Ali Baba - General game info
Ali Baba
2-4 players, 15-30 minutes, 8 years and older
AuthorsMartino Chiacchiera
Remo Conzadori
IllustratorDenis Martynets
Published byWhite Goblin Games
Online since 2021-10-09
Developed byJim Thompson (StCharles)
Boardgamegeek233960
Yucata.de owns a license for the online version of this game. A big "thank you" to the copyright owners (publisher and/or author and illustrator) who make it possible to have this game for free online here!
Ali Baba
Ali Baba - Rules
If you are reading these rules for the first time, ignore the text along the right hand side. These rules serve as a summary to help you quickly familiarize yourself with the game.

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Ali Baba
Contents
Introduction to the game

Open Sesame! Before Ali Baba’s amazed eyes the sealed mouth of the cave magically opens. The cave is filled with treasures: golden statues, chests with coins, shiny swords and necklaces with precious marbles. An enormous pile of treasures almost reaches the roof of the cave. Ali Baba doesn’t hesitate and starts gathering treasures. He must act quickly and must leave before the thieves return…

COMPONENTS
  • 1 game board (double sided)
  • 4 player screens
  • 4 score markers
  • 60 treasure tiles (10 kinds of treasures with 6 different background colours)
  • 1 start player token
OBJECTIVE

Collect treasures from the cave of the forty thieves. The more treasures of the same kind you have at the end of the game, the more points you will score. Use the treasures’ magical effects to outsmart your opponents and become the most wealthy player to win the game.

SETUP

Place the game board with 25-square side face up in the middle of the table. Shuffle all treasure tiles and place them in four layers on the game board. Return all unused tiles face down (and without looking at them) to the box.

Placing tiles on the game board:

1. Place 25 tiles face down on the game board, one on each square.

2. Make a layer of 16 face down tiles on top of the first layer. Each tile must be placed over four other tiles.

3. Make a layer of 9 face down tiles on top of the second layer. Each tile must be placed over four other tiles.

4. Make a final layer of 4 face up tiles on top of the third layer. Each tile must be placed over four other tiles.


Each player takes a player screen and places the score marker in the corresponding colour on the 0-space on the score track.

The youngest player gets the start player token and will be the start player.

On Yucata the start player is chosen randomly.
GAME PLAY

Beginning with the start player, the players take turns in clockwise order. Each turn consists of three steps:

1) Take a face up treasure tile.

2) Flip all non-covered face down tiles.

3) Use the magic effect of the taken tile.

1) Take a face up treasure tile: At the start of your turn you must take a face up tile from the board and place it behind your player screen.

On Yucata players can see how many treasures of each kind each opponent has taken.

2) Flip all non-covered face down tiles: If one or more face down tiles are now not covered by any other tiles, you must flip them face up.

3) Use magic effect: The background colour of the tile you took indicates its magic effect. You may use the magic effect. A magic effect must be executed immediately and cannot be saved for a future turn.

END OF THE GAME

After the last face down tile is flipped face up, finish the round. Then play a final round.

Players then score the tiles they took during the game. Each group of tiles containing the same treasure scores victory points according to its size:

After the last face down tile is flipped face up, keep playing until all players have played the same number of turns (i.e. until the player to the right of the start player takes his turn). Then each player takes one last turn and the game is over.


Note: If no tiles remain on the game board, the game ends immediately.

To determine points for tiles taken during the game, each player organizes the tiles behind his screen into groups of the same kind of treasure. Victory points are scored for each group according to its size:

Each player adds the points for all his groups to his score.

The player with the highest score wins the game. In case of a tie the tied player with the fewest collected tiles wins the game.

Example:

A player has these treasures at the end of the game:

4 carpets = 10 points

3 crowns = 6 points

2 chests = 3 points

2 swords = 3 points

1 statue = 1 point

1 diamond = 1 point

He scores a total of 24 points.

Magic effects

Example:

You take the pink “diamond” and score immediately 5 points.


Example:

After you’ve taken the blue “magic carpet” two tiles are flipped face up, so you immediately score 4 points.

Example:

You take the brown “sword”. In previous turns you’ve collected two other swords. This turn you score 6 points.

Note: Restrictions from white magic effects apply even if that means no adjacent tile can be taken.

Example:

After taking the green “magic carpet” you may also take the “ring”. Place both tiles behind your player screen.

Example:

You take the yellow “chest”. All other players must show a tile from behind their player screen. You choose the “sword” and place both tiles behind your player screen.

Note: In the rare case there are no tiles that could be taken (due to the restriction of this magic effect), the player can instead take any tile, ignoring restrictions.

Example:

You take the white “statue” and choose the brown magical effect. Until your next turn no brown tiles can be taken.

VARIANT: ALADDIN'S LAMP

Use the side of the board with 25 squares.

Randomly take six tiles other than “Aladdin’s lamp” tiles and place them face up next to the game board.

Place the remaining tiles on the game board according to the normal setup rules.

When you take an “Aladdin’s lamp” treasure in your turn, you must choose:

  • use the magic effect of its background colour and place the tile behind your screen; or
  • switch the “Aladdin’s lamp” tile with a tile next to the game board. Use the magic effect of the latter tile and place it behind your screen.

Use the side of the board with 25 squares. Place all “Aladdin’s lamp” tiles aside and shuffle all remaining tiles face down.

Randomly take six tiles and place them face up next to the game board. These tiles won’t be placed on the game board and are special treasures to obtain during the game.

Now shuffle the “Aladdin’s lamp” face down with the other tiles and place all tiles following the regular setup on the game board.

When you take an “Aladdin’s lamp” treasure in your turn, you must choose:

  • use its regular magic effect (according to its background colour) and place the tile behind your screen; or
  • use the “Aladdin’s lamp” magic effect: switch the tile with a tile next to the game board. Use the magic effect of that tile and place it behind your screen.
VARIANT: EQUAL TREASURES

Use the side of the board with 25 squares. Remove all tiles of one kind of treasure from the game before placing tiles on the board.

Use the side of the board with 25 squares. Remove all tiles of one kind of treasure from the game before placing tiles on the board. This variant adds more tactics to the game, since you know there are exactly 6 treasures of each kind in play.

VARIANT: SMALLER CAVE (FOR 2 PLAYERS)

Use the side of the board with 16 squares. Remove all tiles of three kinds of treasure from the game before placing tiles on the board. This variant uses a slightly different setup of the board.

Use the side of the board with 16 squares. Remove all tiles of three kinds of treasure from the game before placing tiles on the board. This variant uses a slightly different setup of the board. This is a very quick variant for two players.

Placing tiles on the game board:

1. Place 16 tiles face down on the game board, one on each square.

2. Make a layer of 12 face down tiles on top of the first layer. Each tile must be placed over two other tiles.

3. Make a layer of 6 face down tiles on top of the second layer. Each tile must be placed over four other tiles.

4. Make a final layer of 2 face up tiles on top of the third layer. Each tile must be placed over four other tiles.

Hints for handling
Tiles restricted via white magic effects are displayed with reduced opacity even if they can be taken due to all face up tiles being restricted.
For the Aladdin's Lamp variant, click on the lamp tile to keep it or click on a side tile to swap the lamp tile for it.
 
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