Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala

2014

Five Tribes is a strategic board game where players cleverly maneuver tribes to control the legendary Sultanate of Naqala. Invoke Djinns and outwit opponents for victory!

80
minutes

2 - 4
player(s)

13+

Medium

About the game

Welcome to the mesmerizing world of ‘Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala’, an enchanting board game that whisks you away to an alluring Arabian Nights-esque realm. Residing in this realm are the five tribes of Naqala, each with their unique traits and abilities, and the mystical Djinns, whose favor could tip the scales in your favor.

In the game, you are a powerful contender vying for control over the Sultanate of Naqala. The Sultan has just passed away, and the throne is open for the taking. The path to victory lies in your ability to maneuver the Five Tribes to your advantage and garner the most Victory Points.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

1. Game Board: This is the main playing area of the game. It is a colorful grid composed of 30 tiles, each representing a different location in the city of Naqala. Players move their meeple around the board to gain control of these tiles and collect resources.

2. 90 Meeples: These are the game’s main pieces. They come in five different colors – yellow, red, green, blue, and white – each representing one of the five tribes of Naqala. Players move these pieces around the board to perform actions and gain control of the city.

3. 12 Djinns: These are special cards that provide powerful abilities to the player who controls them. Each Djinn is unique and has a different effect on gameplay.

4. 22 Resource Cards: These cards represent various goods and treasures players can collect during the game. They can be traded in for victory points at the end of the game.

5. 96 Gold Coins: Gold is the main currency in Five Tribes. Players use it to bid for turn order, buy resources, and acquire Djinns.

6. 54 Victory Point Markers: These are used to track each player’s score throughout the game. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game wins.

7. Turn Order Track: This is a separate board that determines the order in which players take their turns. Players can bid gold coins to move up on the track and take their turn earlier.

8. 5 Player Aid Cards: These cards offer a quick reference for players, outlining the possible actions on a turn, the effects of each Djinn, and the values of different resources.

9. Bid Order & Turn Order Discs: These are used in conjunction with the Turn Order Track. Each player has a disc in their color that is moved up and down the track to indicate turn order.

10. 1 Scoring Pad: This is used to calculate and record scores at the end of the game.

11. 24 Camel Tokens: Each player has a set of camel tokens in their color. These are placed on the board to claim tiles once all meeples have been removed from them.

12. 2 Player Tokens: Each player has a token in their color that is used to indicate their current score on the Victory Point Track.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala is a strategy game where players assume the roles of various tribe leaders in the mythical land of Naqala. This guide will walk you through the setup process step by step.

Step 1: Board Placement

First, arrange the 30 tiles to create a 5×6 grid in the center of the play area. This will represent the Sultanate of Naqala. Ensure that the tiles are randomly distributed and oriented in any direction.

Step 2: Setting up the Resource Market

Next to the game board, place the resource market. Shuffle the resource cards and reveal the first 9 cards. Arrange these cards in the resource market, sorted by type and in ascending order of their value.

Step 3: Placement of the Tribes

Shuffle the 90 wooden tribe meeples in the bag. Randomly draw and place 3 meeples on each tile on the game board. The color of the meeple represents the tribe: yellow (Viziers), white (Elders), green (Merchants), blue (Builders), and red (Assassins).

Step 4: Djinns Cards

Shuffle the Djinns cards and reveal the first three next to the game board. These cards represent the Djinns that players can invoke during the game.

Step 5: Player Setup

Each player selects a color and takes the corresponding player markers (Camels and Turn markers).
Each player places one of their markers on the 50/100 scoring track around the game board and the other in front of them as a turn order marker.
Each player receives 50 gold coins, which are used as currency throughout the game.

Step 6: Determining the First Player

To determine the order of play, players bid using their gold coins. The player who bids the highest goes first, followed by the second highest bidder, and so on. Players’ bids are placed on the bid order track, and the coins are returned to the bank.

Step 7: Beginning The Game

With all these steps completed, you are now ready to begin your journey in the magical world of Naqala. Remember, the player who manages their tribes the best and conquers the most powerful city tiles will become the Sultan of Naqala.

Game flow Round and round we go

Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala is a strategic board game based on manipulating meeples over a modular board. In this game, players aim to control the Sultanate by managing the five tribes, trading resources, and conniving to seize control of the land.

Game Setup: At the start of the game, all tiles are laid out to form the Sultanate, and each tile is populated with three meeples. Players receive a bid order track, a turn order track, 50 coins, and 9 camel tokens of their color.

Gameplay: Gameplay progresses through rounds, each of which is divided into three phases: Bid for Turn Order, Player Turns, and Clean-up.

Phase One: Bid for Turn Order – This phase starts each round. Players bid coins for the position on the Turn Order track. The higher the bid, the earlier the player’s turn. Players can opt to pass, in which case they will go last.

Phase Two: Player Turns – In turn order, each player moves meeples and carries out actions. A turn consists of:

Movement: Players select a tile, pick up all meeples on it, and drop one meeple on each tile they move to. The final tile must have a meeple of the same color as the one being dropped.
Action: After movement, the player carries out the action of the last meeple color placed and the action of the tile. This includes actions related to the five different tribes (Assassins, Elders, Builders, Merchants, and Viziers), acquiring Djinns, or trading at the market.
Tile Control: If a player empties a tile of meeples, they place a camel of their color on it, indicating they control that tile.

Phase Three: Clean-up – After all players have taken their turn, the round ends with a clean-up phase. Any empty market stalls are refilled, and the first player token is passed to the next player.

Game End: The game ends when a player places their last camel, or there are no legal moves left on the board. Players then add up their scores from coins, Djinns, tiles, and other bonuses. The player with the highest score wins.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In ‘Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala’, the gameplay is structured around player turns. On a player’s turn, they can take several actions that will affect the game’s progress and their ability to score points. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of the actions and strategic choices a player can make during their turn:

1. Bid for Turn Order:

The first action a player can take on their turn is to bid for the turn order. This is a crucial aspect of the game as it determines the sequence in which players will act. The player who bids the highest amount of gold will go first, while the player who bids the least will go last.

2. Move Meeples:

The next action a player can take is to move Meeples. The player selects a tile and picks up all the Meeples on it, then moves them to other tiles, dropping one Meeple on each tile as they go. The final tile must contain at least one Meeple of the same color as the one the player is dropping.

3. Perform Tile and Meeple Actions:

After moving the Meeples, the player then performs the actions associated with the final tile they landed on and the Meeples they dropped. Each tile has a unique action, and each color of Meeple grants a different type of resource or effect.

Green Meeples (Merchants): Allow the player to acquire goods from the market.
White Meeples (Elders): Can be used to summon Djinns, who grant powerful abilities.
Yellow Meeples (Viziers): Grant points at the end of the game.
Blue Meeples (Builders): Generate gold based on the surrounding tiles.
Red Meeples (Assassins): Can eliminate other Meeples.

4. Buy Djinn Cards:

Another strategic choice a player can make during their turn is to buy Djinn cards. These cards grant powerful abilities that can greatly affect the game’s outcome. To buy a Djinn card, a player must spend Elders and/or gold.

5. Claim Control of a Tile:

If a player clears a tile of all Meeples during their turn, they can place a camel of their color on it to claim it. This tile will then generate points for the player at the end of the game.

6. End of Turn:

Once a player has performed all their actions, their turn ends, and the next player in the bidding order takes their turn. The game continues in this way until all tiles have been claimed or there are no legal moves left, at which point the game ends and points are tallied to determine the winner.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The game of ‘Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala’ ends when either one of two conditions is met:

When there are no legal moves left to make, that is, there are no remaining meeples on the board.
When one player has claimed all 12 of their camel markers, thereby controlling all tiles on the board.

Once the game has ended, players proceed to the final scoring phase. Here are the steps each player must take before final scoring:

Firstly, tile control: players count the points on the tiles they control (i.e., where they have placed their camels).
Secondly, resource cards: players add up the points from their resource cards. Resource cards are scored based on their total value in sets. A set of resource cards consists of 1 of each of the 9 different types of resource cards.
Next, djinn cards: players add the points from their Djinn cards. Each Djinn card has a specific point value.
Then, vizier meeples: players count the number of yellow Vizier meeples they have collected. Each Vizier meeple is worth 1 point, plus players get a 10-point bonus for each opponent who has fewer Vizier meeples.
Also, builders: players calculate the points from their builder meeples. The value of each builder is equal to the number of green tiles surrounding the city where the builder is located.
Finally, coins: every 3 coins a player has collected is worth 1 point.

The player with the highest total score after all these steps is the winner of the game. If there’s a tie, the player with the most coins left wins. If there’s still a tie, the player who went last in the turn order wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In the board game ‘Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala’, scoring is an essential part of the gameplay. The game comes to an end when there are no legal moves left, at which point the players add up their points. Points are awarded on several criteria:

Control of Cities and Oases: Each player earns points based on the number of camels placed on cities and oases. The value of the city or oasis is indicated on the tile.
Palm Trees and Palaces: Players earn points for each palm tree and palace on the tiles they control. Each palm tree is worth 3 points, and each palace is worth 5 points.
Goods: Players earn points from the goods they’ve collected throughout the game. The point value increases substantially with the number of unique goods in a player’s possession.
Viziers: Players earn points for each Vizier meeple in their possession at the end of the game. Each Vizier is worth 1 point, with an additional 10 points for each player they have more Viziers than.
Djinns: Players earn points from the Djinns they control, as indicated on the Djinn’s card.

After all points are calculated, the player with the highest total wins the game. In the case of a tie, the player with the most leftover money (in gold coins) wins. If there is still a tie, the player who was last in the turn order wins.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala has several special rules and exceptions that players must be aware of. These can significantly affect the course of the game and are important for a proper understanding of how to play.

1. The Djinn Cards:

Players can purchase Djinn cards using Elders and/or Slave cards. These powerful entities grant unique abilities or score bonus points at the end of the game. However, it’s important to note that:

The active player may only purchase one Djinn during their turn.
Players cannot exchange or sell their Djinns after they have been purchased.
The Djinn card Haurvatat does not allow a player to claim a tile that’s already controlled by another player.

2. The Assassin Meeples:

Assassin meeples allow players to remove other meeples from the game. There are a few key points to remember:

Assassins can target any meeple on the game board, not just the ones in the same or adjacent tiles.
They cannot target a meeple that is in a tile with a palm tree or palace.
When using the Djinn Sibittis, a player can use an assassin to remove another player’s camel from the board, but this does not give them control of the tile.

3. The Turn Order Bid:

In each round, players bid for turn order. However, it’s key to remember that:

Players who choose not to bid (i.e., placing their marker on the ‘0’ space) will play in the order of their markers from the previous round.
If the active player is unable to perform a legal move, they still lose their bid coins but do not take a turn.

4. The Elder and Slave Cards:

Elder and Slave cards can be used in various ways:

They can be used to purchase Djinns.
Slave cards can also be discarded to boost the power of an assassin or builder.
However, no more than one Slave card can be used per turn, regardless of the purpose.

5. The Game End:

The game ends when there are no legal moves left or when a player places their last camel. However, it’s important to note that:

If a player places their last camel but there are still legal moves possible, other players take their remaining turns in the current round.
The player who placed their last camel does not get any additional turns even if they have bid for a later turn.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

The game ‘Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala’ is a complex and strategic board game that requires a lot of thoughtful planning and clever tactics. Here are some advanced strategies, beginner tips, common mistakes to avoid, and ways to optimize gameplay:

Advanced Strategies:

Market Strategy: Focus on purchasing resources from the market. This can provide a steady income of victory points, and also allows you to control the market, potentially blocking other players from purchasing valuable resources.
Djinn Strategy: Invest in Djinns early in the game. Djinns can provide powerful abilities that can change the tide of the game in your favor.
Area Control Strategy: Aim to control as many tiles as possible. The more tiles you control, the more options you have for movement and actions.

Beginner Tips:

Try to understand the value of each action. Not all actions are created equal, so it’s important to know which actions will give you the most benefit.
Plan your moves ahead of time. This game requires a lot of forward-thinking, so try to anticipate your opponents’ moves and plan accordingly.
Don’t underestimate the power of Djinns. They might seem expensive at first, but their abilities can be game-changing.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Not diversifying your strategy. It’s easy to get caught up in one strategy, but it’s important to remain flexible and adapt to the changing game conditions.
Ignoring the market. The market can be a great source of victory points, so it’s a mistake to ignore it.
Not planning ahead. This game requires a lot of strategic planning, so it’s a mistake to play impulsively without thinking about your future moves.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

Make sure to keep track of your resources. It’s easy to lose track of what you have, so it’s a good idea to organize your resources in a way that makes it easy for you to see what you have.
Try to predict your opponents’ moves. If you can anticipate what your opponents are planning, you can make moves to block them or take advantage of their actions.
Always be on the lookout for opportunities to score victory points. Every action you take should be aimed at maximizing your victory point total.