12 Thieves
The Thief of Baghdad Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Playing Equipment
- 1 gameboard - showing 6 palaces
- 102 palace cards - 17 cards showing one of the six palaces (reverse side of the cards is a blue pattern)
- 8 cards of female dancers - they serve as jokers and are used like the palace cards
- 48 thieves - four sets of 12 thieves in different colours
- 24 treasure chests - of six treasure chests labelled with 4 to 7 thieves respectively
- 24 Guards - four sets of 12 guards in different colours and 8 black, neutral guards
- 1 Game instructions
Object of the game
Each player can move his/her thieves using palace cards. You can, of course, collect the thieves as quickly as possible at the treasure chests whilst you should try to place the guards in front of the other thieves.
The player who succeeds in being the first person to steal the required number of treasure chests, completes and wins the game.
Getting ready to play
The gameboard is placed in the middle of the table.
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6 even stacks are formed with the treasure chests. A treasure chest labelled with the number 7 is placed at the bottom of each stack. A treasure chest with 6 thieves is placed upon it, then one with 5 thieves and a treasure chest is placed upon it, which is labelled with 4 thieves.
This kind of stack is placed on the coloured terrace in each palace following this.
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A black, neutral guard is placed on a guard's square in front of each palace.
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The palace cards are shuffled and placed as a hidden stack next to the gameboard. The dancers' cards are placed facing upwards next to the gameboard.
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The oldest player is the starting player, the others follow in a clockwise direction.
Depending on the number of players:
If there are two players each player receives:
- All the thieves (12) in the colour of his/her choice and
- 4 guards of the same colour;
- the starting player receives 6 palace cards from the stack, the second player receives 7 cards.
If there are three players, each player receives:
- All the thieves in the colour of his/her choice and
- 3 guards of the same colour;
- the starting player receives 6 palace cards, the second player receives 7 cards and the third player receives 8 cards.
If there are four players, each player receives:
- All the thieves in the colour of his/her choice and
- 2 guards of the same colour;
- the starting player receives 6 palace cards, the second player receives 7 cards, the third player receives 8 cards and the fourth player receives 9 cards.
Now each player in turn places a guard of their own colour on a free guard's square of their own choice. This is repeated until all the players' guards have been placed on the board.
Each player sets up their own stock of treasure with his/her thieves and places his/her cards in their hands.
Notice: A maximum number of 4 guards may be placed in front of a palace.
How to play
The players try to employ or move their thieves and guards by playing their palace cards so that they can rob the treasure chests from the palaces as quickly as possible.
However, the chests are heavy and require a certain number of thieves. The treasure chest can only be stolen once there are enough thieves in the palace.
Actions using palace cards
It is possible to carry out the following actions by playing suitable palace cards:
- Place (smuggle in) a thief from your stock of cards into a palace.
- Moving your own guard.
- Moving your own guard and taking your own thief with you at the same time.
- Moving a neutral guard.
Palace cards that have been played form a joint discard pile.
Place your own thief from your stock into a palace [costs 1 card per external guard]
You need to play 1 card of the respective palace for each external guard (guard of a fellow player or a neutral guard) standing there in order to move 1 thief from your own stock into a palace.
In this case at least 1 of your own guards and 1 external guard must be standing in front of the palace.
Example: Player "Green" places 1 thief in the red palace by playing 2 red cards (one for the neutral guard and one for the blue guard). He/she does not hand in a card for his/her own guard.
Notice: As many thieves as you like can stay in a palace.
Moving your own guard [costs 1 card]
Players who want to send one guard from one palace to the next one must play 1 card. This card must either display the palace that the guard has been standing in front of up to now or display the palace to which the guard is to be sent. In addition at least 1 guard's square must be unoccupied there.
Moving your own guard and taking your own thief with you at the same time [costs 1 card]
Your own guard who is sent to another palace, can take his own thief with him. Taking the thief with him does not use up any additional palace cards. Of course the thief must have entered the same palace.
The thief is placed inside the palace's inner courtyard.
Notice: You may not take external thieves with you.
Moving a neutral guard [costs 2 cards]
Players who want to send a neutral guard from one palace to the next one must play 2 cards: One card must display the palace in front of which the guard has been standing up to now and the other card must display the palace to which the guard is sent. In addition at least 1 guard's square must be unoccupied there.
Notice: Guards of other players may not be moved.
Combining any number of actions
In principle the player whose turn it is may carry out as many actions as he/she likes and can pay for them with the corresponding palace cards. He/she may also play the same action several times. They can freely select the sequence of actions.
Exception: A player may only carry out a maximum total of 3 actions with thieves (place a thief / move guard and take thief) within one move.
Stealing the treasure chests
The top treasure chest in the palace respectively indicates how many own thieves a player requires.
As soon as a player succeeds in smuggling the number of thieves necessary to steal a treasure chest into a palace he/she will take the corresponding treasure chest from the palace and place it openly in front of him/herself with the reverse side facing upwards. The thieves who are involved are placed back in the player's own stock and are immediately available once again.
Notice: External thieves - they do not take part in the robbery - remain in the palace.
Taking replacement cards
You take 3 cards from the hidden stack and place them in your hands after you have completed your actions.
If the stack has been used up the palace cards are shuffled and made available as a new hidden stack.
If you have not carried out any actions when it is your turn you take 4 cards, one of the cards may be a dancer.
The dancer (joker) can be used like any palace card when you have another turn. Dancers that have been played are not placed on the discard pile but are put back with the dancers's cards that are facing upwards.
Notice: If the stack with the dancers has been used then you take a card from the hidden stack.
End of the game
The player who is the first in the game to steal:
- 6 treasure chests, ...in a game with 2 players,
- 5 treasure chests, ...in a game with 3 players,
- 4 treasure chests, ...in a game with 4 players,
immediately ends the game.
He/she has won the game and can now bear the title of THE "Thief of Baghdad".
Other game variants
People who prefer a more tactical version of the game can play the following variant:
Each player not only places his/her guard in his own colour prior to the start of the game but also 2 neutral guards. Each player decides him/herself the sequence in which their own and neutral guards are positioned.
In addition no neutral guards are placed on the board.
(c) Copyright 2006 Queen Games, D-53842 Troisdorf, Germany