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How to play
Grounded in Rajas of the Ganges's rulebook — cite-checked answers, not guesses.
Get a straight answer with the exact rulebook passage to back it up.
The easy-to-forget bits, straight from the rulebook.
Game end
The game ends after 7 rounds at the latest.
Starting money
Each player takes 15 MONEY. The starting player puts his MONEY MARKER on space 3 of the money track; the player to his left puts his MONEY MARKER on space 4, and so on.
Dice limit
You may own a maximum of 10 DICE.
Starting dice (setup 1)
Each player takes one DIE in each color, rolls these 4 DICE, and puts them, with the rolled result facing up, on any unoccupied arms of his KALI STATUE.
Starting dice (setup 2)
The starting player takes 5 DICE from the supply, rolls them, and puts them on his KALI STATUE; the other players do the same in clockwise order (4 DICE for player 2, 3 DICE for player 3, 2 DICE for player 4).
Tie-breaker (starting player)
In case of a tie for the lowest total die value, the player who ate Indian food last becomes the starting player.
Building upgrade start
At the beginning of the game, your UPGRADE CUBES lie on the first level of each building, earning 2 fame points per building.
Market action limit (3-4P)
In the 3- or 4-player game, you may place only one of your workers on the assorted goods market in a round.
To set up the game Rajas of the Ganges, follow these steps: **I. Gameboard and General Supply Setup:** * Place the gameboard in the middle of the table, ensuring the side corresponding to your player count (2 players or 3 and 4 players) is facing up. For a 3-player game, cover the marked spaces with the [COVER TILES]. * Put all 48 [DICE] next to the gameboard as a general supply. * Sort the **province tiles** first by colors and then by the symbol on their backs (snake, cow, tiger) to create 12 stacks. Mix these 12 stacks separately and place them face up next to the gameboard, visible to all players. * Mix the 8 white [YIELD TILES] and place them as a face-down stack on the temple space on the gameboard. (The yellow, red, and brown [YIELD TILES] are not used for the basic game). * Place the [MONEY] tokens in the corresponding space on the game board. * Place the Great Mogul tile in its corresponding space on the game board. * The 8 [RIVER TILES] are not used for the basic game. **II. Per Player Setup:** Each player chooses a color and takes the following components in that color: * One [KALI STATUE] board. * One **province board**. * Six [WORKERS]. * One [BOAT]. * Five [CUBES] (karma and upgrade). * One [MONEY MARKER]. * One [FAME MARKER]. * One [BONUS MARKER] for the money track. Then, for your personal setup: * Place your [KALI STATUE] and [PROVINCE BOARD] with the depicted sides facing up in front of you. * Place your **karma** [CUBE] on level 1 of the karma path. * Place your 6 building [CUBES] on your [KALI STATUE] on the spaces for building types 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, starting them all at level 1. (Note: This instruction for 6 building cubes conflicts with the component list stating players receive 5 total cubes, which includes 1 karma and 4 upgrade cubes). * Put your [FAME MARKER] on space 0 of the fame track. * Put your [BOAT] on the starting space of the river. * Place your [BONUS MARKER] for the money track with the river space side up on the first bonus space of the money track (space 12). * Place 3 of your [WORKERS] on the applicable spaces on the record tracks (fame: 15, money: 20) and on the river (bridge). * Place the remaining 3 of your [WORKERS] below your [KALI STATUE]. **III. Determine Starting Player & Initial Money:** * Each player takes one [DIE] in each color (4 [DICE] total), rolls them, and puts them on any unoccupied arms of their [KALI STATUE]. * The player who rolled the lowest total value becomes the starting player. In case of a tie, the player who last ate Indian food becomes the starting player. * The starting player takes the **starting player elephant** and places it by their [KALI STATUE]. * The starting player places their [MONEY MARKER] on space 3 of the money track. * Proceeding to the left in player order, each subsequent player places their [MONEY MARKER] on space 4, then space 5, and so on. * The starting player puts the round marker on space 1 of the round track. **IV. Initial Dice Distribution:** * The starting player takes 5 [DICE] from the general supply, rolls them, and puts them on their [KALI STATUE]. * The other players follow in clockwise order: Player 2 takes 4 [DICE], Player 3 takes 3 [DICE], and Player 4 takes 2 [DICE]. Each player rolls their dice and places them on their [KALI STATUE]. * When placing these initial dice, the highest number on each [DIE] is placed on the [KALI STATUE] on the space corresponding to the building [CUBE] of the same color. If there is no such building [CUBE] for the rolled [DIE] color, it is placed on the space for the “free” [DICE].
Rules summaries are AI-generated from the official rulebook and may contain mistakes — check the manual for anything critical.
On your turn in Rajas of the Ganges, you carry out two phases: 1. **Draw 2 dice**. Whenever you get a die, you roll it and add it to your Kali statue board, up to a maximum of 10 dice. 2. **Place a worker** and immediately carry out the corresponding action. This involves three steps: placing a worker, paying costs (if any), and then carrying out the action. When placing a worker, you can choose one of the following types of actions on the game board: * **Place a worker in your own province (at the quarry)**: Here you can build a new building, build a new market, or overbuild an existing tile. Building new tiles requires paying costs in money or specific dice from your Kali statue board, and the new tile must be connected to your residence. * **Place a worker at the harbor**: This allows you to move your boat on the river. * **Place a worker in the Great Mogul's palace**: This grants you a special benefit. * **Place a worker at the market place**: This action is for receiving money through market scorings later in the game. Some action spaces are free, while others require you to pay money or dice, which is indicated on the action space itself. If you cannot pay the required money or suitable dice, you cannot carry out that action.
You win the game by being the first player whose fame marker and money marker converge or pass each other on their tracks. You achieve this by developing your province, using workers, and cleverly utilizing your dice to increase both your fame and wealth. The fame track and money track run in opposite directions around the gameboard, with fame markers moving clockwise and money markers moving counter-clockwise.
Scoring in Rajas of the Ganges is about increasing both your wealth (money) and fame to make your money and fame markers converge or pass each other on their respective tracks. Here's how you score: * **Fame and Money Markers:** The fame marker moves clockwise, and the money marker moves counter-clockwise around the gameboard. The goal is for them to intersect. * **Building Actions:** When you add a new province tile to your province, you immediately score money and/or fame for it. * **Markets:** Tiles with one or two market tents immediately provide the indicated amount of money. * **Buildings:** Tiles with one or two buildings immediately provide 2, 3, or 4 fame points per building, depending on the level of your corresponding building upgrade. Initially, your upgrade cubes are at the first level, granting 2 fame points per building (or 4 for two buildings). Upgrades allow you to earn 3 or 4 points for certain building types in later building actions. * **Special Yields:** If you connect a special yield printed on the edge of your province board to your residence via a road, you immediately receive its benefit after scoring for the tile itself. For example, connecting to a yield might allow you to take 1 die from the supply and advance your money marker 5 spaces.
The game of Rajas of the Ganges ends in one of two ways: 1. **After 7 rounds:** The game is played for 7 rounds. 2. **When markers converge:** The game can end when a player's fame marker and money marker meet or pass each other on their tracks. The first player to achieve this has a good chance to win. Your goal is to win the race with a combination of wealth and fame.