Kashgar: Merchants of the Silk Road Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components
- Card Symbols
Preparing to Play
Anatomy of a Person Card
Course of the Game
Fulfilling Orders
End of the Game
General Notes on the Rules
The "Cut & Thrust" Expansion
Credits

Components

165 Cards (including 125 Person cards in 5 different types, and 40 Order cards):

13 Patriarchs (with Matriarchs on the reverse)
12 Starting cards (Reverse)
76 Standard cards (Reverse)
12 Special cards (Reverse)
12 Expansion cards (Reverse)
40 Orders (Reverse)
4 Mule tokens
4 Gold tokens
20 Spice tokens (4 each in 5 types)
4 Player boards

Card Symbols

Ginger, Cloves, Pepper, Star-Anise, Cinnamon, Gold, Mules.

A spice bottle icon showing a mix of colors = Any spice.

Preparing to Play

Shuffle the cards and place them in their respective decks face-down on the table:

Shuffle 12 Start cards to form a deck.
Shuffle the 76 Standard cards to form a deck.
Shuffle the 12 Special cards to form a deck.
Shuffle the 40 Order cards to form a deck.

Note: In your first game do not use the 12 additional cards that belong to the "Cut and Thrust" expansion. They have the same backs as the Standard cards, but their fronts differ because of their beige-colored backgrounds. These cards (completely or partially) can be shuffled in with the standard cards in later matches to make play more interactive and conflict-ridden.

Draw 4 Order cards and place them face up in the middle of the table, near the Order deck.
Place one of the Patriarch cards nearby, on the table.
Each player receives:

1 Player board.
1 Mule token, 1 Gold token and 5 Spice tokens in the 5 spice colors. (Place them in their corresponding columns, all at value 3, on the player board.)
3 Patriarch cards. Place them face-up and side-by-side.
3 randomly-drawn Starting cards. Place one face up behind each of the Patriarch cards. Each of these three columns of cards now represents a caravan the player controls.

For 2-3 player games, place any leftover player components back in the box.

Anatomy of a Person Card

Each Person card shows: the Name of card, its Victory points, a Caravan action (shown on a light background), a Parting action (shown on a red background), and the Cost for performing the card's action.

Course of the Game

General rule: the card texts always take precedence over these rules.

The starting player will be the person with the lowest ranked (see the number at the bottom-right corner) Starting card in any of their Caravans.

(The "card rank" is the number printed at the bottom-right corner of a card.)

On their turn, the current player selects the front card of one of his caravans. Then he must – depending on the card – choose one of three options:

A) Caravan action
or
B) Parting action
or
C) Pass

Then it is the turn of the next player in clockwise order.

A) Caravan action

Caravan actions are written on light backgrounds. If the player wants to perform a caravan action with the selected card, he places this card at the end of the same caravan, i.e. pushes it all the way back, so it is now under all the other cards in its caravan.

To perform the caravan action of the card, he must pay the costs specified in the light background area by adjusting the corresponding markers on his player board. Note: some caravan actions have no cost and can be executed directly.

(For example, a cost shown as a spice icon with "-1" and an "a" subscript means: Cost = Cloves -1.)

Now the player performs the selected caravan action as described on the card.

Cards obtained as a result of caravan actions are always placed behind the just-used card, i.e. furthest back in the caravan.

When a card contains more than one caravan action, only one of the actions can be performed on a turn. Also, it is not allowed to pay again and perform the action multiple times.

B) Parting action

Parting actions are written on red backgrounds. If the player wants to perform a parting action with the selected card, he removes the card from the game (placing it back in the box).

To perform the parting action of the card, he must pay the costs specified in the red background area on the card by adjusting the corresponding markers on his player board. Note: most parting actions have no cost and can be executed directly.

Now the player performs the selected parting action as described on the card.

Cards obtained as a result of parting actions are always placed furthest back in the caravan.

When a card contains more than one parting action, only one of the actions can be performed. Also, it is not allowed to pay again and perform the action multiple times.

C) Pass

If a player cannot (or will not) pay the cost of a caravan action, and prefers not to perform the parting action of the selected card, no action is taken. The card is still placed at the end of its caravan. This ends the player's turn.

Exception: Cards displaying "!" in the card name cannot be passed over, i.e.: if the Patriarch or Matriarch (or the Additional card, Gate Keeper) is selected, the player must perform either its caravan or parting action. (See the Card Index for more info.)

Example of a Turn

At the beginning of the game, Patriarchs are at the front of all caravans. The current player selects one Patriarch and places it at the back of the same caravan.

He chose the Patriarch in caravan 1 because next turn he would like to use the card behind it (the Grocer) to fulfill a Order. He could also have chosen the Patriarch at the front of either caravan 2 or 3, but would rather not use the Servant or the Prophet next turn.

He opts for the Patriarch's first caravan action because he wants to expand caravan 1. Both of the Patriarch caravan actions have no costs, so the player pays nothing. As described on the card, the player draws 2 cards from the deck of Standard cards. He draws a Planter and a Baker. He opts for the Planter and places the Baker on the Standard discard pile. He places the Planter behind the Patriarch at the end of the first caravan.

The player could have instead used the Patriarch's second caravan action. Then he would have turned the Patriarch over (to reveal the Matriarch side), and then he would have placed it at the end of caravan 1. But he would not have received a new card for caravan 1.

Fulfilling Orders

Orders can only be fulfilled by performing a caravan or parting action. Most orders have a cost to be paid, as indicated on the Order card. However, there are also caravan actions and parting actions that explicitly fulfill an order for free.

Anatomy of an Order Card

Each Order card shows: its Name, its Victory points, Mule requirements, the Cost, and — on two types of Special Orders only — an Immediate payout.

To fulfill and acquire an Order card

The player must have at least as many mules as shown on left part of the Order card. (These are not paid, the player just has to have them.)
The player must also pay the required cost of the order shown at the bottom of the card, paying spices and mules or gold. To pay, the player reduces the corresponding marker(s) on his player board.

The player then takes the fulfilled order and places it face up in front of himself, so that all the players can see its points value. Hint: multiple orders can be overlapped so that all points are visible.

Finally, the player draws a new Order card from the deck, so that once again there are 4 face up Order cards available to the players.

Example of Fulfilling an Order

The current player selects the Grocer's parting action, removing the card from the game.

With the Grocer's parting action he may fulfill a face-up order, and he opts for the Large Order, which will earn him 4 victory points.

The player must now fulfill the order conditions and pay the costs. He meets the order's requirement of owning at least 3 mules (these are not paid). Now, the player must also pay the cost. To pay one mule, he shifts his mule marker down by 1 on his player board. He also moves the cinnamon marker down 6 spaces.

The player takes the fulfilled order and places it face in front of himself. He has now earned 4 victory points.

End of the Game

The game end is triggered as soon as a player reaches 25 victory points or more (counting points on all their Order and Person Cards). The current round of play is played to its end. The player who has the most points wins. In case of a tie, the tied player who last earned points wins.

General Notes on the Rules

Increase: If a card says "Increase", it means that the player's spices, gold, or mules can be increased to the specified value. Mules can rise to a maximum value of 6, spices and gold to a value of 9. So in some cases it may be necessary to forfeit a portion of an Increase.

When spices, gold or mule indicators are separated by a "/" (slash), the player must decide which one of these to increase. When there is no slash, everything shown is increased.

Set: If a card says "Set", this means that the specified spices, gold or mules must be set to exactly the specified value, regardless of the value they had before! This can sometimes mean that the value may be increased, at other times that the value must be reduced. It can also sometimes remain unchanged.

Remove: If a card says "Remove", it means that the affected card is placed back in the box and no longer used in the current game!

Turn: If a card says that it is to be "turned", then the card is simply turned on its back. The Patriarch and the Matriarch are turned over at the end of their "turn" caravan actions.

Fulfill 1 Order: If a card says "Fulfill 1 Order" and nothing else is specified, then this can be a Small Order, Large Order, or Special Order.

Draw Cards: When cards may be drawn, draw them from the corresponding deck:

Orders from the Orders deck,
Special cards from the Special cards deck,
Standard cards (and Expansion cards) from the Standard cards deck.

(Since, when using the Expansion cards, they are in the Standard cards deck, when an instruction indicates Standard cards, it also means the Expansion cards.)

Unwanted Cards: Some actions allow players to keep a card after looking at a selection of cards. After a Standard (or Expansion) card is drawn and placed in the specified position in the caravan, any unwanted cards looked at as part of the action are placed on the discard pile.

Unwanted Order and Special cards are placed under their respective decks.

Discard: The discard pile may be inspected by all players at any time.

Victory points: Each player's points must be visible at all times to all players, and called out when requested.

Important: The special rules on the cards always take precedence over the general rules in these instructions. Example: Normally, to fulfill a order you must pay the cost in spices, gold and mules specified on the Order card. But some cards (e.g. the Scribe), permit fulfilling a order for free.

The "Cut & Thrust" Expansion

Experienced players who want more interaction, may choose to include any number of the 12 Expansion cards into the deck of Standard cards at the beginning of the game.

The 12 cards include 2 each of the following persons: Beggar, Caravan Leader, Conjuress, Gate Keeper, Herder, and Messenger.

Beggar (1 VP): All other players must lower their Gold by 2. If at least one other player now has 0 Gold, set your Gold to 6.
Caravan Leader (1 VP): Any other player with at least 5 Mules must reduce their Mules by 3. Then, all other players increase Mules +1.
Conjuress (2 VP): Place this card at the back of any caravan owned by the player on your left. Then take another turn. Increase Mules +3.
! Gate Keeper ! (3 VP): All other opponents increase Gold +2. All other opponents set Mules to 2.
Herder (2 VP): All other opponents must move the front card of each of their caravans to the back of another one of their caravans.
Messenger (1 VP): Search the Special Cards (including any discards). Choose 1 and place it at the back of this caravan. Then place this Messenger at the back of any of the caravans owned by your opponent on your left.

Credits

The Designer: Gerhard Hecht (b. 1966 in Munich), lives with his wife and two children near Augsburg, Germany. He plays passionate table tennis, is an avid movie-watcher, and reads fantasy novels. Even at a young age, Gerhard toyed with changing the rules of his favorite games, and then, began implementing his own ideas. Originally designed almost 10 years ago, Kashgar was his first published game. He thanks all his friends, who he tormented with countless prototypes, and who made it possible for the game to be playable at all.

Illustrations: Franz Vohwinkel Graphic Design: Franz and Imelda Vohwinkel Editing: KOSMOS-Redaktion

English translation: Rick Heli with Maren Oksienik

The designer and publishers thank all playtesters and rules readers.