2014 · Economic
Istanbul
Players guide a merchant and a team of assistants through a bustling bazaar, moving them one or two spaces each turn across 16 locations. At each location, the merchant can leave or pick up an assistant and then take the location’s specific action, such as loading goods into a limited-capacity wheelbarrow, selling combinations of goods for money, buying or trading for rubies, or acquiring special abilities. Movement and assistant placement create a planning puzzle: leaving assistants enables actions but can strand resources, so players balance positioning with efficient routes. The game ends when a player collects the target number of rubies; ties are resolved by remaining money.
- Players
- 2–5 best 5
- Playing time
- 40–60 min
- Age
- 10+
- Complexity
- 2.6 / 5
About the game
- Design
- Publisher
Expansions
See them in Ludoya
Istanbul: Mocha & Baksheesh2015
Istanbul: Letters & Seals2016
Istanbul: Kebab Shop Mini Expansion2014
Istanbul: Pegasus Depot Mini Expansion2016
Istanbul: Caravan Leader Mini Expansion2016
Brettspiel Adventskalender 20162016
Istanbul: Pegasus Depot & Kebab Shop Mini Expansions2023
Camel Up: The Referee Camel & Istanbul – Caravan Leader Mini Expansion2017
Super Power2019Photos from Ludoya tables
All photos in Ludoya
Where to buy it
Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.
On Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 624
- Plays logged
- 532
- Players
- 52m 31s
- Average play
- 130
- In collections
- 26
- On wishlists
6.8/10
from 94 Ludoya reviews
Garfield4.0 #54 Last played with 5 players and got blocked everytime. With 3 players it was ok. But it gets repetitive very quick. If you're out of luck in dice rolling, you will lose. And don't think too much about your move, it's not a very strategic game. The one that thought the most last play ended up last place... [c] Theme: ★☆☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Little to none --> Gameplay: ★☆☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Repetitive --> Interaction: ★☆☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Almost no interaction --> Artwork: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Nothing special --> Luck: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Dice rolling is pretty important --> Strategy: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Little --> Components: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Thick tiles and nice gems, but everything else is nothing special --> Play duration: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Repetetive and therefore could be too long --> Easy to teach: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Pretty easy --> Setup time: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> No downtime: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Plays very fast. But if someone is thinking too much it's getting strenuous --> [/c]
No plays logged
Mestremuten6.0 Rating: 3/5 Production value: 3/4 Is the game in my collection/Love to have?: 0/1
First impressions · 1 play
Vardak7.6 One of the best pick and delivery games ever.
No plays logged
Rules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
Can I move diagonally, or stay on the same Place?
No. You must move your Merchant and any Assistants with him by 1 or 2 Places, without moving diagonally, and must end on a different Place. (Rulebook, p. 4)
What happens if I arrive at a Place without one of my Assistants there?
You must remove the bottom Assistant from your stack and leave him at that Place; if you cannot or choose not to, your turn ends immediately. The Fountain is the exception. (Rulebook, p. 4; p. 6)
Do I have to pay other Merchants when I meet them?
Yes. You must pay each other Merchant at your destination 2 Lira, and your turn ends if you cannot or do not want to pay. You do not pay other Merchants at the Fountain. (Rulebook, p. 4)
Can I use the action at a Place before resolving encounters there?
No. Encounters with other Merchants happen during movement, then you carry out the Place action, and only afterward resolve encounters with Family members, the Governor, or the Smuggler. (Rulebook, pp. 4–5)
Can I get my Assistants back anywhere, or only at the Fountain?
At the Fountain, you may return any number of your Assistants to your Merchant stack, without needing an Assistant there. The yellow Mosque tile also lets you pay 2 Lira once per turn to return one Assistant, while the normal movement rules otherwise bring Assistants back only by moving onto their Place. (Rulebook, pp. 4, 6–7)
When someone gets the required number of Rubies, does the game end immediately?
No. The player who first collects 5 Rubies—or 6 in a two-player game—triggers the end, but the current round is completed first. Players may then use leftover Bonus cards that provide goods or money before resolving the tiebreakers. (Rulebook, p. 8)
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.