Merchants of Babylon
Merchants of Babylon is an easy game to learn but with a medium difficulty to manage. Mainly, it works with UNO mechanic, despite very simplified. We have three types of objects (pottery, fabrics and weapons) for every colour in the game (Greece, Egypt, Persia and Assyria).
There is a central deck where we have to place a card with the same object or colour of the card that is put on the top. Every time we do it, we gain a gold point (victory point), and if it is the same kind of card, we gain 3 gold points. To win, we need more victory points that the rest of players.
Anyway, this is not the whole game. In the table there will be three market cards, that to be reclaimed by a player, he or she has to gather the card combination that is indicated in each market card. If it is done, he or she wins the market card, that will score in the end, and it will win so many victory points as this market card indicates inmediately.
There is also combo cards, which can be used to trigger special effects and give them special powers to the player who get them, as card combinations in market cards, and they also score in the end. Each time a market card or combo one is adquired by a player, it is replaced by other one in market or combo deck.
When a player reach to 20 victory points in its point track, the game ends inmediately, and the player with more points, taking into account the gold of point track and market and combo cards accumulated, wins.
This game is for two to twelve people, time of game is not too long and rule’s complexity is quite reduced. However, you’ll have be aware of your cards, the cards in central deck, market cards and combo cards, if you want to maximize your victory options.
This game is perfect for crowded parties and familiar meetings, given rules are simple but management is quite complex to have all people involved.