Nizam Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Nizam (1–5 players)
  • Setup
  • Turn Structure
  • 1. Taking Actions
  • 2. Activating the Game Board
  • End of the Game and Victory
  • Solo Variant (1 Player)
• Pearl of the East (2–5 players)
  • Setup
  • Turn Structure
  • 1. Taking Actions
  • 2. Completing Tasks
  • End of the Game and Victory

Components

1. 96 gem cards (12 cards each of eight kinds)
2. 1 pearl card
3. 5 wooden player markers
4. 5 hint cards
5. 1 scoring board

Nizam (1–5 players)

Setup

In this variant the pearl card is not used (return it to the box).

Shuffle the gem card deck. Place 25 cards face up in the centre of the table at random, forming a 5×5 square (5 vertical and 5 horizontal rows, with 5 cards in each row). Place the rest of the deck face down beside the game board so that all players can easily reach it.

Each player receives 3 random gem cards, one hint card, and one marker of the matching colour. Place the hint card in front of the player, and place the marker on the scoring board on the "0" space.

Determine the first player at random. Play then proceeds clockwise.

Turn Structure

Each player's turn consists of one or two phases:

1. Taking actions.
2. Activating the game board.

1. Taking Actions

On your turn, you may perform one of two possible actions.

A. Draw a card. The player takes the top three cards from the gem card deck and places them in hand. If the gem card deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile and form a new gem card deck.

The turn then passes to the next player.

B. Move cards in rows. The player may move cards in a row by discarding from hand to the discard pile a card of the same kind as the end card of that row (the leftmost or rightmost card of a horizontal row, or the bottommost or topmost card of a vertical row).

After discarding, the player moves the corresponding card in the row to the opposite side, together with all the cards that shift into the vacated space, restoring the game board. The remaining order of the cards in the row stays unchanged.

On your turn, you may move cards in several rows and/or move cards in one row several times, discarding the corresponding number of cards from hand (one card for each move).

If a player wishes to move cards in a certain row, in a certain direction, but does not have a card of the required kind, the player may discard three cards of ANY kind from hand and make the move.

After the player has finished all moves, the phase "activating the game board" follows.

2. Activating the Game Board

Rows containing combinations of three or more identical gems (cards of one kind) in a row earn the player victory points (VP):

• 3 cards — 3 VP
• 4 cards — 5 VP
• 5 cards — 7 VP

In addition, the player receives 1 VP for each additional combination of identical gems that they assembled during this turn.

Move the player's marker on the scoring board to the corresponding space.

Important: a player earns VP only if, by playing cards from hand, they changed the number of identical cards in the given row. This mainly happens by adding cards and increasing the number of cards in a combination, but it can also happen if the player broke up and then re-joined a combination of three or more cards that had already been laid out at the start of the player's turn.

After VP are awarded, the gem cards for which VP were awarded are placed on the discard pile, and new cards from the gem card deck are placed in their positions in random order.

If, after new cards are placed on the board, a combination of three or more identical cards is formed, those cards are not discarded and the player does not receive VP for those combinations.

If the cards in the gem card deck have run out, shuffle the discard pile and form a new gem card deck.

The turn then passes to the next player.

End of the Game and Victory

The game ends after the gem card deck has run out as many times as there are players in the game. Thus, in a two-player game the game ends when the gem card deck has run out twice; with three players, three times; and so on.

The player with the highest number of victory points wins the game.

Solo Variant (1 Player)

This variant is a solo mode of play. The rules do not change; the only addition is a limit on the cards held in hand: the player may hold no more than nine cards. The solo variant has a rather meditative, patience-like character, since you are competing against yourself.

Pearl of the East (2–5 players)

Setup

From the gem card deck, take sets of cards in a number corresponding to the number of players.

Each player receives 8 gem cards (one card of each kind) and places them face down in front of themselves, forming a "task deck."

Take 24 more gem cards from the deck (three cards of each kind), add the pearl card, and shuffle them together. Place the cards face up in the centre of the table at random, forming a 5×5 square (5 vertical and 5 horizontal rows, with 5 cards in each row).

Shuffle the remaining cards and place them as a face-down deck so that all players can easily reach it.

Players each receive 3 random gem cards.

Determine the first player at random. Play then proceeds clockwise.

Turn Structure

Each turn consists of one or two phases:

1. Taking actions.
2. Completing tasks.

1. Taking Actions

On your turn, you may perform one of two possible actions.

A. Draw a card. The player takes the top three cards from the gem card deck and places them in hand. If the gem card deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile and form a new gem card deck.

The turn then passes to the next player.

B. Move cards in rows. The player may move cards in a row by discarding from hand to the discard pile a card of the same kind as the end card of that row (the leftmost or rightmost card of a horizontal row, or the bottommost or topmost card of a vertical row).

After discarding, the player moves the corresponding card in the row to the opposite side, together with all the cards that shift into the vacated space, restoring the game board. The remaining order of the cards in the row stays unchanged.

On your turn, you may move cards in several rows and/or move cards in one row several times, discarding the corresponding number of cards from hand (one card for each move).

If a player wishes to move cards in a certain row, in a certain direction, but does not have a card of the required kind, the player may discard three cards of ANY kind from hand and make the move.

If a player wishes to make a move in a row that begins with the pearl card, they must discard three cards of ANY kind from hand!

After the player has finished all moves, the phase "completing tasks" follows.

2. Completing Tasks

The pearl card substitutes for a card of any kind.

Important: on each player's turn, the pearl card substitutes for only one kind! It is not possible to assemble several combinations of different gems in one turn in each of which the pearl card is used.

A row containing three or four identical gems in a row (cards of one kind) represents the player completing one of the tasks. The player takes the card of the corresponding kind from the "task deck" and places it face up beside the task deck, forming a "completed task deck."

Important: the top card of an opponent's completed task deck does not allow you to complete the same task (assemble a combination of cards of the same kind).

On your turn, a player may complete several tasks at once; in that case the player decides for themselves the order in which to place the cards in the completed task deck.

The turn then passes to the next player.

Unlike the first variant of the rules, the cards on the game board are not discarded!

End of the Game and Victory

The game ends as soon as one of the players "completes all tasks": assembles combinations of all eight kinds. That player wins the game.