Rules for Playing the Desert Game

Playing the Desert Game can be a fun and exciting experience. Here, I’ll explain the rules of the game to you and provide some helpful tips to enhance your gameplay. Let’s get started!

Setting Up the Game:

To start, you’ll need a game board, game pieces, cards, and dice. Choose a player to act as the game master. The game master will control the game and make decisions based on the instructions given by the cards.

Goal of the Game:

The goal of the Desert Game is to make it to the oasis, located at the center of the game board, before anyone else. Beware, the desert is filled with challenges and obstacles that you must overcome to reach your destination.

Starting the Game:

To begin the game, each player places their game piece on the starting point of the game board. Take turns rolling the dice to determine how many spaces to move forward. Follow the instructions on the card corresponding to the space you land on.

Challenges and Obstacles:

As you navigate through the desert, you’ll encounter various challenges and obstacles. Some spaces may require you to answer a riddle or solve a puzzle before you can proceed. Others may force you to go back a few spaces or skip a turn. Stay alert and use your wits to overcome these challenges.

Gaining Advantages:

Along the way, you’ll also come across helpful resources and advantages that can give you an edge over your opponents. These might include finding extra water supplies, receiving clues to bypass certain challenges, or even shortcuts that allow you to jump ahead.

Game Master’s Role:

The game master plays a crucial role in the Desert Game. They are responsible for drawing and reading the cards, enforcing the rules, and making sure the game progresses smoothly. The game master should be fair and impartial, ensuring that all players have an equal chance to win.

Winning the Game:

The first player to reach the oasis at the center of the game board wins the Desert Game. Celebrate your victory and revel in the knowledge that you successfully navigated the treacherous desert and emerged victorious!

Now that you understand the rules of the Desert Game, gather your friends, set up the game board, and embark on an exciting desert adventure. May the sands be ever in your favor!

In Through the Desert, I get to be in control! I’m in charge of a bunch of caravans made up of camels in pretty pastel colors. It’s up to me to strategically place these camels on the board, making sure to expand my caravans and score points.

The game comes to a close as soon as the last camel of any one color is played from my supply. Then, it’s time to compare everyone’s total point scores and see who takes the crown as the winner.

Let’s talk about what makes this game so special. First, let’s take a look at the components.

Setting Up the Game

Before we begin playing the game, let’s make sure we have everything we need:

• 1 Double-Sided Game Board
• 175 Pastel Camels (5 colors, 35 of each)
• 5 Gray Camels
• 30 Plastic Riders (5 colors, 6 of each)
• 5 Plastic Palm Trees
• 45 Waterhole Tokens (3 types, 15 of each)
• 15 10-point tokens
• 29 5-point tokens
• 5 Caravan Tokens

Preparing for Your First Game

Before we start our first game, let’s get the riders and camels ready. Take the six riders of the same color and attach each one to a different-colored camel – green, pink, yellow, purple, turquoise, and gray.

Make sure to do this for each set of riders. Also, don’t forget to attach the top of each palm tree to a palm tree base. And remember to keep all of this plastic assembled between games for easy and quick setup.

Getting Started

Now it’s time to set up the game. Follow these steps to get started:

Place Game Board: When setting up the game, choose which side of the board you want to use and place it faceup. The game board has two sides, each with its own special feature – either a mountain or a river. The side with the river is used for a different style of gameplay. If this is your first time playing, use the side of the board with the mountain.

Make sure to notice the elevation line on the board. This line shows the area that is not utilized in games with two or three players.

In a five-player game, each player must return one of their leaders to the box. Make sure that the returned leaders are riding different camels of pastel colors (but keep your gray leader).

For games with three players, return four camels of every color to the box. For games with two players, return eight camels of each color to the box.

I’d like to share with you the steps to play the game “Through the Desert.” It’s a fun and engaging game that involves strategy and decision making. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Place Oases: Start by placing five palm trees on the board. Place them one at a time on spaces that have a large pool of water. Remember, you can only have one palm tree per space. These palm trees will mark the spaces as oases.

2. Place Waterholes: Now, it’s time to randomly place waterhole tokens on the board. Look for spaces that have a small pool of water and spaces without palm trees. Place a waterhole token faceup on each of these spaces. If you have any unused waterhole tokens, simply return them to the box.

3. Create Token Supply: Next, arrange the remaining tokens near the board. Make sure to separate them by type. This will create the token supply that will be used throughout the game.

4. Determine First Player: Finally, decide who will be the first player. The youngest player at the table will take on this role and get to start the game.

Now that you know the steps to play “Through the Desert,” it’s time to dive in and start having fun! Just remember to strategize and make wise decisions to maximize your chances of winning. Enjoy the game!

Place Leaders: Let’s start by placing our leaders on the board. We’ll take turns, starting with me, and go around in a circle. Each of us will choose an empty space on the board to put our leaders, except for the gray player. But hold on, there are a few rules we need to follow when placing our leaders:

– First, we can’t put our leaders in spaces with waterhole tokens, oases (those are the big pools with palm trees), mountains, or other leaders.

– Next, we can’t put our leaders right next to an oasis or another leader. Gotta give them some space!

– And finally, the first leader we put down can’t have the same colored camel as a leader who’s already on the board. We want each leader to be unique, after all.

Phew, that’s a lot to remember, but I’m sure we can handle it. Now that we know how to place our leaders, let’s move on to the different types of spaces and terrain features on the board.



Elevation Line

Hey there! Let me tell you about something really cool in the game. It’s called the elevation line. In the two and three-player games, we use a smaller part of the board. You’ll notice a special line that marks the elevation. Anything to the right or below this line is not used in those games. Pretty neat, huh?

Desert And Small Pools



When I think of desert spaces, I imagine vast stretches of sand or cracked earth, devoid of life. However, I’ve come to learn that even in these seemingly barren places, there can exist a hidden gem – a small pool of water. Now, you might wonder why a pool of water would matter in such an arid environment. Well, let me tell you.

Large pools in the desert are a rarity, a precious resource that can sustain life. They serve as oases, attracting a myriad of creatures, both big and small. These pools become a lifeline, a sanctuary in the midst of an unforgiving landscape.

Small Pools

But what about those small pools that don’t seem like much? It’s easy to dismiss them as inconsequential, but during the setup phase, they hold a significance of their own. They may not be large enough to sustain a whole ecosystem, but they provide a temporary respite for weary travelers.

Imagine stumbling upon a small pool of water in the desert, its coolness soothing your parched throat. You take a moment to rest and rejuvenate, knowing that this tiny oasis is a gift in an otherwise harsh environment.

So, whether it’s a large oasis teeming with life or a humble puddle offering a momentary solace, these desert pools remind us of the beauty and resilience of nature. They are symbols of hope and survival, showing us that even in the most challenging of circumstances, life finds a way.



When I see a big pool of water, I can tell if it’s an oasis by looking for a palm tree on it. If there’s a palm tree, then I know it’s an oasis, and camels aren’t allowed to go there. But if there’s no palm tree, then it’s just a regular waterhole, and camels can hang out there.

Now let’s talk about mountains.

If you look around the board, you’ll see some mountain ranges. These mountains are different from regular spaces, so you can’t put your camels there. They’re off-limits for our furry friends.



Playing the Game

When I play Through the Desert, I control a group of caravans made up of colorful camels. At the beginning of the game, each of my caravans has one leader camel.

During the game, I can expand my caravans by adding more camels of the same color. I do this to find watering holes, connect oases, and enclose areas to score points.

The game is played in turns, starting with the first player and moving clockwise. On my turn, I must choose two camels from the supply and place them on the board. I can take two camels of the same color or two different colors.

Placing Camels on the First Turn

When it’s my turn to play, I start by putting down one camel. The other player also puts down one camel. But from then on, each player puts down two camels each turn.

Now, I can put my camels in any spot next to my own caravan, but there are some rules I have to follow.

First, I can’t put a camel in a mountain range, or in a spot that already has a camel, or in an oasis with a palm tree.

Second, my caravan doesn’t have to be in a straight line. It can twist and turn.

And lastly, I can put my camel next to a camel of a different color, even if it’s not my camel.

You’ve probably heard of the game Camel Up. It’s a fun and exciting game where you race camels. But did you know there are rules about how the camels can move? Let me explain.

In Camel Up, you can’t place a camel next to another camel of the same color if that other camel belongs to a different player. So, you can’t “merge” two different caravans of the same camel color. It’s like a puzzle trying to figure out the best way to move your camels without getting blocked.

Now, let’s talk about scoring points. There are a few ways to score points in Camel Up. You earn points throughout the game by collecting point tokens. These tokens are kept in front of you. At the end of the game, you add up all your points to see who wins.

During the game, you can get an idea of how many points the other players have. Most of the point tokens are faceup, so you can see them. However, the waterhole tokens are placed facedown when taken, so you won’t know exactly how many points they’re worth until the end.

That’s a basic rundown of how Camel Up works. It’s a game of strategy, luck, and trying to outsmart your opponents. Give it a try and see if you can come out on top!



Watering Holes

When I find a waterhole on my journey, I take the token and keep it hidden from everyone else until the game is over.

Here’s How it Works



So, here’s the deal. I’m the purple player, and I have this plan to expand my yellow caravan. The thing is, I need to figure out where I can place my yellow camel to make it happen. That’s where the green shaded spaces come in. They show me all the possible spots.

But there’s a little challenge. See, I want to connect my caravan to the oasis down in the lower-right. It’s the perfect spot. However, Blue’s yellow caravan is blocking the most direct path. It’s also blocking a bunch of other spaces, which are all shaded in red. What a bummer!

After a bit of thinking, I come up with a plan. I decide to place my first camel on top of the “1” waterhole. That way, I can grab that token. Then, I place my second camel right next to it. Voila! My yellow caravan is now linked to the oasis. Mission accomplished!

Oases



A space that has a palm tree is called an oasis. When you put a camel in a space next to an oasis, the matching caravan is connected to that oasis. Take a 5-point token and put it face-up in front of you.

Here are some important things to remember:

– Each caravan can only be connected to each oasis once, but one caravan can be connected to multiple oases.

– If one of your caravans is connected to an oasis, you can still put camels from that caravan next to the oasis. However, you don’t earn any extra points for doing so.

– Any number of caravans from any combination of players can be connected to a single oasis, including multiple caravans from the same player. The only limit is the number of spaces next to the oasis and the rules for placing camels.

Let’s look at an example of how this works with an oasis.



Alright, let’s see what’s happening in this turn. First, I want to accomplish two things: I want to connect my pink caravan to the oasis, and I want to stop the red player from linking his green caravan to the oasis. That green shaded area is off-limits for him!

So, I go ahead and place a pink camel in one of the spaces. Now my pink caravan is connected to the oasis, and I even get a 5-point token. Nice!

Now it’s time to place a green camel. Since I already connected my green caravan to the oasis, I don’t get another 5-point token. But here’s the genius part – by putting my green camel there, I’m blocking the red player. He can’t place his green camel next to mine. Ha!

What’s the Deal with Enclosed Areas?

Now, when you place a camel and it makes a caravan completely surround an area on the board, that’s called enclosing an area. And let me tell you, it can give you some serious advantages.

When playing the board game, it’s important to understand how to enclose an area. To do this, a caravan must form an unbroken chain that completely surrounds the area. The caravan can use the edge of the board or the mountain in the middle of the board to help complete the chain.

It’s important to note that you can only use caravans of the same color to enclose an area. No other camels, regardless of their owner, can be inside the enclosed area.

When an area is successfully enclosed, you take all the waterhole tokens within that area and place them face down in front of you. If there are any oases in the enclosed area that your caravan is not yet connected to, you also take one 5-point token for each of those oases. Once an area is enclosed, no more camels can be placed inside it.

When the game ends, each enclosed area has a value of one point for each empty space inside it. These points are counted at the final score, so no point tokens are removed when an area is enclosed.

Limitations on Components

Even if there are no more tokens available, players still earn points. You can use other tokens from the game or find another way to keep track of the scores.

Examples of Enclosed Areas

When you play Through the Desert, you’ll need to make strategic moves to enclose areas and score points. Let me explain how it works using the images below.



The green player wants to enclose this area, so she places a yellow camel to surround it. Since she wasn’t linked to an oasis already, she gets a 5-point token and two waterhole tokens from the enclosed area. When the game ends, she’ll earn eight points from the spaces in this area.



Now, let’s look at an example where the red player encloses an area. He uses the edge of the board and places a green camel to surround it. Since there are no oases here, he gets two waterhole tokens from the enclosed area. At the end of the game, he’ll score 16 points from the spaces in this area.

That’s how you play Through the Desert. Remember, your goal is to enclose areas and score as many points as possible. Good luck!

The game ends when a player’s turn ends and the last camel of any color is placed on the board. At this point, we need to determine who has the largest caravan in each color before calculating the final scores for each player.

Let’s start with the largest caravan. We look at each camel color and see who has the most camels in their caravan for that color. That person gets the 10-point caravan token in that color.

Now, if there are two or more players tied for having the most camels in a color, then all tied players get a 5-point token. No one gets the 10-point token in this case.

Now, let’s move on to the final scoring. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Add up all the point tokens you have collected throughout the game.

That’s it! By following these steps, you can determine your final score.

• When we finish playing the game, we all count up the points in our enclosed areas. To figure out the points, we look at how many empty spaces there are inside each area, but we don’t count the oases.

The person with the most points is the winner. If two or more people have the same number of points, they all win!