Samarkand: Routes to Riches

In Samarkand: Routes to Riches, you step into the shoes of a member of an influential merchant family, aiming to expand your power and wealth through strategic marriages and the construction of lucrative trade routes. The game invites you to delve into the fascinating world of ancient Samarkand, where family alliances and control over trade routes are the keys to victory. The objective is simple, yet its execution is full of nuances: accumulate the most victory points through established trade relationships, valuable goods, and, of course, plenty of money.

Each turn, you face a crucial choice: either marry into a new merchant family, paying the entry cost to secure your influence, or expand the trade routes of a family you are already linked to by marriage. But be warned, each family only accepts up to two 'in-laws'! When expanding a route, you use the family's resources to extend your network, seeking to connect with other families not yet reached, establishing new trade relationships, and, most importantly, being the first to reach coveted goods spaces.

The game concludes when all families have established at least one trade relationship, or when a single family has established five. The final score is a clever sum of your goods cards combined with the acquired goods markers, the trade relationship markers you've collected, and the money remaining in your coffers. A fun fact: this title evolved from 'Age of Scheme: Routes to Riches', but with adjusted rules, a different player count, and a visual refresh, it's considered an entirely new game. Get ready to forge alliances, plot routes, and dominate trade!