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a pdf version of these rules |
Note:
This color pdf fits on 8.5x11" paper. Fold
it in fourths to make the rule booklet. It will
print in shades of grey on a black and white printer. |
|
| Updated 5/27/03 |
| Note: The rules on this
page reflect the most current version available,
and may differ slightly from previously printed rules. |
|
| What's in the Box |
- Game Board
- 100 Gemstones, 25 each of four
colors.
Spare gemstones are included, but only 25 of each
color should be used in the game.
- Four Sets of Playing Pieces
Each color-coded set contains one short Points Marker,
one flat Start Disk, one Merchant Piece, one Die and
three Action Cards (Gemstones, Points, and Die).
- Rules
|
| The Object of BASARI |
| |
In BASARI players act as merchants who compete
on the streets of a lucrative gem marketplace. Each turn,
players simultaneously move their Merchant Pieces on the
board, and then barter gemstones to earn valuable points.
The player with the most points after three rounds wins
BASARI. |
| Setting Up |
| 1. |
Open and place the game board in the center
of the table. |
| 2. |
Place 25 gemstones of each color on the
matching colored carpets on the game board. |
| 3. |
Each player takes 12 gemstones, 3 of each
color, from the carpets on the game board. Players'
gemstones must be displayed so all can see them. |
| 4. |
Each player selects a set of Playing Pieces
in one of the four colors. The pieces are placed as follows— |
 |
| Points
Marker—The Points Marker is used
to keep track of points earned as the game
progresses. Players set their Points Markers
on the START arrow located on the Points Track
bordering the game board. |
| Start
Disk—The Start Disk is used to
keep track of a player's starting place as
his or her Merchant Piece is moved. Players
set their Start Disks in any archway on the
game board. The choice of which archway is
up to each individual player. More than one
disk can occupy an archway space at one time. |
| Merchant
Piece—The Merchant Piece is used
to track each player's movement around the
archway spaces on the game board. To start,
players set their Merchant Pieces on top of
their Start Disks. |
|
 |
Die—The
Die is rolled each turn to start the Movement Phase.
It is also rolled in conjunction with the Die Action
Card (see Action Cards below). |
 |
Action Cards—The
three Action Cards (Gemstones, Points, and Die)
are used each turn to start the Action Phase. Each
player retains his or her set of Actions Cards to
be used throughout the game. |
|
| Playing the Game |
| |
Each turn consists of a Movement Phase,
followed by an Action Phase. Turns continue until the
end of a round, when Bonus Points are recorded. A full
game consists of three rounds of play. |
| |
1. Movement Phase |
| |
Simultaneously, all players roll their Dice.
Each player moves his or her Merchant Piece, clockwise,
the number of archway spaces indicated on his or her Die.
Players now proceed to the Action Phase of the turn. |
| |
The Start Disks stay where they were originally
placed so that all players will know when a player has
completed one lap of the board. When a player's Merchant
Piece completes a lap of the board by landing on, or passing
his or her Start Disk, players complete the Action Phase
as usual and the round ends. Bonus Points are then recorded.
|
| |
A Merchant Piece may pass through, or land
on, an archway space occupied by another Merchant Piece
or a Start Disk. |
| |
2. Action Phase |
| |
Simultaneously, each player selects one
of his or her three Action Cards and places it face down.
When all players have their cards face down, the cards
are turned face up and compared. What happens next depends
on the number of players who selected each type of Action
Card: |
| |
One Player–If
an Action Card was selected by only one player, the player
immediately carries out the action for that card (see
Action Cards). |
| |
Two Players–If
the same Action Card was selected by two players, those
players must barter gemstones to determine which player
proceeds with that action and which player gives up the
action in exchange for gemstones (see Bartering below).
|
| |
Three or Four Players–If
the same Action Card was selected by three or four players,
that action is cancelled, and none of these players may
proceed with the action. |
| |
The choice of which card to play during
the Action Phase of each turn will depend upon where a
player's Merchant Piece landed during the Movement Phase.
The player must consider the points and gemstones available
in his or her archway, and weigh the benefits of competing
for the available points, or trying to improve his or
her chances of securing the Bonus Points available for
that round. To do this, he or she must evaluate the number
of gemstones held by each player, and also consider how
far each player has progressed around the board relative
to the other players. |
| |
Action
Cards |
Earning the right to carry out
the action for a particular card allows the
player to: |
|
 |
Take the number and colors
of gemstones, as shown in the archway where
the Merchant Piece is located, from the carpet
on the game board . |
| If there are not enough gemstones
on a carpet, players take only as many as
are available. |
|
 |
Move the Points Marker the number
of spaces on the Points Track equal to the
number in the archway where the Merchant Piece
is located. |
|
 |
- Roll the Die.
- Move the Merchant Piece the number of
archway spaces shown on the Die.
- Subtract the number shown on the Die
from six and move the Points Marker that
many spaces on the Points Track.
|
| Example: When a player rolls
a 4 on the Die, the Merchant Piece is moved
4 archway spaces AND the Points Marker is
moved 2 spaces on the Points Track. |
| NOTE:
If this action results in a player's Merchant
Piece completing a lap of the board by landing
on, or passing his or her Start Disk, players
complete this Action Phase as usual and the
round ends. Bonus Points are then recorded
(see Bonus Points on page 4). |
|
|
| Bartering |
| |
If an Action Card is selected by exactly
two players during the Action Phase (see page 2), the
players must barter gemstones to determine which player
proceeds with the action. |
| 1. |
The player who currently has the most points
recorded on the Points Track (Player A) begins the bartering
by offering the other player (Player B) any number or
color combination of gemstones. |
| |
If the players are tied for points, simply
roll the Die to determine who begins the bartering. |
| |
If Player A does not have any gemstones,
or does not want to offer any, he or she forfeits the
right to carry out the action to Player B. |
| 2. |
Player B must choose to accept or reject
the offer. If accepted, Player B takes the gemstones offered
by Player A, and Player A carries out the action (see
Action Cards on page 2). If the offer is rejected, Player
B must raise the offer (see Raising the Offer). Then Player
A must choose to accept or reject that offer. |
| 3. |
Bartering continues back and forth with
each player choosing to accept the offer, or reject it
and raise the offer, until one player accepts the offer
of the other player. By accepting the offer, the player
agrees to give up the right to carry out the action in
exchange for the gemstones agreed upon in the barter.
The player whose offer is accepted pays the other player
the agreed number and color of gemstones and carries out
the action. |
| |
NOTE: In a four
player game, when two sets of players may need to barter
during the same turn, the order of bartering is as follows:
Die Cards, Points Cards, and then Gemstones Cards. |
| |
Example: If two people play Die Cards and
two play Gemstones Cards, those who played the Die Cards
would barter first. |
| |
| Raising
the Offer |
| When bartering,
there are two ways to raise the offer: |
| 1. |
Offer more gemstones, in any
color combination, than the previous offer. |
| |
Example: If a player offers
3 red gemstones, offering 4 blue gemstones
would raise the offer. |
| 2. |
Offer the same number of gemstones,
but gemstones of higher value. The relative
value of the gems is as follows: |
| |

Highest Value ———> Lowest
Value |
| |
When the same number of gemstones
is offered, count the red gemstones first.
If the number of red gemstones is higher,
then the offer is higher, regardless of the
colors of all other gemstones. If the number
of red gemstones is equal, then count the
number of yellow gemstones. If the number
of yellow gemstones is higher, then the offer
is higher, regardless of the colors of all
other gemstones. If the number of red and
yellow gemstones is equal, then count the
green gemstones, and so on. |
| |
Example: If a player offers
3 green gemstones, offering 1 yellow and 2
blue gemstones would raise the offer. |
| |
NOTE:
When raising the offer, players do not have
to build on previous offers. They can take
back their original offer, and offer a new
combination of gemstones. |
| |
Example: If a player offers
2 yellow gemstones and the opponent raises
the offer with 1 yellow and 1 red, the first
player may take back the yellow gemstones
and offer 3 blue gemstones on the next turn. |
| |
Players may only offer the gemstones
in their possession. Trading and borrowing
are not permitted. |
|
|
| |
|
| Bonus Points |
| |
Bonus Points are awarded at the end of each
round. A round ends after the Action Phase of a turn in
which at least one player's Merchant Piece has completed
a lap of the board by landing on, or passing, his or her
Start Disk. Bonus Points are awarded as indicated on the
Bonus Points Chart below and on each corner of the board.
Record Bonus Points by moving the Points Markers along
the Points Track. If a player accumulates more than 80
points, he or she simply continues around the Points Track
to add to his or her total score. |
| |

Bonus Points Chart |
For each color, the player with
the most gemstones at the end of a round receives
the points indicated for that color on the
Bonus Points Chart. The player must then return
3 gemstones of that color to the matching
carpet in the center of the board. If two,
or more, players tie by having the most gemstones
of one color, they divide the points equally,
or round down if points cannot be divided
equally. In the case of a tie, each player
in the tie must return 2 gemstones of that
color to the matching carpet in the center
of the board. |
| If a player does not have the
required number of gemstones to return to
the carpet, he or she returns as many as he
or she has of that color. Players retain their
remaining gemstones for the next round. |
| Each player whose Merchant
Piece has completed a lap of the board by
landing on, or passing, his or her own Start
Disk, receives 10 Bonus Points at the end
of the round. |
|
|
| |
After recording the Bonus Points, players
move their Start Disks to the archway occupied by their
Merchant Pieces and the next round begins. |
| Winning the Game |
| |
A game consists of three rounds of play.
The player with the most points after three rounds wins! |
| |
In case of a tie:
If two, or more, players tie for the most points, the
player with the most gemstones wins. If the tied players
have the same number of gemstones, then the player with
the more valuable gemstones wins. To determine which player
has the most valuable gemstones, start by counting the
red gemstones—the player with the most red gemstones wins
(regardless of other gemstones held by either player).
If the players have an equal number of red gemstones,
count yellow gemstones—the player with the most yellow
gemstones wins (regardless of other gemstones held by
either player). Continue this process with green and then
blue gemstones as needed. |
| |
Example: If Player A has 6 red and 2 yellow
gemstones and Player B has 6 red and 2 green gemstones,
Player A wins because yellow gemstones are more valuable
than green. |