Tuareg

About this board game

Tuareg is a resource-collecting and majority-scoring board game for 2–5 players, playable in about 30 minutes. Set between Timbuktu and Gao, it challenges players to gather water, gold, rock salt, and millet while preparing valuable loads for the journey to the next oasis.

The game unfolds in two stages. During each stage, players draw resource cards, add cards to the market, load goods onto camels, and purchase special cards. Camels can hold up to four cards and no more than two types of goods; water must remain separate, and a camel can carry no more than two gold cards.

• Draw three resource cards, placing one in the market and keeping the others within the hand limit.
• Load goods from your hand onto a camel according to the loading rules.
• Take up to four cards of one type from the market and load them onto a camel.
• Spend 3 dinars to buy a special card, paying with cards from your hand or from the top of a camel’s load.

Special cards provide additional storage and scoring options. Donkeys and caves offer different ways to store cards, thieves can steal cards, and maps provide bonus points. When the resource deck runs out, players complete one final turn before sorting their goods into piles by type across camels, donkeys, and caves.

Players score for having the most—or tying for the most—of each resource, along with points from strategically played special cards. Unused special cards can also be exchanged for points, with maps worth more. The resources are then reshuffled for a second stage, and the player with the highest total score in Tuareg wins.