Scholars of the South Tigris

Place the main game board in the center of the table. Shuffle the translator cards and place them face-up on their designated spots on the board. Shuffle the scroll cards and place six face-up on the map area and three face-up in the House of Wisdom. Shuffle the 10 starting translator cards, draw four, and place them in the specified rooms on the main board. Place one random resource card under each starting translator. Each player receives a player board and components in their color: 7 action cards, 20 influence tokens, 6 research markers, a player marker, and a bag. Players place their research markers on the '0' space of each research track. Player markers are placed on the central space of the upper map track. The neutral research marker is placed on the central space of the lower map track. Create general supplies of workers, silver, and gold, treating them as unlimited. All dice (white, basic colored, and transparent colored) are placed in a common pool. Randomly select the first player, who receives the corresponding token. Prepare the scroll deck according to the setup card, removing four Caliph cards and creating six stacks of scrolls as indicated. Place one face-down Caliph card on each of the four middle scroll stacks. Separately shuffle each of these four stacks. Collect all stacks into one deck, placing them to the left of the board. Unused scroll cards are set aside. Deal each player one random objective card, which they place on the right edge of their player board. Players place a white worker on the top space of their objective card, and a worker and a transparent die of specified colors on the spaces below. Each player receives a starting scroll card matching the character on their objective card, placed above their player board. Starting from the last player and moving left, each player chooses a pair of cards (a resource card and a starting translator) and places their influence token on the translator card. In games with fewer than four players, unchosen translators remain on the board as neutral, and their resource cards are returned to the box. Each player then resolves their chosen resource card from top to bottom: adding indicated dice to their bag, taking indicated gold, silver, and workers, and finally gaining a bonus (e.g., placing influence on a scroll card or advancing on a research track). After resolving, the resource card is flipped and placed under the player board as a reference card.

The main objective is to earn the most victory points by the end of the game. Players achieve this by translating scrolls, advancing on various research tracks, and gaining influence in the House of Wisdom. Each player also has a personal objective card with three requirements to fulfill, which grant resources and expand their action card hand. These requirements can be met in any order. The top requirement is fulfilled by interacting with a specific translator (e.g., hiring or dismissing them, or placing/taking gold from their card). The middle requirement is met by translating any scroll in a guild of a specific color. The bottom requirement is achieved by reaching the third level on a specified research track. Once all three requirements on an objective card are met, the player takes the card into their hand, increasing their hand size to eight. This card also features a printed white die with a value of 5, which is treated as if it were placed on the card, affecting future action calculations.

The game proceeds in an undetermined number of rounds. In each round, starting with the first player, each player takes one turn, and the player order remains constant throughout the game. On their turn, a player must either perform a 'Work' turn or a 'Rest' turn. A 'Work' turn involves playing an action card from hand onto an empty slot on their player board, assigning 1-2 dice and optionally workers to it to determine its strength and color, and then performing the corresponding main action. A 'Rest' turn is a reset phase where players collect income, retrieve dice from their bag, and pick up previously played action cards. The game ends after the fourth Caliph card is revealed from the scroll deck, and all players have completed an equal number of turns. After this, final scoring occurs to determine the winner.

At the end of the game, players calculate their total victory points. Points are awarded in several categories: 1. Dice: Players sum the values of all their dice. From the total of all colored dice, subtract the number of white dice. 2. Caliph Cards: Players earn points for each guild they control and for influence tokens placed on Caliph cards. 3. Research Tracks: Points are awarded based on the highest position reached on each research track. 4. Translated Scrolls: Each translated scroll provides victory points, and some have additional conditions for bonus points. 5. Objective Cards: Points are awarded for fulfilled objective cards. 6. Resources: Each two gold pieces are worth one victory point. Additionally, if a player has six or more white dice at the end of the game, they lose three victory points. The player with the most victory points wins. In case of a tie, the player with more of their own translators on the main board wins. If still tied, the player with more workers wins. If there's still a tie, tied players share the victory.

The game concludes when the fourth Caliph card is revealed from the scroll deck during a 'Deliver Scroll' action or a 'Rest' turn. After this, the current round is completed, and then one final full round is played to ensure all players have taken an equal number of turns. If the scroll deck runs out during these final rounds, a new deck is formed by shuffling the discarded scroll cards from setup. After the final round, players collect any gold from their hired translators and add it to their personal supply. Then, the final scoring takes place across several categories to determine the winner.