Snap your fellow rubies away ...

Material: 10 Entry: 08
Feel: 09 long-term fun: 08

The Game

... And become the "King" among the merchants.
Istanbul just won the Pfefferkuchel 2014. It would not surprise me if there would be followed by other awards.

The game:
The aim of the game is to (in the 2-player game 6 rubies) collect five rubies.
But first, the schedule is set up. The one designed from 16 different local platelets which either by default (there is next to the Novice installation "short distances" 3 further options). Then the different places with rubies, platelets and pawns are in accordance with the instructions provided. Here we go!
The gameplay is actually very simple. One moves 1-2 hexes (horizontally and / or vertically not diagonally) and performs an action on the site. You may optionally at the destination still encounter other partners who can trigger an intermediate action. Moving from place to place, you collect goods and attempts to convert it into cash. With the goods and / or money you can then purchase rubies and decide the game for themselves. The important thing is to always have enough helpers here, because without this you can conclude a trade.
It is helpful to expand on its duration handcarts to take more goods on board to acquire tiles at the mosques that help to advantages in the course of the game or to use bonus cards.

Rüdiger Dorn is with Istanbul succeeded from a gameplay very simple game to understand, which shines through his tactical finesse. Thus, the game is aimed at both experienced players as well as the advanced player family. It makes all the envisaged persons numbers (2-5 players) fun.

Material - 10

Included in Brettspielbox 16 location tiles, 5 handcarts, 15 expansion cards for the handcarts, each player (1 Kaufmann, 5 assistants, 1 family member and 4 goods decency pointer), 26 bonus cards, 16 Mosque platelets, 10 demand card (for both markets), 57 Coins , 4 markers for the post office, 5 short rules, 1 First Player Token, each a governor and a smuggler, 32 rubies and two dice.

If there's anything to criticize the material, then that one would choose the wooden square slightly larger can. The are to grab something heavy for larger (thicker) finger. So Pegasus doing something for general fine motor skills improve.

Getting Started - 08

As with many complex game of the introduction to the game is certainly a bit more complicated. At one point or another, the game manual is not yet 100% precisely formulated (This can be done at present an update on the homepage download), but the game is easy to understand. Especially since the basic flow consists only of the two possibilities of movement and action. However, the 16 local boards should be already well understood.

Feeling - 09

If you build the game for the first time, one suspects not even know what a tactical possibilities will offer in the game. Especially since you're dazzled by the attractive graphic of the 16 different stations of Istanbul's center. Simply sensational (here I do speak in the superlative) the simple game mechanic, which coupled with the interesting tactical possibilities a high depth of gameplay is created.
In addition, for example, by controlling how the merchant make only transactions if an assistant is (but can at least also a spot back), a certain realism is created. Here you have to think about his moves well, since one with a too frequent visit of the well (here you always get free his assistants back) will lose valuable time. And time is not just money that is actually a precious resource that must not be underestimated. Because money is needed everywhere (in addition to the goods and rubies also in meetings with other merchants) and the time depends a bit on the tactical optimization skill of the players.

The modular Schedule one has at the beginning of each game, a little disorientation, as with any new place because you always get to know better in the course. Even this feeling matches the winding streets of Istanbul's bazaars (who has been there, it can appreciate.).

The luck component is present through the tea room and the black market, however, not very pronounced (even if my has broken the "neck" in black market already in a game).

Long-term fun - 08

Clearly very high. And this for several reasons: simple game mechanics, so that can join and new players quickly. Tactical depth, so that experienced players can play. Different structures due to its modular Schedule so that the continuous development of "new" game conditions. And one should also not ignore the fact that the game takes about 60 minutes and thus is not abendfüllend certainly.

Likewise, the game works about as well as two in the four or five round equally well.