Kashgar: Merchants of the Silk Road

About this board game

Kashgar: Merchants of the Silk Road is a 2–4 player trading and card-management game played in about 45 minutes. Players guide three caravans, trade spices moving between Asia and Europe, and compete to reach 25 points.

Each caravan begins with three character cards arranged vertically, with the top section of every card visible. On a turn, choose the top card from one of your three caravans and perform the action shown on it. That card then moves to the back of its caravan, creating an open, shifting system of available actions.

To use the same caravan member again, you must first play every other card currently in that caravan row. This simple restriction makes timing important as you manage the order of your cards and look for effective combinations. Actions can change your supplies of spices, gold, and mules, tracked with wooden markers on your player board.

• Add new members to your caravans.
• Collect character cards and fulfill delivery requests.
• Use disruptive actions that remove caravan members or influence opponents’ caravans.
• Adapt your caravan sizes and card combinations as the game develops.

Four delivery request cards are available in the middle of the table, giving players goals to pursue as their caravans grow. The game ends when a player earns 25 points through character cards and completed delivery requests.

Known as open deck-building, Kashgar offers quick turns and little downtime. Once the different card actions are familiar, players can explore varied strategies by combining caravan members and adjusting the size and order of their caravans.