Objective of the Game
The objective of Five Tribes is to be the player with the most victory points at the end of the game. Victory points can be earned in various ways: by occupying tiles, having majorities of meeples, owning Djinns (special cards with unique abilities), and more.
Game Components
- 30 game tiles, to be arranged in a 5x6 grid.
- 2 bidding tracks, where players place their bids for the turn order.
- 89 meeples in five colors (18 yellow, 18 white, 18 green, 16 blue, 19 red).
- 90 gold coins, which serve as currency.
- 22 Djinn cards.
- 96 resource cards in two categories: goods and great viziers.
- 12 palm trees and 10 palaces markers.
- Player aides and a scoring pad.
Setting up the Game
- Shuffle the 30 tiles and place them randomly to form a 5x6 grid.
- Randomly place 3 meeples on each tile.
- Place the gold coins, Djinn cards, palm and palace markers, and resource cards on the table.
- Each player selects a color and receives the corresponding player aids.
- Build the turn order marker stack and place it on the bidding track in player order.
- Set the players' starting bids to 0.
Gameplay
Each round consists of the following phases:
A. Bidding for Turn Order
- Players bid with their gold coins on the turn order. The player who bids the most goes first.
B. Taking Turns in Player Order
- Moving Meeples: The active player selects a tile with at least one meeple, picks up all meeples on this tile, and places one meeple on each adjacent tile around it, ensuring no tiles are visited twice.
- Activating Meeples: The player activates the effect of the tile where they placed the last meeple. This is dependent on the meeple's color:
- Yellow (Great Viziers): Increase victory point tally.
- White (Elders): Used to acquire Djinns.
- Green (Merchants): Allow players to acquire resources from the market.
- Blue (Builders): Provide coins based on surrounding blue tiles.
- Red (Assassins): Allow a meeple to be removed from play.
- If all meeples are removed from a tile, the player gains control of that tile, where palaces and palm trees can be placed to increase the tile's value.
C. Special Abilities of Djinns
- Players can activate Djinns, which offer special abilities by using Elders and triggering a special action.
End of the Game
The game ends if no valid moves are possible or when a specific number of tiles remain uncontrolled. Final scoring follows:
- Victory points from controlled tiles.
- Remaining gold coins as extra victory points.
- Djinns and their additional effects.
The player with the most victory points wins.
Strategic Tips
- Meeple movement planning is crucial. Pay attention to where you place your meeples.
- Owning Djinns can provide ongoing advantages.
- Use gold coins wisely, as they serve for bidding and victory points.
- Gather a variety of resources for additional scoring.
This was an introduction to Five Tribes. Have fun playing!
