“Players control Arabian caravans going back and forth across the deserts, acting as Middlemen between Europe and the Orient.”
The game is played on a chessboard or any similar 8x8 grid. Row 1 on the board represents Europe, row 8 is the Orient, and rows 2 through 7 are designated Middle Eastern rows. Each Middle Eastern row receives one Oasis and one Quicksand marker on different random spaces. Four pawns are used – one for each player to represent their caravans, one to represent Bandits, and one to represent a Sandstorm. An eight-sided die is required for play.
A Players chooses to start in Europe or the Orient. Players draw cards to obtain goods or soldiers, and to collect movement cards. Players then play movement cards to transport their goods to the opposite end of the board where they may be sold for Gold. The first player to accumulate fifty Gold is the winner.