RajasDice

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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Rajas of the Ganges - The Dice Charmers

Great Mogul Akbar wishes that the provinces of his local sovereigns – the rajas and ranis – will prosper and develop further. They are to build roads and erect buildings, trade goods and sail the Ganges river. Akbar himself and other key people in and around the palace are willing to actively support the rajas and ranis on their way to wealth and fame. They will soon find the karma they accumulate might also be instrumental in their growth. Who will manage to rise to the position of the most respected sovereign?

This rules page only contains the rules of the game. If you like to have a detailed description of the game course including examples and a lot of images or if you need to clarify an issue, please refer to the original rules of the publisher linked below.

→ original rules (pdf)

→ german original rules (pdf)

→ french original rules (pdf)

→ dutch original rules (pdf)

Game Components

Ganges playing pads (Sun side and Moon side)

dice (2 per color)

dice-depot tiles with sides for 2 players and 3-5 players

starting player elephant

Object Of The Game

The fame points and the money you gain during gameplay are recorded on tracks that run in opposite directions. The player whose tracks exceed the intersection point the most at the end of the game wins.

Make your province thrive! Use the dice to build roads, erect buildings, collect and sell goods, sail the Ganges and cleverly use your connections within the Great Mogul's palace. The fame points and the money you gain are recorded on tracks that run in opposite directions. The player whose tracks exceed the intersection point the most at the end of the game wins.

Set-Up Of The Game

Each player takes a sheet. The starting player gets the elephant.

Each player takes a pen and a sheet. (For the first game, we recommend using the Sun side of the playing pad). This sheet represents a player's personal sphere of influence. Additionally, everybody puts one of the dice-depot tiles in front of him. In the two-player game, the side with 2 storing spaces should be face up; otherwise, use the side with 1 storing space. The dice are put in the middle of the table. The youngest player becomes the starting player; he places the elephant in front of him. And off you go!

The Playing Pad

Course Of The Game

The starting player rolls all 8 dice and chooses one of them. He places The second die of the same color on top of the elephant.

After the starting player has finished his turn, the next player chooses one of the remaining dice and carries out the associated action – and so on until all players have used one die.

Then the round ends and the elephant is passed on to the next player. He becomes the starting player of the new round and rolls all 8 dice again.

→Special rules for the two-player game

The starting player rolls all 8 dice in the middle of the table, then chooses one of them and puts it on his dice-depot tile.

He takes the second die of the same color from the middle of the table and places it on top of the elephant. This die is no longer directly available to the other players. Then the starting player carries out the action of the die.

The color of the die determines where exactly you can carry out an action.

If you earn fame points through an action, you record these points on your fame track, from left to right. If you get money through an action, you record this on your money track, from right to left.

After the starting player has finished his turn, the next player in clockwise order chooses one of the remaining dice and carries out the associated action – and so on until all players have used one die. Then the round ends and the elephant is passed on to the next player in a clockwise direction. He becomes the starting player of the new round and rolls all 8 dice again.

Special rules for the two-player game: See the end of the instructions.

Note: In the rare case that there is no suitable die left on your turn and you don't have any karma, you don't carry out any action on this turn.

The dice colors in detail

Purple – Obtain goods

You obtain the depicted goods. Take the first good that is still available, i.e. circle the good that is furthest left in your market area.

If you opt for a purple die, you'll obtain 2 new goods (tea, silk, and/or spices) and circle them in your market area. To do so, you always have to take the first good that is still available, i.e., the not-yet-circled good of the respective kind that is furthest left in your market area.

Green – Build roads

Draw a road within a region that has no road yet. The road has to be connected to a road you have already drawn. The game starts with the roads in the province space of your residence already drawn.

The half-roads can be

combined to form a straight or bend to be drawn into an empty province space or
connected to already-existing roads in order to form a fork or an intersection.

You are not allowed to mark a new province space only half by drawing one half-road.

If you opt for a green die, you can expand the road network in your province by drawing a road (a straight or a bend) within a region that has no road yet.

Your first road must start from your residence. Later on, you can start again from the residence or connect a new road to other roads that you have already drawn. The orientation doesn't matter (for instance, whether the straight is vertical or horizontal).

combined to form a straight, or
combined to form a bend, or
connected to already-existing roads (straight, bend or fork) ( 3 ) in order to form a fork or an intersection.

You are not allowed to mark a new province space only half by drawing one half-road. A new space always has to be marked by drawing a complete road (straight, bend, fork or intersection).

The principal rules are:

If you draw a road on a province space for the first time, the building, resp. the market is immediately activated. Buildings earn you fame points. Markets allow you to sell goods (that you would have to have in stock at this moment).

If you connect a bonus at the edge of your province via a road to your residence, you receive this bonus once on the same turn.

You always have to draw roads in such a way that there is a connection to the residence.
If you draw a road on a province space with a building for the first time, this building is then considered erected, and gives you immediate fame points.
If you draw a road on a province space with a market for the first time, this opens up a market where you can immediately sell the depicted goods once (up to 3 goods of the same kind or of different kinds that you would have to have in stock at this moment).
If you connect a bonus at the edge of your province via a road to your residence, you receive this bonus once on the same turn.
Only half-roads enable you to expand a road (one that you have already drawn on a province space) to a fork or intersection – but not with a straight or bend.
Fame points for buildings or money for markets are not granted a second time for the same province space if you expand a road with a half-road.

Erected buildings:

At the beginning of the game, each connected building is worth 1 fame point.

Later on, you can upgrade the buildings (see the section, " The upgrade of buildings ").

If you connect a building you gain as many fame points as indicated on the rightmost marked space.

If you have erected a building, you immediately gain fame points according to the upgrade table.

At the beginning of the game, each connected building is worth 1 fame point. Later on, you can upgrade the buildings (see the section, " The upgrade of buildings "). For each type of building you connect to the road network, you gain as many fame points as indicated on the rightmost marked space of the respective row (3 fame points maximum).

Opened-up markets:

H If you have opened up a market, you can immediately sell up to 3 goods once.

Depending on the type of the market you can sell either 1-3 goods of the same kind oder 1-3 different goods.

Important: You can sell only goods that you already own.

Goods are sold from left to right and are immediately crossed out. The coin below the respective column indicates how much money you get for selling a good of this column.

If you have opened up a market, you can immediately sell up to 3 goods once and get money for this. So, if you open up a market, you should at this time have goods in your stock that you can sell there.

1-3 goods of the same kind: Here you sell 1 to 3 goods of one kind.
1-3 different goods: Here you sell 1 to 3 different goods.

Important: You can sell only goods that you already own. To this end, they need to have been circled in your market area. You sell your goods in the respective rows from left to right. Sold goods are immediately crossed out. How much money you get depends on the number of goods you have already sold. The more goods of one kind you have sold, the more valuable is that kind. The coin below the respective column indicates how much money you get for selling a good of this column.

Blue – Advance on the river

You advance to the next unoccupied river space with the corresponding symbol.

You mark (only!) the target space. You immediately get theBonuses depicted there.

You advance from your current position (= the rightmost river space that you have marked)

When you have marked the third space of one symbol, dice with this symbol will be of no more use to you. When you have reached the last river space, you can no longer use blue dice.

If you opt for a blue die, you advance to the next unoccupied river space with the corresponding symbol. You mark (only!) the target space you have reached, and immediately get the earnings depicted there (see the "Bonuses" section for an explanation of the symbols). As a basic principle, you get all earnings depicted on that target space.

If you choose a blue die again on a later game turn, you advance from your current position to the symbol of the now-chosen die.

The current position always is the rightmost river space that you have marked.

When you have marked the third space of one symbol, dice with this symbol will be of no more use to you.

When you have reached the last river space, you can no longer advance on the river and no longer use blue dice.

Orange – Carry out a palace action

Cross out the leftmost space of the chosen action in your palace area and carry out the corresponding palace action.

You can use each of the six palace actions only three times during the game (regardless of whether it is through dice or bonuses).

If you opt for an orange die, you carry out the corresponding palace action. First, cross out the chosen action in your palace area. Remember to always cross out the leftmost space first.

Note that you can use each of the six palace actions only three times during the game (regardless of whether it is through dice or bonuses).

The palace actions are:

The Great Mogul: Choose from one of the other 5 palace actions, cross out the chosen palace action and carry out the respective action.
The Maharani: Immediately advance 1 or 2 spaces on the river.
The Trader: You may immediately sell up to 2 goods of your choice or take 1 good.
Raja Man Singh: Immediately make an →upgrade and get 1 money.
The Master Builder: You immediately get 2 half-roads. You can build them in the same way as the 2 half-roads on the green dice.
The Portuguese: From your current position, you move 1 or 2 unoccupied spaces back on the river. When you move backwards, you don't include already-marked spaces in the count and thus cannot use them again.
You may take 1 good instead.

The Great Mogul: If you cross out a space of the Great Mogul, you can freely choose from one of the other 5 palace actions. You additionally cross out the chosen palace action and carry out the respective action.
The original graphics are a bit misleading here and therefore the symbol was complemented with a crossed out Great Mogul.
The Maharani: You immediately advance 1 or 2 spaces (your choice) on the river, mark the chosen space, and gain the respective earnings.
The Trader: You may immediately sell up to 2 goods of your choice . If you are not willing or able to sell any goods, you get one good of your choice and circle it in your market area.
Raja Man Singh: You get 1 money. Record it on your money track and immediately make an upgrade of one of your buildings (see also " →The upgrade of buildings ").
The Master Builder: You immediately get 2 half-roads that you can combine to form either a bend or a straight in order to draw another road. Or you connect the two half-roads to already-existing roads in order to get access to adjacent spaces or to bonuses at the edge of your province (see "→Bonuses" section).
The Portuguese: From your current position, you move 1 or 2 unoccupied spaces back on the river, mark the chosen space, and gain the earnings from there. When you move backwards, you don't include already-marked spaces in the count and thus cannot use them again.
When you keep sailing on the river later on, your current position on the river is considered the starting point again, of course – that is, the rightmost marked river space.
If there is no unoccupied space on the river that you can move back to, or if you don't want to move back, you obtain a good of your choice.

The scoring tracks

You enter your fame points and your money on two different tracks. The fame track starts on the top left of the sheet. The money track starts on the top right of the sheet. Whenever you land on or pass a space that shows a bonus, you receive this bonus immediately.

The upgrade of buildings

Each type of building has a basic value of 1 fame point. During the course of the game, this basic value can be raised to up to 3 fame points.

The upgrades are marked from left to right for each building type.

Each type of building has a basic value of 1 fame point. During the course of the game, this basic value can be raised to 2 and 3 fame points: through the "Raja Man Singh" palace action, a river action, or connected or achieved bonuses.

If you get an upgrade, you immediately choose the type of building you want to upgrade, strike off the current number and mark the next higher value in the space to its right in the upgrade table.

The upgrades are marked from left to right for each building type.

From then on, you get 2 (or 3) fame points for buildings of this type.

As soon as you have upgraded each type of building at least once, you immediately receive the bonus depicted below this column. If you have upgraded all building types twice, you immediately receive the bonus depicted below the second column.

Karma

Karma allows the other players to reroll the die that the starting player has placed on top of the elephant at the beginning of the round, plus one yet-unused die from the middle of the table.

At the beginning of the game, you have one karma.

You can get new karma through bonuses at the edge of your province, on the money track or on the river. You can use karma only at the beginning of your turn.

When you use karma, you cross it out at the start of your turn – from left to right. Then you take the die off the elephant, plus any other die from the middle of the table. Roll both dice. Choose the result of one of these dice and carry out its action.

Put the chosen die on your dice-depot tile and the other die on top of the elephant. The latter die will now be available again to subsequent players using karma. After that, you must carry out the action of the die on the depot tile.

However, you are allowed to use any amount of collected karma on one turn in order to roll the two chosen dice multiple times.

You receive one bonus each when you circle karma for the third, for the fourth, and for the fifth time.

Bonuses

During the game, you can receive various bonuses. Once you have released a bonus, you immediately circle it. After you have carried out the actual die action, you cross out the bonus and use it.

If you receive several bonuses while carrying out the die action, the order in which you want to use them is up to you.

During the game, you can receive bonuses in various ways:

When you connect bonuses at the edge of your province.
When you have sold all goods of one tent.
When you have marked a complete column at the palace or in the upgrade table.
When you have collected the third, fourth, and fifth karma.
When you land on or pass a bonus on the tracks.

Once you have released a bonus, you immediately circle it. After you have carried out the actual die action , you cross out the bonus and use it.

If you receive several bonuses while carrying out the die action, the order in which you want to use them is up to you. Cross out each bonus right before you use it.
By the end of your turn, make sure that you have used and then crossed out all these bonuses.

The Symbols

Below, you'll find explanations of the different symbols that come up on different occasions in the game:

You find the people from the palace also as bonuses at the edge of your province. Their function is the same as described under "Palace actions." If, for example, you get the Portuguese as a bonus at the edge, you cross him out at the palace and move 1 or 2 unoccupied spaces backwards on the river. Each of the palace actions can be used only a maximum of three times. So, if you have already used the Portuguese three times, it is not worth it for you to connect him as a bonus, since you can't use him anymore.

Carry out a palace action of your choice by crossing out the next space at the respective character and carrying out the associated action.

Receive an upgrade for one type of building.

Get a karma.

Earn one or more fame points and immediately record them on your fame track.

Earn one or more money and immediately record them on your money track.

Get 2 goods according to the current result of one of the two purple goods dice. Choose the goods of one of the two dice. It doesn't matter whether the die is lying in the middle of the table, with one of the other players, or on top of the elephant. The die stays where it is; you get only the two goods shown on it.

Get 1, 2 or 3 different goods. If you get 3 goods, circle 1 good of each kind. If you get fewer goods, you may choose which different goods you want to circle.

Sell any 1, 2, 3 or 1-2 goods of your choice. To do so, cross out circled goods in your market area and get the applicable amount of money.

Sell 1-3 goods of the same kind or of different kinds.

Sell 2 different goods.

Connect a half-road to an already-existing road in your province, thus building a fork or intersection.
Attention:: Special case: If you manage on the same turn to release 2 half-roads as bonuses (column bonus at the palace + bonus on the money track), you may also combine these to form a straight or a bend.

Draw a straight, fork or intersection on an unoccupied province space; it has to be connected to your residence via already-existing roads.

Starting from your current position on the river, move forward to the next river space, mark it, and gain the earnings from there.

Starting from your current position on the river, move back to the next unoccupied river space, mark it, and gain the earnings from there.

Starting from your current position on the river, move back to any yet-unmarked river space, mark the chosen space, and gain the earnings from there.

Note:: If you connect a bonus that you can't use on this turn, it goes to waste – e.g., if you would be allowed to sell a good but don't have any, or if you would be allowed to connect a half-road but haven't yet drawn any roads, etc.

End Of The Game

The game ends as soon as one player's entries on his money and fame track intersect. The round is still completed, so that all players have had the same number of turns. If one or more of the other players manage to intersect their two scoring tracks, the player whose tracks exceed the intersection point the most wins.

In case of a tie, the player who has collected (i.e., has circled) more karma wins. If players have collected the same amount of karma, the tied player who has used (i.e., crossed out) more karma wins. If there is still a tie, the tied players share the victory.

The Game For 2 Players

In the two-player game, players alternate using one die each until both players have had two turns. Then the starting player changes, and the dice are rolled anew.

Special karma rule: When it is the starting player's second turn to take a die in a round, he now also has the possibility to use his collected karma (if he has any).

Special rule for the game end: If a player already fulfills the game-end condition with the 1st die, the game ends after the current turn.

Appendix