Spice Market

How to play

2 to 4 merchants trade spices to buy market stalls. Each stall you own makes every later purchase cheaper, and some stalls and every patron bring points. The first to reach 15 points ends the game.

The market

• The bank holds five spices: saffron, chili, mint, pepper and lavender, 4 of each for 2 players, 5 for 3, 7 for 4, and 5 gold, which stands for any spice.
• The stalls come in three tiers, dearer and worth more points from one to the next. Four of each tier are on show; a stall taken away is replaced from its pile.
• One more patron than there are players waits at the market. Each wants a number of stalls of two or three spices.

Your turn

• Take three different spices from the bank (fewer only when the bank has fewer kinds left or your purse has less room), or two of one spice when the bank holds at least 4 of it.
• Or reserve a stall: one on show, or the top of a pile without looking. You also take one gold if any is left. You may hold 3 reserved stalls at most.
• Or buy a stall on show or one you reserved. Each stall you own takes one spice of its kind off the price; gold pays for any spice you lack.
• Your purse holds 10 tokens at most. If you can do none of this, you pass.
• At the end of your turn, the first patron whose wishes your stalls meet visits you, once, for 3 points.

The end

• Once a player reaches 15 points, the round is played to its end, so that everyone has had as many turns.
• The most points wins. On a tie, the player with the fewest stalls wins; then the tied players share the win.