Jaipur

Jaipur is a two-player trading game designed by Sébastien Pauchon. Space Cowboys published it in 2009, illustrated by Alexandre Roche. Its setting is Jaipur, where merchants compete for the Maharaja. The first player winning two Seals of Excellence wins overall.

Each round begins with three camel cards in central market. Two additional cards complete market, drawn from goods or camels. Each merchant receives five cards; the deck replenishes empty spaces. Camels occupy hand space, and the hand limit is seven. On each turn, exactly one of four actions is chosen. A player may take one goods card from the market. Alternatively, they may take all camels currently available there. An exchange trades two or more hand cards directly for market cards. The exchange must replace the same number of cards exactly. Finally, a player can sell one or more goods cards.

Gold, silver, and diamond sales require at least two cards. Leather, spices, and cloth are eligible for single-card sales too. Selling produces tokens, whose printed values decline as supplies diminish. Early sales therefore usually yield more points than later sales. Three-card, four-card, and five-card sales receive bonus tokens randomly revealed. Bonus tokens hide values until claimed, adding uncertainty to sales. A player cannot sell camel cards; camels support exchanges instead.

Round ends when three piles empty or the deck does. Players then count goods tokens and all bonus tokens earned. The merchant holding most camels receives the five-point camel bonus. The camel bonus rewards whoever has more camels at scoring. Highest total wins the round, earning a Seal of Excellence. The game concludes immediately after somebody earns two seals overall.

Jaipur’s tension comes from balancing hand management against timing. Taking camels increases flexibility but consumes valuable limited hand capacity. Hoarding one commodity can make a valuable sale possible later. Yet waiting risks an opponent taking scarce market cards first. Exchanges let merchants convert awkward cards into concentrated sets. They also refresh market opportunities while preserving the hand limit. Expensive goods offer higher token values but greater restrictions initially. Lower-priced goods sell easily, but their tokens may disappear quickly. Bonus tokens reward larger sales, though their hidden values matter. The camel bonus makes apparently unproductive camel-taking strategically significant later. Illustrations and vocabulary evoke commerce around a Jaipur market setting. Its rules create direct interaction without requiring a lengthy campaign. Because rounds are short, rematches can produce a decisive result.