TAJ
TAJ Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Object
Players are ancient rug collectors vying to display their collection in the Taj Mahal and earn the most points.
Components
30 Cards:
- 10 Rug Cards
- 10 Secret Goal Cards
- 8 Voting Cards (4 Yea/Nay, 4 All/Nix)
- 1 Taj Mahal (Taj) card (on the front: "+1" on the right; on the back: "+1" on the left)
- 1 Reference Card
Setup
- Choose a dealer to perform the remaining SETUP steps.
- All players take a Voting Card of each type into their hands.
- Place the Taj Mahal Card (Taj) in the playing area with the "+1" on the right side. Shuffle all 10 Rug Cards, then lay them out vertically in a row under the Taj to create the "Display." Arrange the Rugs so that the "Curator's Eye" symbol is away from the Taj. There should be 3 Rugs under the Taj with 3 Rugs on the left side, and 4 Rugs on the right side. (See SAMPLE SETUP.)
- Shuffle all 10 Secret Goal Cards face down and deal 1 to each player. Players take their Secret Goal Cards into their hands, keeping them hidden throughout the game. Set aside unused Secret Goal Cards face down.
Sample Rug Value
GREEN: 1 point. ORANGE: 2 points. PINK: 3 points.
Sample "Display" Setup
A point is added to the value of the 3 colors directly under the "+1". ONLY the 3 Rugs under the Taj will contribute to a color's value. The point value symbols and the "Curator's Eye" symbol appear on the Rugs.
Playing the Game
Each of the 5 colors will have a total value at the end of the game based on their prominence on the 3 Rugs under the "Taj" Card. Each Rug is made up of 3 portions, each with its own color. The outer section adds a value of "1" to its corresponding color. The middle section adds a value of "2" and the center section adds a value of "3." The Rug directly under the "+1" earns an extra point for each of its colors' values. (See Sample Rug Value above.) At the end of the game, a player will earn a score based on his Secret Goal Card colors (and modifiers: 2, 1, -1) MULTIPLIED by the total value of those colors on the Rugs under the Taj Card.
Sample Scoring
Color and modifier, times symbols under Taj plus +1 for this Rug:
- 2 x 3 = 6
- 1 x 5 = 5
- -1 x 4 = -4
- TOTAL = 7
Game Turn
The player to the left of the dealer becomes the first "Proposer" and takes the first turn. On a player's turn, he must make a proposal to have 2 Rugs switch places in the Display (row of Rugs). Then, a vote is taken. A player makes a proposal by choosing ANY 2 Rugs and slightly pushes them downward, away from the Taj. (See SAMPLE below.) A vote is taken immediately by all players (including the Proposer), each using a Voting Card.
A Sample Proposal
2 Rugs pushed downward from "Taj." ANY Rugs may be proposed.
Voting
The Yea/Nay Voting Card may be used repeatedly throughout the game. The All/Nix Voting Card may be used ONCE.
To vote, a player chooses a Voting Card and places it face down in front of him, such that when it is revealed to all players, the text is legibly facing the voter. A vote of, "Yea" (yes) declares favor of the proposal, whereas a vote of, "Nay" (no) declares opposition of the proposal. (See SAMPLE.)
Sample revealed vote: "Nay" is revealed so that it faces the voter.
Vote Outcome
Once all players have placed a Voting Card face down in front of themselves, they reveal them at the same time. If the majority of players voted "Yea," then the proposal is successful and the Rugs are swapped. If the majority of players voted "Nay," then the proposal is unsuccessful and the "Proposer" must remove the Rug that is furthest from the Taj in the Display (not necessarily a Rug that was used in the proposal). If 2 Rugs are the same distance away from the Taj, the Proposer chooses which one to remove. Rugs that are removed from the Display are out of the game. If the vote is tied, no action is taken.
Curator's Eye: After all proposals (successful, unsuccessful or tied), the 2 proposed Rugs are turned so the "Curator's Eye" is close to the Taj. Thematically, this indicates that the Taj Mahal Curator has seen the proposed Rugs. Rugs with the "Curator's Eye" up MAY be used in new proposals. In addition, the "Curator's Eye" may contribute to the game's end.
Unanimous Outcomes: When an outcome consists of all "Yea" votes or all "Nay" votes, it is unanimous and requires an additional adjustment to the Display. If the vote is unanimous (either all "Yea" or all "Nay"), the Proposer MUST either flip the Taj over or shift the Taj horizontally 1 Rug space to the right or left. The Taj may only shift in a direction where there is at least 1 Rug. (See SAMPLE to right: Taj adjustment, either shift the Taj one space or flip it over.)
All/Nix Cards: All/Nix Cards force a unanimous vote and may be used ONCE by each player, instead of a Yea/Nay Card.
- A vote of "All" insures that the vote outcome is a "Unanimous Yea."
- A vote of "Nix" insures that the vote outcome is a "Unanimous Nay."
A Player MAY NOT use an All/Nix Card on his turn as the Proposer. The "All/Nix" voter earns the privilege to choose which Rug to discard (if necessary) then either flips or shifts the Taj. If several All/Nix Cards are played, only the first All/Nix Card (in turn order from Proposer) takes effect. All/Nix Cards that are played during a proposal are removed from game.
Voting Outcomes (summary diagram)
- Majority "Yea": Swap both Rugs.
- TIE vote: Don't swap.
- Majority "Nay": Don't swap. Remove furthest Rug from Taj.
- Additional Action: If Unanimous "Yea" Vote OR All Vote Card: Proposer OR "All" Voter must flip/shift Taj.
- Additional Action: If Unanimous "Nay" Vote OR Nix Vote Card: Proposer OR "Nix" Voter must flip/shift Taj.
A Rug is turned with Curator's Eye UP in ALL outcomes.
Continuing the Game
The next player in clockwise turn order must make the next proposal. Play continues with each player making a proposal until one of the end-game conditions is met.
Game End
The game ends immediately after a turn in which either:
a) All Rugs have been turned with the "Curator's Eye" up.
b) There are exactly 5 Rugs remaining in the Display.
Scoring
Determine the value of the top color on the Secret Goal Card by adding its symbols that appear on the Rugs under the Taj, then multiply the sum of the symbols with the color's modifier (2). Repeat this step, for the 2 remaining colors on the Secret Goal Card (1, -1). The sum of all 3 color values is a player's total score. The player with the most points is the winner.
End Game Display (example)
Add 1 point to the value of each color within the Rug under the "+1". Only the 3 Rugs under Taj contributed to the Final Color Values:
- ORANGE: 3 symbols plus the +1 bonus (4 total)
- BLUE: 1
- GREEN: 5
Player A Secret Goal Card calculation:
- (2) x 4 points for ORANGE = 8
- (1) x 1 points for BLUE = 1
- (-1) x 5 point for GREEN = -5
- Player A Score: 4
Though not used to calculate Player A's score, YELLOW is worth 5 points and PINK is worth 6 points.