Basari Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• What's in the Box
• Setting Up
• Playing the Game
  • 1. Movement Phase
  • 2. Action Phase
  • Action Cards
• Bartering
  • Raising the Offer
• Bonus Points
• Winning the Game
• Credits

What's in the Box

• Game Board
• 100 Gemstones, 25 each of four colors (red, yellow, green, blue). Spare gemstones are included, but only 25 of each color should be used in the game.
• Four Sets of Playing Pieces Each color-coded set contains one short Points Marker, one flat Start Disk, one Merchant Piece, one Die and three Action Cards (Gemstones, Points, and Die).
• Rules

Setting Up

1. Open and place the game board in the center of the table.
2. Place 25 gemstones of each color on the matching colored carpets on the game board.
3. Each player takes 12 gemstones, 3 of each color, from the carpets on the game board. Players' gemstones must be displayed so all can see them.
4. Each player selects a set of Playing Pieces in one of the four colors. The pieces are placed as follows—

Points Marker—The Points Marker is used to keep track of points earned as the game progresses. Players set their Points Markers on the START arrow located on the Points Track bordering the game board.

Start Disk—The Start Disk is used to keep track of a player's starting place as his or her Merchant Piece is moved. Players set their Start Disks in any archway on the game board. The choice of which archway is up to each individual player. More than one disk can occupy an archway space at one time.

Merchant Piece—The Merchant Piece is used to track each player's movement around the archway spaces on the game board. To start, players set their Merchant Pieces on top of their Start Disks.

Die—The Die is rolled each turn to start the Movement Phase. It is also rolled in conjunction with the Die Action Card (see Action Cards).

Action Cards—The three Action Cards (Gemstones, Points, and Die) are used each turn to start the Action Phase. Each player retains his or her set of Action Cards to be used throughout the game.

Playing the Game

Each turn consists of a Movement Phase, followed by an Action Phase. Turns continue until the end of a round, when Bonus Points are recorded. A full game consists of three rounds of play.

1. Movement Phase

Simultaneously, all players roll their Dice. Each player moves his or her Merchant Piece, clockwise, the number of archway spaces indicated on his or her Die. Players now proceed to the Action Phase of the turn.

The Start Disks stay where they were originally placed so that all players will know when a player has completed one lap of the board. When a player's Merchant Piece completes a lap of the board by landing on, or passing his or her Start Disk, players complete the Action Phase as usual and the round ends. Bonus Points are then recorded.

A Merchant Piece may pass through, or land on, an archway space occupied by another Merchant Piece or a Start Disk.

2. Action Phase

Simultaneously, each player selects one of his or her three Action Cards and places it face down. When all players have their cards face down, the cards are turned face up and compared. What happens next depends on the number of players who selected each type of Action Card:

One Player—If an Action Card was selected by only one player, the player immediately carries out the action for that card (see Action Cards).

Two Players—If the same Action Card was selected by two players, those players must barter gemstones to determine which player proceeds with that action and which player gives up the action in exchange for gemstones (see Bartering).

Three or Four Players—If the same Action Card was selected by three or four players, that action is cancelled, and none of these players may proceed with the action.

The choice of which card to play during the Action Phase of each turn will depend upon where a player's Merchant Piece landed during the Movement Phase. The player must consider the points and gemstones available in his or her archway, and weigh the benefits of competing for the available points, or trying to improve his or her chances of securing the Bonus Points available for that round. To do this, he or she must evaluate the number of gemstones held by each player, and also consider how far each player has progressed around the board relative to the other players.

Action Cards

Earning the right to carry out the action for a particular card allows the player to:

Gemstones—Take the number and colors of gemstones, as shown in the archway where the Merchant Piece is located, from the carpet on the game board. If there are not enough gemstones on a carpet, players take only as many as are available.

Points—Move the Points Marker the number of spaces on the Points Track equal to the number in the archway where the Merchant Piece is located.

Die

1. Roll the Die.
2. Move the Merchant Piece the number of archway spaces shown on the Die.
3. Subtract the number shown on the Die from six and move the Points Marker that many spaces on the Points Track.

Example: When a player rolls a 4 on the Die, the Merchant Piece is moved 4 archway spaces AND the Points Marker is moved 2 spaces on the Points Track.

NOTE: If this action results in a player's Merchant Piece completing a lap of the board by landing on, or passing his or her Start Disk, players complete this Action Phase as usual and the round ends. Bonus Points are then recorded (see Bonus Points).

Bartering

If an Action Card is selected by exactly two players during the Action Phase, the players must barter gemstones to determine which player proceeds with the action.

1. The player who currently has the most points recorded on the Points Track (Player A) begins the bartering by offering the other player (Player B) any number or color combination of gemstones.

   If the players are tied for points, simply roll the Die to determine who begins the bartering.

   If Player A does not have any gemstones, or does not want to offer any, he or she forfeits the right to carry out the action to Player B.

2. Player B must choose to accept or reject the offer. If accepted, Player B takes the gemstones offered by Player A, and Player A carries out the action (see Action Cards). If the offer is rejected, Player B must raise the offer (see Raising the Offer). Then Player A must choose to accept or reject that offer.

3. Bartering continues back and forth with each player choosing to accept the offer, or reject it and raise the offer, until one player accepts the offer of the other player. By accepting the offer, the player agrees to give up the right to carry out the action in exchange for the gemstones agreed upon in the barter. The player whose offer is accepted pays the other player the agreed number and color of gemstones and carries out the action.

NOTE: In a four player game, when two sets of players may need to barter during the same turn, the order of bartering is as follows: Die Cards, Points Cards, and then Gemstones Cards.

Example: If two people play Die Cards and two play Gemstones Cards, those who played the Die Cards would barter first.

Raising the Offer

When bartering, there are two ways to raise the offer:

1. Offer more gemstones, in any color combination, than the previous offer.

   Example: If a player offers 3 red gemstones, offering 4 blue gemstones would raise the offer.

2. Offer the same number of gemstones, but gemstones of higher value. The relative value of the gems, from highest to lowest, is: red, yellow, green, blue.

   When the same number of gemstones is offered, count the red gemstones first. If the number of red gemstones is higher, then the offer is higher, regardless of the colors of all other gemstones. If the number of red gemstones is equal, then count the number of yellow gemstones. If the number of yellow gemstones is higher, then the offer is higher, regardless of the colors of all other gemstones. If the number of red and yellow gemstones is equal, then count the green gemstones, and so on.

   Example: If a player offers 3 green gemstones, offering 1 yellow and 2 blue gemstones would raise the offer.

NOTE: When raising the offer, players do not have to build on previous offers. They can take back their original offer, and offer a new combination of gemstones.

Example: If a player offers 2 yellow gemstones and the opponent raises the offer with 1 yellow and 1 red, the first player may take back the yellow gemstones and offer 3 blue gemstones on the next turn.

Players may only offer the gemstones in their possession. Trading and borrowing are not permitted.

Bonus Points

Bonus Points are awarded at the end of each round. A round ends after the Action Phase of a turn in which at least one player's Merchant Piece has completed a lap of the board by landing on, or passing, his or her Start Disk. Bonus Points are awarded as indicated on the Bonus Points Chart below and on each corner of the board. Record Bonus Points by moving the Points Markers along the Points Track. If a player accumulates more than 80 points, he or she simply continues around the Points Track to add to his or her total score.

Bonus Points Chart

Gemstone / Icon	Bonus Points
Red gemstone	14
Yellow gemstone	12
Green gemstone	10
Blue gemstone	8
Start Disk (completing a lap)	10

For each color, the player with the most gemstones at the end of a round receives the points indicated for that color on the Bonus Points Chart. The player must then return 3 gemstones of that color to the matching carpet in the center of the board. If two, or more, players tie by having the most gemstones of one color, they divide the points equally, or round down if points cannot be divided equally. In the case of a tie, each player in the tie must return 2 gemstones of that color to the matching carpet in the center of the board.

If a player does not have the required number of gemstones to return to the carpet, he or she returns as many as he or she has of that color. Players retain their remaining gemstones for the next round.

Each player whose Merchant Piece has completed a lap of the board by landing on, or passing, his or her own Start Disk, receives 10 Bonus Points at the end of the round.

After recording the Bonus Points, players move their Start Disks to the archway occupied by their Merchant Pieces and the next round begins.

Winning the Game

A game consists of three rounds of play. The player with the most points after three rounds wins!

In case of a tie: If two, or more, players tie for the most points, the player with the most gemstones wins. If the tied players have the same number of gemstones, then the player with the more valuable gemstones wins. To determine which player has the most valuable gemstones, start by counting the red gemstones—the player with the most red gemstones wins (regardless of other gemstones held by either player). If the players have an equal number of red gemstones, count yellow gemstones—the player with the most yellow gemstones wins (regardless of other gemstones held by either player). Continue this process with green and then blue gemstones as needed.

Example: If Player A has 6 red and 2 yellow gemstones and Player B has 6 red and 2 green gemstones, Player A wins because yellow gemstones are more valuable than green.

Credits

• Basari Game Designer: Reinhard Staupe
• Game Play Design Team: Mark Osterhaus and Ellen Osterhaus
• Illustrations & Graphic Design: John Kovalic
• Production Graphics & Design: Cathleen Quinn-Kinney
• Product Development: Al Waller, Matt Mariani, Leah Osterhaus, Max Osterhaus, Tom Strom

Out of the Box Publishing Inc., Madison, WI. ©2003 Out of the Box Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. BASARI®, Award Winning Fun®, You can play! and Out of the Box® are trademarks of Out of the Box Publishing Inc.