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Samarkand

Samarkand

ABACUSSPIELE · 1980
2–540 min9+ yrs1.9/5 complexity6.4 BGG#5.450 BGG1,1 KStrategy
short answer

How do you play Samarkand?

A trading game in which you don't trade with the other players. Instead the commodities are displayed on the board in a number of "nomad camps." If your move brings you to a camp, you must present a gift to the camp -- then you can trade your cards for any cards in the camp.

To find the best price for Samarkand, howtoplay.ro compares deals from Romanian shops every day.

Samarkand box art
official art · ABACUSSPIELE

A trading game in which you don't trade with the other players. Instead the commodities are displayed on the board in a number of "nomad camps." If your move brings you to a camp, you must present a gift to the camp -- then you can trade your cards for any cards in the camp. You can also buy goods from the deck at "oasis" squares. Once you've amassed a number of a particular commodity, you head for the city where that commodity is bought. There are a few other details to complicate matters, but basically everyone repeats this process until someone has the 500 cash in hand to win the game. Samarkand is an entertaining exercise with no especially brain-taxing strategies to figure out and makes a good family game.

This game is sometimes called Bazaar II, because Schmidt Spiele originally published this game under the name Bazaar, even though Bazaar is a completely different game. Both games are by Sid Sackson.

game anatomy
Complexity1.9 / 5
BGG rating6.4 / 10
Vibe
Strategy
Language dependence
No in-game text needed
🌐 plays without English
Play time
40 min
Players
2–5
Recommended age
9+ yrs
BGG rank
#5.450
from Trișache · verified

Frequently asked questions

Q1How much does Samarkand cost?
No store is currently tracking Samarkand. Check the Prices tab — you can set a price alert to be notified when it appears.
Q2Where can I buy Samarkand cheapest?
Check the Prices tab — howtoplay.ro aggregates offers from 7+ Romanian board-game stores and tracks price history.
Q3How do you play Samarkand?
Samarkand is a economic game, for 2–5 players, taking ~40 minutes, featuring pick-up and deliver. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about Samarkand — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q4How many players does Samarkand support?
Samarkand is played by 2–5 players.
Q5How long does a game of Samarkand take?
A game of Samarkand takes about 40 minutes. (The first game doesn't count. It never counts.)
Q6What age is Samarkand for?
Samarkand is recommended from age 9.
Q7How complex is Samarkand?
Samarkand has a BoardGameGeek complexity of 1.9 out of 5.
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