FAQ
30 answered questions24 official
Rules questions from the BoardGameGeek forum. Answers marked Official were confirmed by Pegasus Spiele or the designers.
Common mistakes
- Moving again after an action — each turn you move once and visit one Place. Ruling · Rule
- Paying 2 Lira for other players’ Assistants — only Merchants are paid. Ruling · Rule
- Letting a freed Family member meet the Governor or Smuggler — it has no encounters. Ruling · Rule
- Sending the Family member out twice in one turn by returning it with a Bonus card. Ruling · Rule
- Playing other Bonus cards between an action and its "+1" repeat. Ruling · Rule
Showing 30 of 30
After the Fountain gives back my Assistants, can I keep moving? Official
No. Every turn you move once and visit a single Place; then your turn is over.
Source: BGG thread
Do I pay 2 Lira for other players' Assistants on my Place?
No. You only pay other players' Merchants (and, with Letters & Seals, Companions). Assistants are never encountered.
Source: BGG thread
Can I pick up my Assistant at a Place whose action I can't or won't use?
Yes. Picking up or leaving an Assistant is part of the move; the action itself is optional.
Source: BGG thread
With two Merchants on my Place, may I pay one and not the other? Official
Yes — your turn then ends at once, as for any refusal to pay.
Source: BGG thread
A Bonus card moves me 3–4 Places with my last Assistant. What if I end up out of reach of all my Assistants? Official
Then you may have to move your Merchant alone, without taking actions, until you reach an Assistant — even the Fountain may be too far.
Source: BGG thread
Can I stay on my Place by playing a Bonus card? Official
Only with the card that says you do not move your Merchant (and you must use an Assistant again). No other card lets you stay.
Source: BGG thread
How does the yellow Mosque tile work with movement?
Once per turn, pay 2 Lira to take one of your Assistants from any Place back under your Merchant — usually before moving, so you have one to leave behind. It does not replace picking up the Assistant that waits on the Place you reach.
Source: BGG thread
Can I visit the Fountain with a neutral Assistant on top of my stack (Neutral Assistants variant)? Official
Yes. The Fountain needs no Assistant: gather the Assistants you want under the neutral one.
Source: BGG thread
Must my freed Family member carry out the action where I send it? Official
No, the action is voluntary.
Source: BGG thread
Does my Family member meet the Governor or Smuggler where it lands?
No. The rulebook says a freed Family member has no encounters at all.
Source: BGG thread
I send my Family member out, then use a Bonus card to send it back to the Police Station. Can I send it out again? Official
No. You may take the reward for sending it back, but the Police Station's action has already been used this turn.
Source: BGG thread
Can a Family member's action be doubled with a "do this action twice" Bonus card? Official
Yes — at the Sultan's Palace, Post Office and Gemstone Dealer, and also at the Wainwright, Coffee House and Secret Society: "you are at" includes your Family member. You do not need another Assistant for the repeat.
Source: BGG thread
Can I take the Governor's card (or the Smuggler's good) and discard it at once? Official
Yes — you pay with what you just received; the token is then rerolled to a new Place, which may be the point.
Source: BGG thread
Why can the Governor and Smuggler never reach Places 1 and 13–16? Official
On purpose: those are the Places that give Rubies. Two dice also make the Fountain (7), which players usually avoid, the most likely spot.
Source: BGG thread
At the Caravansary, may I look through the face-up discard pile? Official
Yes, all face-up Bonus cards are open information. The cards you already own count as in your hand, so the card you discard can be an old one.
Source: BGG thread
Do played and discarded Bonus cards go to different piles? Official
No, both go face up on the Caravansary.
Source: BGG thread
Can I play two "repeat the Post Office" cards to use it three times? Official
Yes, that is intended.
Source: BGG thread
Can I play other Bonus cards between an action and its repeat? Official
No. A "+1 action" card belongs to the action and must be played immediately after it; playing another card in between ends the action. Likewise you cannot buy a Ruby, collect money or goods with a card, then repeat.
Source: BGG thread
Can I play a Bonus card in the middle of an action, such as returning my Family member while it is acting?
No. Bonus cards are played before or after an action, not during it; a Family member removed mid-action leaves nobody to finish it.
Source: BGG thread
The Black Market (or Guild card #8) gives more blue goods than my Wheelbarrow holds. What happens? Official
You fill that good to the top and lose the excess; you may still play the Guild card.
Source: BGG thread
Is Lira hidden? Official
No — money is open information, since it is a tie-breaker.
Source: BGG thread
The Black Market tile still shows small green and blue numbers. What are they?
Left-overs of the first edition's alternative layouts. The Big Box replaced them with the "Short paths" and "Long paths" layout diagrams; ignore them.
Source: BGG thread
Does coffee (or a Letter) count as a leftover good in the tie-breaker? Official
No. Only the four goods on your Wheelbarrow count, whatever expansions you use.
Source: BGG thread
What happens when the last Ruby leaves the Sultan's Palace, Gemstone Dealer or Coffee House? Official
With the Big Box rules you put a Ruby from the supply on that Place's Ruby symbol, so it can always be bought. The rule came with Letters & Seals, which added spare Rubies.
Source: BGG thread
With the Tavern Movement tile, can I still move 1 or 2 Places the normal way? Official
Yes. Each turn choose: the normal 1–2 Places, or any distance in a straight line.
Source: BGG thread
When I place the Barrier next to the Tea House or Black Market, can I use the red Mosque tile or the "turn a die to 6" card? Official
Yes to both.
Source: BGG thread
At the Catacombs, may I "move" back onto the Catacombs? Official
Yes, it is allowed, though it is rarely useful. You never pick up an Assistant or take an action where the Catacombs send you.
Source: BGG thread
Can a Family member sitting in the Police Station deliver a Letter for Place 12? Official
The written rules allow it, but the developer recommends not allowing it; either way the game is not broken.
Source: BGG thread
When do I reshuffle the Kiosk tiles? Official
Only when you need more tiles than are left: then shuffle all discarded tiles into new stacks.
Source: BGG thread
In The Great Bazaar, may the Tea House and Black Market share a row or column? Official
No. As in the Random Layout, keep them at least 3 Places apart and in different rows and columns.
Source: BGG thread