Welcome to the World of Five Tribes

Welcome to the mesmerizing land of 1001 Nights, where your caravan finally reaches the legendary Sultanate of Naqala.

A deep, uncanny silence blankets the air as the news of the old sultan’s demise spreads like wildfire. It’s a time of uncertainty, as the prophetic oracles have long since predicted the arrival of outsiders, who will strategically manipulate the Five Tribes to seize control of this mythical city-state.

Will you be the one to fulfill this ancient prophecy? With cunning and wisdom, harness the powers of the ancient Djinns, skillfully maneuver the Tribes, and seize your moment to claim the Sultanate as your own!

The Things You’ll Find

This is what you’ll find in the box:

• 2 sets of 8 camels

• 2 player turn markers

• 5 summary sheets for turn order and djinns

• A scoring sheet pad

• 2 sets of 11 camels

• 2 player turn markers

• A bid order track and a turn order track

• 90 wooden tribe meeples

• A bag of meeples

• 12 palm trees

• 10 palaces

• 30 tiles (12 blue tiles for villages and sacred places, 18 red tiles for markets and oasis)

• 22 djinn cards

• 96 gold coins (48 worth 5, 48 worth 1)

• 54 resource cards (36 merchandise, 18 fakirs)

Now, let me explain how to set up the game.

Hey there! If you’re just starting to play, the first thing you need to do is punch out all the pieces from the punchboards that came with your game. But before you toss out the empty frames, insert them under the vacuum tray in your game box. Why? Well, this will keep your tray nice and level with the top of the box, so your game pieces won’t go flying everywhere when you put it away.

Now, let’s talk about the game setup. If you’re playing with 3 or 4 players, each person grabs 8 Camels and 1 Turn marker in their favorite color. Just ignore the extra pink and blue Camels and Turn markers. But if you’re playing with 2 players, things are a little different. One player gets all 11 Pink Camels and 2 Turn markers, while the other player takes all 11 Blue Camels and 2 Turn markers.

Oh, and here’s a nifty tip: in a 2-player game, each player gets two Turn markers instead of one. That means each player gets to take two turns per round. You can even take two turns in a row if you place your markers on two neighboring spots!

When we play the game, each of us receives 50 Gold Coins. These coins have different values, with 9 coins worth “5” each and 5 coins worth “1” each. We should keep the value of our Gold Coins secret from other players by keeping them face down until the end of the game.

To set up the game, we need to mix all 30 Tiles and randomly place them face up to create a rectangle with 5 rows and 6 columns. This rectangle is called the Sultanate.

Next, we need to mix all 90 wooden Meeples in a bag and randomly drop them in sets of 3 onto each Tile.

We should also place the Bid Order Track and the Turn Order Track next to the Sultanate.

Each of us will have a Turn marker which we will randomly place on the Bid Order Track. This will determine the order in which we initially bid for positions on the Turn Order Track.

We should shuffle all the Resource cards to form a draw pile. Then, we draw the top 9 cards and lay them face up in a row next to the draw pile.

Let’s begin the game by shuffling the Djinns’ cards and placing them face down in a draw pile. Now, draw the top 3 cards and lay them face up next to the draw pile.

Next, we need to set up the bank. Take the Palm Trees, Palaces, and all the remaining Gold Coins and place them in a bank that is easily accessible to all players.

Now that everything is ready, we can start playing!

What’s the Goal?

In Five Tribes, you are a mysterious explorer who has arrived in the legendary city-state of Naqala. Your objective is to control the local Tribes, summon powerful Djinns, and gain influence. The player with the most Victory Points at the end of the game will be crowned The Great Sultan and emerge as the winner.

How to Score Victory Points

You can earn Victory Points (VPs) in the following ways:

• 1 VP for each Gold Coin that you have.
• 1 VP for each Vizier (YELLOW Meeple) that you own. You can also earn an additional 10 VPs for every opponent who has fewer Viziers than you.

How to Score Points in Five Tribes

Scoring points in the game Five Tribes can be a bit confusing, but I’m here to explain it to you! So let’s dive in and uncover the different ways you can earn points in this enchanting game.

Earning Victory Points (VPs)

To determine your victory points, you need to consider several factors:

• 2 VPs per Elder (the WHITE Meeple) you own
• The sum of VPs for all your Djinns
• 3 VPs for each Palm Tree on all of your Tiles (those with one of your Camels on it)
• 5 VPs for each Palace on all of your Tiles
• The sum of VPs for all of your Tiles
• The sum of VPs for each series of Merchandise (excluding Fakirs) you own that are all different

By considering all these factors, you can calculate your total number of VPs and gain a competitive edge.

Understanding the Game Turn

At the beginning of the game and the start of each new turn, all players need to bid for Turn Order. This determines the sequence in which they will play during the turn.

1. Bidding For Turn Order

Now, in order to kickstart the turn, each player must engage in a bidding process to establish the turn order. This adds another layer of strategy to the game and sets the stage for the exciting gameplay that lies ahead.

When it’s my turn to bid in the game, I’m the one who gets to go first. I choose a spot on the Turn Order Track where I want to place my Turn Marker. The Turn Order Track shows different spots with different amounts of Gold Coins. I pay the bank the number of Gold Coins shown on the spot I choose, and then I put my Turn Marker on that spot.

Oliver really wants to play early this turn, but he doesn’t want to spend too much money. He knows that Gold Coins are valuable Victory Points at the end of the game. So, he decides to go for the spot marked “3” and pays 3 gold to the bank. After that, he places his Turn marker there.

Now, it’s the turn of the player whose Turn Marker is next on the Bid Order Track. They have to pay for the spot they choose and place their Turn Marker there. The process continues with each player taking their turn in order until all Turn Markers have been placed on the Turn Order Track. It’s important to note that players cannot bid for or place their Turn Marker on a spot where another Turn Marker is already placed, unless they bid 0.

Now it’s my turn. I can’t choose spot “3” because Oliver already took it, and spot “5” seems like too much to give up just to play before Oliver. So, I’ll pay 1 gold to the bank and put my marker on “1” on the Turn Order Track.

Now it’s my turn: I want to save my gold for later, so I decide to bid 0. This means I don’t have to pay anything. I place my Turn marker on the “0” spot that’s closest to the length of the Turn Order track.

If you choose to bid zero and there are already some Turn Markers on the “0”s, those markers will be moved to make space for your Turn Marker. This means that the last person to bid on “0” will be the first to play, while the person who bid first will play last in this turn!

So here’s the deal: I’m the last one to go, and if I bid zero, I won’t have to pay anything and I’ll get to play before Anna. Sounds like a smart move to me!

Now, listen up, because there’s a rule you need to know. You see, there can never, and I mean never, be more than 3 Turn Markers placed on those “0”s. So if all three of them are taken, guess what? The last player has to bid at least 1. But hey, here’s the silver lining, they’ll get to play first this turn!

Okay, let’s talk about how we decide who goes first. It’s all about the position of our Markers on the Turn Order Track. The players with the highest value Markers get to go before the rest. Simple as that!

Now, it’s my turn to go first, followed by Sam, then Peter, and finally Anna.

2. Player’s Actions

When it’s your turn, you need to do the following things before the next player can take their turn:

2.1 Move Your Turn Marker

Take your Turn Marker off the Turn Order Track and put it on the first empty spot on the Bid Order Track.

Note: If you go first, it means you will also bid first for the turn order in the next round. But remember, bidding too much each turn will cost you Gold Coins, which are also Victory Points at the end of the game. So, it might not be the best strategy to always go first!

2.2 Move Your Meeples

So, here’s the deal: you need to pick a Tile that still has some Meeples on it – at least one, to be precise. Take all those Meeples in your hand and get ready to move them onto adjacent Tiles. Simple enough, right? Well, there are a few rules you gotta follow while you do it.

Rule number one: the Last Meeple Same Color rule. It’s up to you to decide the order in which you drop your Meeples as you move from one Tile to another. But, and this is important, that last Meeple you drop has to go on a Tile that already has at least one Meeple of the same color. Gotta keep the Meeples together, you know?

The second rule is the No Diagonal rule. So, no zig-zagging all over the place. You can only move your Meeples to Tiles that are right next to the one you started on. No diagonal hops allowed!

Last but not least, there’s the No Immediate Backtracking rule. Once you’ve passed through a Tile and dropped a Meeple there, you can’t turn right back around and go back the way you came. Gotta keep moving forward, my friend!

So, that’s the lowdown on how to move those Meeples. As long as you follow these three rules – Last Meeple Same Color, No Diagonal, and No Immediate Backtracking – you’ll be a Meeple-moving maestro in no time. Have fun!

So, what I do is I take that yellow Meeple and I drop it on the tile right next to it. Then, I take the white Meeple and drop it on the tile after that. This is a legal move because the last tile already had a white Meeple on it.

Remember: While I move, I can go through tiles without Meeples and drop one Meeple on each of them. But I can never finish my move on an empty tile. There always has to be at least one Meeple of the same color as my last Meeple on that final tile!

No Diagonal Rule: I can only move my Meeples sideways, from one tile to the one right next to it. I can’t move diagonally.

I can’t get to the Oasis because I’m stuck on this green Meeple.

Remember: You can’t go back to a Tile you just passed through right away. But if you have enough Meeples, you can come back to it later during the same move to complete a loop.

Don’t drop the second red Meeple on the Small Market Tile – that would mean going back.

When you learn the game, it’s best to lay the Meeples you drop down sideways, not upright. This way, you can change your mind if needed while planning your move. But don’t forget to stand the Meeples back up after you finish your move.

2.3 Tile Control Check

After you finish moving the Meeples, pick up the last Meeple you dropped on the final Tile, along with all the other Meeples of the same color that were already there before your move.

Now you should have at least 2 Meeples of the same color in your hand: the one you dropped last, and at least 1 Meeple of the same color that was already on that Tile before. If you don’t have both, it means you didn’t follow the rule called “Last Meeple Same Color” on page 4. Give it another try!

If you remove all the Meeples of this color from the Tile and it becomes empty, it means you’ve taken control of that Tile. To mark your ownership, place one of your Camels on it. Remember, at the end of the game, you’ll earn points called VPS for each Tile where your Camels are sitting.

So, here’s the deal. You’re playing the game and you come across a Tile that already has 2 White Meeples on it. If you decide to stop there, you end up with 3 White Meeples in your hand and you take control of that Tile. But, let’s say you keep going and stop on a Tile that has 3 White Meeples and 1 Blue one. Well, in that case, you’ll have 4 White Meeples in your hand, but you won’t have control of the Tile.

Here’s a little tip for you: when you’re moving around the board, you can go through Tiles that are already controlled by other players or even yourself. Just remember to drop one Meeple on each Tile as you pass through. But here’s the catch, if you end up emptying a Tile that already belonged to someone, it doesn’t change ownership. It stays with the original player. And once a Tile has a Camel on it, it’s there for good. No changing ownership for that one.

2.4 Tribes Actions

Alright, let’s talk about what you can do with the Meeples in your hand. These little guys belong to the Tribe, and they’re ready to take some action! No matter what happened with the final Tile, you still get to perform these Actions. Cool, right?

The Yellow Viziers Tribe

Hey there! Congratulations on collecting all those Yellow Meeples. Now it’s time to put them to good use. Keep them right in front of you because they’re going to earn you some victory points at the end of the game. Pretty cool, right?

White Elders Tribe

Here’s what you need to know about the White Elders Tribe. First, collect all the White Meeples and keep them in front of you. These White Meeples can be valuable and earn you victory points during the game. If you have any White Meeples left at the end of the game, they will contribute to your final score. But that’s not all. You can also use these Elders during the game to your advantage. Instead of saving them for points, you can spend them to gain Djinns or use their special abilities. It’s up to you!

Welcome to the Green Merchants Tribe!

Hey there! If you see any Green Meeples, just toss them back into the bag. Then, grab a bunch of Resource cards! Look for the ones that are chillin’ face-up in a line. Starting at the beginning, take as many as you snagged Green Meeples. But, hold up – don’t replace any of the cards just yet!

Welcome to the Blue Builders Tribe!

Hey there! Put these cool Blue Meeples right back in the bag and watch your fortune soar. You’re in for a treat!

• First things first, let’s count how many Blue valued Tiles are around you, including the one you just landed on. Take your time, I’ll wait.
• Now, multiply that number by how many Blue Meeples you just returned to the bag. Exciting, isn’t it?

But wait, there’s more! Want an even bigger multiplier? You can toss out as many Fakir cards from your amazing hand as you want. For each card you discard, you’ll get an extra point added to your multiplier. Talk about a winning move!

I just completed my move and I noticed something interesting. There are four blue tiles surrounding the red tile I landed on. Since my last meeple was blue, and there were already two blue meeples on that tile, I decided to put three blue meeples in the bag. I also decided to get rid of two fakirs. As a result, I immediately gained 20 gold coins, which is calculated by multiplying 4 by (3+2). If the tile I landed on had also been blue, I would have earned even more – 25 gold coins to be exact, by multiplying 5 by (3+2).

The Red Assassins Tribe

When it comes to the Red Assassins Tribe, there are a few important things to remember. First, if you have any Red Meeples, you should immediately put them back in the bag.

Next, you have the ability to take out one other Meeple. Simply remove it from the game and put it back in the bag. It’s important to note that the Meeple you choose to remove can either be one of your choice, as long as it’s located on a Tile no farther away from your final Tile than 1 Tile per Assassin you just dropped in the bag (always counting sideways, never diagonally, for distance purposes). Alternatively, you can remove one Yellow or one White Meeple that an opponent has in front of them.

Now, here’s a bonus for you. If you have any Fakir cards in your hand, you can discard as many as you want to increase the range of your Assassins. Each Fakir card you discard will allow your Assassins to reach 1 more Tile in distance.

Hey there!

I have an important tip to share with you. If you happen to remove all the Meeples from a new Tile with one of your Assassins Actions, guess what? You gain control of that Tile right away! And to mark your territory, just place one of your Camels on it.

So, picture this: you could potentially take control of not just one, but two Tiles in a single turn. That’s right! The first Tile can be yours if you end your move on a Tile that has only Assassins Meeples left. And as for the second Tile, well, you can get it by using your Assassins’ Action to kill a Meeple on a Tile that only has one Meeple left and is within reach of your Assassins.

In just one move, these Assassins allow you to gain control over not one, but two Tiles!

If you happen to run out of Camels while taking control of two Tiles this way, you won’t be able to take control of the Tile where you assassinated a Meeple. Also, you don’t get to choose which of the two Tiles you control – you have to start with the one where you ended your turn.

2.5 Tile Actions

After I finish my Tribe actions, I need to do the Action for the Tile that my last Meeple was on, even if I didn’t take control of that Tile.

If I use Assassins to take control of a second Tile during my turn, I can’t do the actions of that Tile. I can only do the actions of the Tile where I ended my move.

Each Tile has a symbol that shows what kind of action I can do.

If the symbol has a Red arrow, I have to do the Tile’s Action:

I’ve got something really cool for you. Check this out – an oasis! It’s a special place that you’ll find on this tile. What makes it so special? Well, when you’re there, you can place a palm tree. And guess what? There’s no limit to how many palm trees you can have on a tile. Pretty awesome, right? Oh, just one thing – if you run out of palm trees, you won’t be able to do this action. But don’t worry, it’s still a great place to hang out.

Now let me tell you about another cool spot – the village. It’s like a little community. No, not just any community, a community on this tile. And you know what you can do there? Lots of things! But one thing for sure is that you can’t put a palm tree there. It’s just not the right place for it. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

So, now that you know about these two awesome spots, what do you think? Pretty neat, huh? If you’re into this kind of thing, you’re gonna love it. Trust me, it’s worth checking out. And remember, if you run out of palm trees, you won’t be able to do that action. But hey, there’s always more to discover on this island. So go ahead, explore and have fun!

Hey there! Let me tell you about an exciting game called Palace. It’s super fun! In this game, there are these things called Palaces, and you can place one on a tile. You can actually have as many Palaces as you want on a tile, which is pretty cool. However, if you run out of Palaces, you won’t be able to place any more.

Now, when it comes to other symbols on the tile, you have a choice. The tile’s action is not compulsory, meaning you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. It’s completely up to you. But here’s the thing, if you do want to take the action, you need to be able and willing to pay its cost. So keep that in mind.

Small Market

Hey there! How about a little shopping spree? For just 3 Gold Coins, you can grab any Resource card from the first three that catch your eye. They’re all right there, tempting you with their possibilities.

Calling All Shoppers

For just 6 Gold Coins, you can choose 2 Resource cards from the first 6 cards you see. If there is only 1 left, you still need to pay 6 Gold Coins to take it. Remember, don’t replace any of the cards you’ve already chosen!

The Power of Sacred Places

When it’s time to choose a Djinn, you have two options: pay either 2 Elders or 1 Elder + 1 Fakir. By doing so, you can select the Djinn you want from those that are visible. Remember to put the Elders back in the bag and discard the Fakir. Keep in mind that you don’t replace the Djinn card just yet. Wait for the clean-up phase to take care of it.

The Djinn cards have a dual nature. On one hand, they grant you Victory Point tokens (VPS) at the end of the game. On the other hand, they come with useful special powers. Some of these special powers have a cost to use. If there is a cost involved, you can only use the special power once per turn, and only during your own turn as the player who controls the Djinn. However, you can use the special powers of any Djinn you’ve taken right away, without waiting. Just make sure you can pay the cost if there is one.

Merchandise Sale (optional)

Before you end your turn, after you’ve finished all your Tribe and Tile Actions, you have the option to sell some Merchandise. This is completely up to you; it’s not mandatory. Keep in mind that you can’t sell Fakirs, only other types of Merchandise.

If you want to do this, just let go of one or more sets of Merchandise cards. Make sure each card is different from the others. Then, you can take a Djinn card from the bank and exchange it for a certain number of Gold Coins. The number of coins you get depends on how many different Merchandise cards you have. It could be 1, 3, 7, 13, 21, 30, 40, 50, or even 60 coins. This only works if there are still Djinn cards left in the Draw pile for that suit, though. If there aren’t any more Djinn cards left, you can’t do this action.

So, here’s the deal: if you want to have a good shot at going first in future turns, you might want to sell all your Merchandise now. Trust me, it’s worth it. You’ll get yourself a nice little pile of 30 Gold Coins for your first set of Resource cards, and an extra 7 Gold Coins for those three duplicate Resources you had. Unfortunately, you can’t sell those Fakirs.

But hold on a second: Don’t go selling your stuff unless you absolutely need those Gold Coins to bet on your turn order. If you’re not desperate for cash, it’s usually smarter to hang on to your Merchandise and try to sell a bigger set later on. Even if you can’t get any more different types of Merchandise cards, you can always sell your set(s) for the same price on your last turn!

All right, let’s tidy up:

Once everyone has finished taking turns and playing all their Actions, but before we move on to the next phase of bidding for turn order, the player who’s closest to the piles of Djinns and Resource cards needs to :

Time to Refill the Resource Cards:

First, I’ll rearrange any face-up Resource cards and place them at the front of the row. Then, I’ll draw new cards until there are a total of 9 face-up cards available. This way, you’ll always have a fresh set of options to choose from.

If, by some chance, we run out of Resource cards in the Draw pile, don’t worry! I’ll just shuffle the discards and use those. However, if there are no cards left at all, we won’t be able to add any more to the row.

Time to Refill the Djinn Cards:

Next, I’ll do the same with the Djinn cards. I’ll move any face-up Djinn cards to the front of the row and draw new ones until there are 3 face-up cards available. In case we run out of Djinn cards in the Draw pile, I’ll shuffle the discards and use those to make sure we always have enough.

And that’s it! Once we’ve completed these steps, we’re ready to move on to the next turn. Get ready for bidding and deciding the Turn Order!

End of the Game

The game will come to an end when one of these two events occur during a turn:

A Player Places Their Final Camel on a Tile:

When you’re playing the game, you get control of the Tile by putting your last Camel and finishing your actions. Everyone else gets a chance to take their actions too. Once all players have finished their actions, the game ends and we calculate the final scores.

No More Legal Meeples Movement Is Possible:

If you’re the player who can’t make any more moves, that means no one else after you can either. But you might still have some other actions left, like using the special powers of your Djinns. You can do that before passing the turn to the next player.

When everyone has finished playing the actions they could still take or they have passed, the Turn ends, and we calculate the scores to end the game.

Note: Betting strategically on your final turn can greatly impact your game. If you make hasty decisions and bet too many Gold Coins, you may find yourself with limited options when your turn comes around. This can result in the loss of valuable VPS.

Scoring

Let’s take a look at how we determine the winner in this game. You’ll need to use the score sheets provided to calculate each player’s score. If you need a refresher on how victory points work, you can check out page 3 for all the details. The player with the highest number of VPS wins the game and earns the prestigious title of Great Sultan of Naqala! But what happens if two or more players end up with the same number of points? Well, in that rare case, they’ll have to figure out how to share power as Sultans – or they can always play again to settle the tie!