Istanbul
There's hustle and bustle at Istanbul's grand bazaar as merchants and their assistants rush through the narrow alleys in their attempt to be more successful than their competitors. Everything must be well organized: wheelbarrows must be filled with goods at the warehouses, then swiftly transported by the assistants to various destinations. Your goal? Be the first merchant to collect a certain number of rubies.
In Istanbul, you lead a group of one merchant and four assistants through 16 locations in the bazaar. At each such location, you can carry out a specific action. The challenge, though, is that to take an action, you must move your merchant and an assistant there, then leave the assistant behind (to handle all the details while you focus on larger matters). If you want to use that assistant again later, your merchant must return to that location to pick him up. Thus, you must plan ahead carefully to avoid being left with no assistants and thus unable to do anything...
In more detail, on a turn you move your merchant and his retinue of assistants one or two steps through the bazaar, either leave an assistant at that location or collect an assistant left earlier, then perform the action. If you meet other merchants or certain individuals at the location, you might be able to take a small extra action. Possible actions include:
Paying to increase your wheelbarrow capacity, which starts the game with a capacity of only two for each good.
Filling your wheelbarrow with a specified good to its limit.
Acquiring a special ability, and the earlier you come, the easier they are to collect.
Buying rubies or trading goods for rubies.
Selling special combinations of goods to make the money you need to do everything else.
When a merchant has collected five rubies in his wheelbarrow, players complete that round, then the game ends. If this player is the only one who's reached this goal, he wins immediately; otherwise ties are broken by money in hand.
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Awards & Honors
2015 Nederlandse Spellenprijs Best Expert Game Nominee
2014 Swiss Gamers Award Winner
2014 Meeples' Choice Nominee
2014 Kennerspiel des Jahres Winner
2014 Kennerspiel des Jahres Nominee
2014 International Gamers Award - General Strategy: Multi-player Nominee
2014 Hra roku Nominee
2014 Gouden Ludo Winner
2014 Gouden Ludo Nominee
2014 Golden Geek Board Game of the Year Nominee
2014 Golden Geek Best Strategy Board Game Nominee
2014 Golden Geek Best Family Board Game Nominee
Returns & Refund Policy
At Sword & Board, we want you to be satisfied with your purchase. If you are not entirely happy with your order, we are here to help.
1. Cooling-Off Period and Returns
In accordance with the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, you are entitled to cancel your purchase within 7 days of receiving your items for a full refund, subject to the following conditions:
- Condition: The items must be unopened, unused, and in their original factory-sealed packaging. Due to the nature of our products (e.g., Trading Card Games, board games with components), we cannot accept returns on items where the shrink-wrap or security seals have been broken.
- Return Shipping: The cost of returning the item to our Milnerton store is the responsibility of the customer. We recommend using a trackable shipping service, as we cannot guarantee receipt of returned items.
2. Defective or Damaged Items
If you receive an item that is damaged in transit or has a manufacturing defect (e.g., missing components or printing errors):
- Reporting: Please notify us at info@swordandboardgames.co.za within 48 hours of delivery. Please include photos of the damage and your order number.
- Resolution: We will arrange for a courier collection of the defective item. Once inspected, we will offer a replacement, a store credit, or a full refund.
- Manufacturer Defects: For certain products, we may facilitate a request for replacement parts directly from the supplier to resolve the issue quickly.
3. Non-Returnable Items
The following items cannot be returned or exchanged:
- TCG Singles and Sealed Product: Due to market volatility, Trading Card Game singles and sealed "blind" products (booster packs) are non-returnable.
- Gift Cards: Digital or physical gift cards cannot be redeemed for cash.
- Sale Items: Items purchased on "Clearance" or during specific "Flash Sales" are considered final sale unless defective.
4. Pre-order Cancellations
You may cancel a pre-order for a full refund at any time before the item has been dispatched.
- Note: If a pre-order is cancelled after we have specifically secured stock for you, or if it is a high-value special import, we reserve the right to charge a 10% administration/restocking fee.
5. Refunds
Once your return is received and inspected, we will send you an email to notify you of the approval or rejection of your refund.
- Approved Refunds: Refunds will be processed via EFT within 2 to 3 business days.
- Store Credit: If you prefer, we can issue store credit immediately upon approval of the return.
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