How to play

There are six goods and the camels. Diamonds, gold and silver are precious: worth more, but rarer.

Every good has a pile of goods tokens, highest value on top. Selling early grabs the big ones. Selling three or more cards at once also earns a bonus token, drawn face down from the pile for that size.

• 3-card bonuses are worth 1 to 3, 4-card bonuses 4 to 6, and 5-card bonuses 8 to 10.
• The camel token is worth 5 and goes to whoever has the bigger herd at the end of the round.

The market starts with three camels and two cards from the deck. Each player is dealt five cards. Any camels you are dealt go straight into your herd, face up in front of you. Camels never count as cards in your hand.

On your turn you do exactly one thing: take cards, or sell cards. You can never pass.

You may hold at most 7 cards in your hand at the end of your turn. Camels live in your herd and don’t count.

Take one good

Take a single goods card from the market into your hand. The empty spot is refilled from the deck.

Exchange

Take two or more goods from the market and give back the same number of cards, from your hand, from your herd (camels), or both. The cards you give go into the market. Three rules:

• You can’t take camels in an exchange.
• You can’t give back a type of good you’re taking (no swapping leather for leather).
• Your hand still has to end at 7 cards or fewer, which matters when you give camels.

Take the camels

Take all the camels from the market (never just some) and add them to your herd. The market is refilled from the deck, which often hands your opponent fresh goods.

Choose one type of good and discard any number of those cards from your hand. Take one token of that good per card sold, from the top of its pile. If the pile runs short, you get what’s left.

• Diamonds, gold and silver can only be sold two or more at a time.
• Sell 3 cards to earn a 3-card bonus, 4 cards for a 4-card bonus, and 5 or more for a 5-card bonus.
• Camels can never be sold.

The round ends immediately when either:

• three goods have run out of tokens, or
• the market needs refilling and the deck can’t fill it.

Then the bigger herd takes the camel token (a tie gives it to nobody), and each player adds up goods tokens, bonus tokens and the camel token. The richer merchant wins the round and a seal. On a tie, the player with more bonus tokens wins; if still tied, the one with more goods tokens.

• Race for the top tokens. The first sale of a good takes the best tokens. If your opponent is collecting the same good, sell before they do.
• Bonuses add up. Waiting for a 4 or 5 card sale can be worth more than selling early, but it’s a gamble.
• Camels are currency. They let you exchange for two or three goods at once without breaking up your hand, and the bigger herd earns 5 at the end.
• Watch what you leave behind. Taking camels refills the market blind. Giving cards in an exchange puts them right in front of your opponent.
• Track their hand. Every card your opponent takes from the market is public. The table shows you what they’re holding.