Istanbul
130 questions players ask about Istanbul. Pick one for the answer. See also the full rulebook.
Updated 2026-11-06.
Setup
- What restrictions apply to a random board layout in the base game?
- What do the small blue and green numbers on the Place tiles mean?
- Can you mix base-game and expansion Place tiles in whatever layout you like?
- Which Mosque tiles are removed in a 2- or 3-player game?
- How many Rubies go on each Place at setup?
- Which cubes does each player take, the goods colours or the player colour?
- How do the neutral Merchants work in a 2-player game?
- Can neutral Merchants share a place, and do I pay each of them?
- Do I pay a neutral Merchant on the Fountain, and does it still move?
- Does a neutral Merchant pay me or catch my Family Member?
Movement and assistants
- In what order do the phases of a turn happen?
- Do I pick up or leave Assistants, or pay Merchants, on places I only pass through?
- What happens if I cannot or do not want to pick up or leave an Assistant at the place I moved to?
- Is picking up my Assistant mandatory when I land on a place where I left one?
- Can two of my Assistants ever be on the same place?
- Do I have to carry out the place's action after picking up or leaving an Assistant?
- Do I get the place's action when I pick up my Assistant as well as when I leave one?
- Can I move diagonally or zigzag when moving two places?
- Must my Merchant end on a different place every turn?
- Can I reach the Fountain from anywhere in one turn?
Encounters
- Does an opponent's Assistant on a place block it or change what I do?
- What happens if I land on a place with another player's Merchant and cannot or will not pay the 2 Lira?
- Must I send another player's Family Member to the Police Station when I land on it, and what do I get?
- Is a Family Member sent back when it moves onto my place, or only when I land on it?
- What happens when I land on a place where my own Family Member stands?
- How does meeting the Governor work?
- How does meeting the Smuggler work, and can I use him if my turn ended early?
- Can I move the Governor or Smuggler without keeping what they give me?
- Can I play the 5 Lira Bonus card I just drew from the Governor to pay for it?
- Do the Governor and Smuggler have to be in the game, and do I have to use them?
Bonus cards
- How does the bonus card that says not to move my Merchant work?
- How does the bonus card that moves my Merchant 3 or 4 places work?
- Can I play bonus cards during another player's turn?
- Can I play a bonus card in the middle of an action, for example to get a missing good before paying?
- Can I play a bonus card on the turn I get it, including one from the Governor or Caravansary?
- Can I play a repeat card (+1 action) after I have already finished the place action?
- When a repeat card makes me carry out a place action again, do I move, collect an Assistant or pay Merchants again?
- If I play two repeat cards on the same place, how many times do I do the action?
- Can my Family Member use my Bonus cards and Mosque tiles, including repeat cards?
Places and their actions
- How does the Fountain work?
- Do I have encounters at the Fountain, such as the Governor, Smuggler or catching Family Members?
- If I send my Family Member to the Fountain, do my Assistants still return to my Merchant?
- How do I take the two Bonus cards at the Caravansary?
- At the Caravansary, which card can I discard, and can I take back the card I discard?
- How do I free my Family Member at the Police Station?
- Does my Family Member have encounters, pay other Merchants or catch other Family Members?
- Can I send my own Family Member back to the Police Station?
- When do the Post Office Mail indicators reset?
- Can I buy more than one Ruby at the Gemstone Dealer or Sultan's Palace in one visit?
Mosque tiles
- How many goods must I have to buy a Mosque tile, and how many do I pay?
- Can I take two Mosque tiles in one visit or own two copies of the same tile?
- When do I get the Ruby from a Mosque?
- What do the red, green, blue and yellow Mosque tiles do?
- Can I use the Red Mosque tile more than once per turn, or on any dice roll?
- How does the green Mosque tile work, and can I use it with an empty Warehouse or Lira from encounters?
- How does the yellow Mosque tile work, and when can I use it?
Game end and general rules
- When does the game end, and does everyone get the same number of turns?
- Is there a limit to how many Rubies I can collect?
- How are ties broken at the end of the game?
- How many Rubies end the game when I play with an expansion or the Grand Bazaar?
- Can players trade goods, Bonus cards or tiles with each other?
- Is money open information, and do Bonus cards have to be kept hidden?
Istanbul: Letters & SealsExpansion
- How do I get my Companion into play?
- How does the Companion move and act?
- Can the Companion use the Fountain, and do my Assistants return to my Merchant?
- Does the Companion have encounters, and how much do I pay if a Merchant and Companion share a place?
- Who gets teleported when someone uses the Catacombs?
- When I use the Catacombs, do I leave an Assistant there and can I pick up an Assistant at the destination?
- Can I skip the teleport, teleport to the Catacombs itself, or put the Smuggler or a Family Member there?
- Which of my pieces can deliver a Letter, and does another player's token on its place count?
- Can a token passing through a Letter's place deliver it?
Istanbul: Mocha & BaksheeshExpansion
- Which Tavern tiles do I use in a 2-player game?
- How much coffee do the Tavern tiles cost?
- What does the Barrier action do, and can anyone move it later?
- Does the Barrier block a Family Member, the Fountain, or bonus cards?
- Can the Barrier's Tavern action combine with another Tavern action, or with bonus cards?
- Must the two Tavern actions from Guild card 19 be different?
- Do I move my Merchant or have encounters when I play a Guild card?
- Can I play Bonus cards or use Mosque tiles on a turn when I play a Guild card?
- How does Guild card 7 work?
- Do I get a reward or have encounters when Guild card 12 sends my Family Member back?