Marrakesh: Camels & Nomads — How to Play

Goal of the Game

In Marrakesh: Camels & Nomads, you take on the role of a merchant trying to thrive in the market. The main objective is to accumulate the highest possible score through resource management, trading luxury goods and, depending on the module used, winning a camel race. The winner is the one who has the highest total score at the end of the game.

Setup

Game setup may vary depending on the chosen modules. Below are the instructions for the main components:

• Board and Basic Components: Prepare the main board and components according to the chosen game mode.
• Nomads Module: Place the Nomad Board next to the Cube Tower and store all wooden Nomad Keshis there as a common supply.
• Camels Module:
  • Set up the Racecourse next to the main board.
  • Each player receives a Camel in their color and places it on the starting space of the track, above their color's Spectator Sector column.
  • Shuffle the Award Tiles and draw 3 randomly with one side up. Stack them in the designated space; the top tile is active for the first season.>
  • Place the Camel Dung Tiles in the designated space on the track.
• Special Buildings Module: Shuffle the Special Buildings in a cloth bag. Each player draws two, chooses one, and places it next to their Player Board. The others return to the box.
• Provision Tiles Module: Shuffle the Moderate Provision Tiles and Hard Provision Tiles separately. Each player receives 3 Base Game Provision Tiles, 1 Moderate, and 1 Hard. Choose one to be revealed.

Game Flow

The game is divided into rounds and seasons. The flow follows this structure:

1. Keshi Selection and Assistant Deployment: Players choose their Keshis and use their Assistants according to the rules of each module.
2. Keshi Claiming and Deployment: Players draw Keshis from the Cube Tower and place them on their boards.
3. Season Payout: Occurs after the river assessment and before the Provision Tiles payout. Includes:
   • Camel Dung Tiles: Players who are not leading the race collect Dung Tiles based on their distance from the leader.
   • Award Tiles: Players may discard Keshis from their Spectator Sector to gain immediate benefits.

Actions and How to Play

Actions depend on the active modules, but the main ones are:

Keshi Actions and Movement

• Claiming Keshis: When drawing Keshis from the tower, you can place them normally or, in the Camels module, place them in your Spectator Sector to advance your Camel on the track.
• Nomad Keshis: You can choose a Nomad Keshi instead of another Keshi by paying 1 Date and 1 Water. They can be placed in any sector (except the Souk) and guarantee a Deployment Bonus if placed in specific sectors (such as the Date Orchard, Sahara, or Main Square).
• Moving Nomad Keshis: Once per round, you can pay 1 Dinar to move a Nomad Keshi to any other sector on your board (except the Souk).

Assistant Actions

The Assistants are used to perform actions in specific sectors of the board. In solo mode, the Pashabot uses its own assistants following a priority order from top to bottom.

Camels Module: The Race

• Camel Advancement: The number of steps depends on the number of different colors in your Spectator Sector.
• Supply Bridge: To advance, it is necessary to pay the indicated combination of Dates and Water.
• Intermediate Goal Lines: Upon crossing a line, you gain 1 Goods Keshi of your choice and discard 1 Dung Tile. If you are the first to cross, you gain 1 Dinar.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when the end-game trigger is activated (consult the manual for the specific trigger for each mode). Final scoring includes:

• Dung Tiles: Each Dung Tile subtracts points (e.g., 1 tile = -2 points; 7 tiles = -20 points; each additional tile after the 7th subtracts 5 points).
• Race Position: If your Camel is on the Podium or has crossed the first finish line, score according to your position (1st: 16 pts, 2nd: 8 pts, 3rd: 4 pts, 4th: 2 pts).
• Camels Module: If your Camel reaches the final space, gain 5 points immediately and move to the Podium.
• Nomads Module: Each Nomad Keshi counts toward the 10-point bonus for a completely filled sector.
• New Luxury Goods Module: Scoring based on the number of types of luxury goods and pairs of goods.

Tips for Winning

Consult the manual for details regarding this section.