Istanbul
2014
Outsmart your competitors in Istanbul! Lead your merchant team, maximize your wheelbarrow, acquire abilities, trade goods for rubies, and win in this strategic board game.
60
minutes
2 - 5
player(s)
10+
Medium
About the game
There’s hustle and bustle at Istanbul’s grand bazaar as merchants and their assistants rush through the narrow alleys in their attempt to be more successful than their competitors. Everything must be well organized: wheelbarrows must be filled with goods at the warehouses, then swiftly transported by the assistants to various destinations. Your goal? Be the first merchant to collect a certain number of rubies. In Istanbul, you lead a group of one merchant and four assistants through 16 locations in the bazaar. At each such location, you can carry out a specific action. The challenge, though, is that to take an action, you must move your merchant and an assistant there, then leave the assistant behind (to handle all the details while you focus on larger matters). If you want to use that assistant again later, your merchant must return to that location to pick him up. Thus, you must plan ahead carefully to avoid being left with no assistants and thus unable to do anything… In more detail, on a turn you move your merchant and his retinue of assistants one or two steps through the bazaar, either leave an assistant at that location or collect an assistant left earlier, then perform the action. If you meet other merchants or certain individuals at the location, you might be able to take a small extra action. Possible actions include: Paying to increase your wheelbarrow capacity, which starts the game with a capacity of only two for each good. Filling your wheelbarrow with a specified good to its limit. Acquiring a special ability, and the earlier you come, the easier they are to collect. Buying rubies or trading goods for rubies. Selling special combinations of goods to make the money you need to do everything else. When a merchant has collected five rubies in his wheelbarrow, players complete that round, then the game ends. If this player is the only one who’s reached this goal, he wins immediately; otherwise ties are broken by money in hand.
Setup and rules summary
Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go
In the board game ‘Istanbul’, you are a merchant navigating the bustling bazaars of Istanbul’s market district. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up the game:
Step 1: Preparing the Game Board
First, you’ll need to prepare the game board. ‘Istanbul’ doesn’t have a fixed board – instead, it consists of 16 place tiles that create a 4×4 grid. For your first few games, it’s recommended to use the layout provided in the rulebook. Experienced players can randomize the layout for a new experience each time.
Step 2: Merchant Setup
Each player chooses a color and takes the corresponding merchant disc and 4 assistants of that color. The merchant discs are placed on the fountain tile, while the assistants are kept in front of the players.
Step 3: Setting Up Goods and Coins
Arrange the 4 stacks of goods markers (fruit, spice, fabric, and jewelry) and the coins (2 and 5 lira coins) next to the board where all players can reach them. Each player receives 2 lira and 1 of each type of goods marker.
Step 4: Bonus Cards and Tiles
Shuffle the bonus cards and place them as a face-down stack next to the board. Each player draws 1 bonus card. Shuffle the mosque tiles and place them face up on the mosque spaces. The topmost tile should be the one with the lower goods requirement.
Step 5: Wares Cards
Shuffle the wares cards and place them as a face-down stack next to the board. Reveal the top 5 cards and place them face up next to the stack.
Step 6: Stacks of Extension Tiles
Place the stacks of extension tiles next to the board. The topmost tile should show the side with the darker background.
Step 7: Family Members and the Governor
Place the 2 neutral family members and the governor on the fountain tile.
Step 8: Rubies
Place the rubies on the Sultan’s Palace and the Gemstone Dealer. The number of rubies depends on the number of players: 5 for 2 players, 6 for 3 players, and 7 for 4 players.
After completing these steps, the game is ready to start. Players take turns in clockwise order, beginning with the youngest player. The objective of ‘Istanbul’ is to be the first to collect a certain number of rubies (5 for 2 players, 5 for 3 players, 6 for 4 players).
End of the game All good games must come to an end
The game of Istanbul continues until one player has collected a predetermined number of rubies. The number of rubies required to end the game varies depending on the number of players: for two players, it’s 6 rubies; for three players, it’s 5 rubies; and for four players, it’s 5 rubies as well. The player who collects the required number of rubies triggers the game’s end.
Once the endgame is triggered, each player, including the one who collected the final ruby, gets one last turn. This last turn allows all players to potentially collect additional rubies or complete other actions to finalize their scores. After these final turns, the game ends, and the player with the most rubies is declared the winner.
If there is a tie in the number of rubies, the tie-breaker is the amount of money each player has. The player with the most money wins the tie. If there is still a tie, the player who triggered the endgame wins.
Victory Conditions:
- Collect the required number of rubies: By visiting different locations on the board and taking advantage of various actions, players can gather the necessary rubies to meet the victory condition.
- Acquire the most money: If there is a tie in the number of rubies, the player with the most money wins.
- Trigger the endgame: If there is still a tie after considering money, the player who triggered the endgame wins.
Actions Before Final Scoring:
- Players should make sure to complete all actions on their final turn. This includes any available actions at their current location, as well as bonus actions from previously collected cards.
- Players can also use any remaining assistants to take additional actions, if applicable.
- Lastly, players should count their money, as it could potentially serve as a tie-breaker.
Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?
In the board game ‘Istanbul’, players aim to earn rubies faster than their opponents. The game’s scoring system primarily revolves around the acquisition of these rubies. Here’s how the points are awarded and how tie-breaking is handled:
Acquiring Rubies:
- Markets: Players can acquire rubies by paying the required amount of goods at the Gemstone Dealer or the Spice Warehouse.
- Trading Places: Players earn rubies by filling their wheelbarrows with goods at the Sultan’s Palace or the Fruit Orchard and then trading them.
- Mosques: Players can also earn rubies by fulfilling certain conditions at the Great Mosque or the Small Mosque.
- Wainwright: A player earns a ruby after fully expanding their wheelbarrow at the Wainwright.
Tie-Breaking Rules:
In the event of a tie, the game uses the following criteria to determine the winner:
- The player with the most remaining coins wins.
- If there is still a tie, the player with the most remaining goods in their wheelbarrow wins.
- If a tie still exists, the player with the most bonus cards wins.
- If there is still a tie, the player who triggered the end of the game wins.
Note: In ‘Istanbul’, strategy and efficient resource management are key to winning. Players must plan their moves carefully, keeping in mind both the rubies and the tie-breaking conditions.
Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?
Istanbul is a complex board game with many rules and exceptions. Here are some of the most important ones:
Merchant and Assistants: The main difference between the Merchant and the Assistants is that the Merchant can move in any direction, while Assistants can only follow the Merchant. Also, the Merchant is the only one who can perform the action of a place.
Encountering other Merchants: If a player moves their Merchant onto a space occupied by another player’s Merchant, they must pay that player 2 Lira. If they cannot or do not want to pay, they cannot move to that space.
Storages and Goods: Each player’s wheelbarrow has a capacity limit. Players cannot store more goods than their wheelbarrow allows. However, they can increase their storage capacity by purchasing extensions.
Wainwright: The Wainwright allows players to increase their wheelbarrow capacity. The first extension costs 7 Lira, the second 9 Lira, and the third 10 Lira.
Meeting a family member: If a player’s Merchant lands on a space occupied by their family member (who was released from the police station), they can immediately make another move.
The Sultan’s Palace: To deliver goods at the Sultan’s Palace, players need to have the exact goods depicted on the next available tile. They cannot deliver more or less.
The Gemstone Dealer: The Gemstone Dealer sells gemstones. The first gemstone costs 12 Lira, the second 13 Lira, and so on. Players cannot buy more than one gemstone per visit.
Smuggler and Governor: Players who land on the same space as the Smuggler or Governor can choose to interact with them. This involves either a trade with the Smuggler or taking a bonus card from the Governor. However, players must either pay 2 Lira or return a bonus card to the Governor after drawing a new one.
End of the Game: The game ends when a player collects their fifth ruby. After this, all players get one more turn before the game ends.
Remember, these are just some of the many rules and exceptions in Istanbul. Always refer to the game manual for a comprehensive understanding of the game.