum of the quantity of their visible carpets and the total of their saved money (Dirhams). The player with the greatest fortune wins the game!

Preparation (Setup)

Let's prepare the market for the hustle and bustle!

1. First, place Assam, the Market owner, in the center of the market square (see fig.1 in the manual).
2. Each player receives 30 Dirhams, consisting of 5 "1 Dirham" pieces and 5 "5 Dirhams" pieces.
3. The quantity of carpets each player receives varies according to the number of participants:
   • With 3 players, each receives 15 carpets of the same color and places them in front of them.
   • With 4 players, each receives 12 carpets of the same color.
4. For the Two-Player Rules, each player receives 30 Dirhams and 24 carpets of two different colors. These carpets must be mixed to form a pile, and will be laid out in the order they appear in the pile.
5. Choose the starting player randomly.
6. The game proceeds clockwise, with each player taking their turn.

Game Flow

On their turn, each player performs the following three actions, always in this order:

1. Moves Assam;
2. If necessary, pays their opponent;
3. Then they lays out one of their own carpets.

For the VARIANT of the game, the order of actions is different:

1. roll the die
2. move Assam
3. pay the opponent (if necessary)
4. lay out one of their own carpets
5. turn Assam a quarter turn

In the VARIANT, the next player is forced to move Assam in the direction he is now facing.

Actions and How to Play

Let's detail each step of your turn:

1. Move Assam

Before rolling the die, the player decides the direction in which Assam will be moved. You can:

• Leave Assam in the direction he is already facing.
• Turn Assam 90º to the left or right (he cannot turn 180º) (see fig.2 in the manual).

After choosing the direction, you roll the die. The number of sandals shown on the face of the die indicates how many squares Assam will be moved. Assam moves in a straight line (not diagonally) in the direction you selected. If Assam is to leave the market, he follows the half-turn indicated by the mosaics (the mosaics do not count for movement) (see fig.3 in the manual).

2. Payments Between Vendors

If Assam ends his movement on an opponent's carpet, you, the player who moved Assam, must make a payment to the owner of the carpet. The amount to be paid is equal to the number of squares connected by carpets of the same color as the carpet where Assam stopped. The edges of the squares must touch; they do not count if they only touch diagonally. The square where Assam stopped counts for the payment (see fig. 4 in the manual).

You do not need to make any payment if Assam ends his movement on an empty square or on one of your own carpets.

If a player runs out of money, they pay what they can and leave the game. Their unlaid carpets are returned to the game box. The carpets they have already played remain in the market and become neutral; the other players do not need to pay when they stop on them.

3. Laying Out Carpets

After payments (if any), you lay out one of your carpets near the square where Assam ended his movement. One edge of the carpet you are laying out must touch one of the four edges of the square where Assam stopped (see fig. 5 in the manual).

A carpet can be laid out over:

• Two empty squares.
• One empty square and half of another carpet (the color of the existing carpet does not matter).
• Two halves of different carpets.

Important: an opponent's carpet cannot be entirely covered by another carpet (it can only be fully covered by two carpets). See fig. 5a, 5b and 5c in the manual for examples.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends as soon as the last carpet is laid out in the market.

For final scoring:

• Each visible carpet half of your color counts as one point.
• Each Dirham you saved counts as one point.

The player with the most points wins the game. In case of a tie, the player with the most Dirhams wins.

Tips for Winning

Refer to the manual for details on this section.