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Weave and sell luxurious carpets in the bustling Persian market city of Tabriz. Fill commissions for the commoners and before long the merchants and royals will take notice as well. Earn the most prestige from completed commissions to win the game and become known as the undisputed master of your craft.
On your turn, you move one of 3 assistant meeples through the Grand Bazaar and take the action where it lands. Actions include buying, trading, and rolling dice for wool, camel hair, silk, plant dye, and carmine dye. Each assistant has limited range, but with careful planning you can set up a quick and efficient series of actions to net you all the materials you need for your commissions before another player completes theirs.
At the end of each turn, if you have the necessary materials, you may complete 1 commission you have in hand.
Resources are limited and the market fluctuates every round. Watch for opportunities to grab more for less, and be careful to avoid moments when the resource you need is out of stock everywhere. Gain skill to attract better commissions, move your assistants further in each round, claim and complete multiple commissions at once, and earn bonus prestige. Optionally, play with the Advanced Workshop Mode so every weaver has their own unique ability taken at the start of the game and at the end of every round.
When any player completes 9 or more commissions, or gains the maximum of 14 skill, the current round is finished and the player with the most prestige wins!
Includes a robust solo mode with multiple AI opponents.
Tabriz Review: Carpet Cubed
- Accessible gateway-style game with a welcoming learning curve
- Strong production quality and components, including a playmat and well-organized resource areas
- Engaging market and resource trading that scales well to four players
- Clear, tactile worker placement with meaningful progression via the brush track
- Multiple routes to scoring (contracts, endgame brush scoring, end-of-game bonus) that add strategic depth
- Diverse tokens and distinct shapes aid readability and setup
- Endgame pacing can feel a bit long and rinse-repeaty toward the end
- Contract draw randomness can affect planning; some games may feel unpredictable
- Box size and presentation can mislead about the game's weight; setup/cleanup can be lengthy
- Money can feel tight if the right cards don’t come early, impacting pacing
- May be approachable yet lightly depth-varied, which could disappoint players seeking heavier engine-building
- Carpet weaving, resource gathering, and market-based economics with a focus on contract fulfillment and endgame scoring.
- A stylized market environment where carpet traders deploy workers to buy, trade, and produce carpets.
- Procedural economic puzzle with a light narrative framing around master carpet weavers.
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Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- brush track progression — A central track (the brush track) unlocks stronger cards, longer movement, and endgame scoring milestones as players advance.
- card drafting — Cards become available through certain locations; players plan around card tiers and costs.
- card drafting / card availability — Cards become available through certain locations; players plan around card tiers and costs.
- contract fulfillment — Players fulfill contracts to gain immediate rewards and ongoing income, potentially tucking rewards under their board.
- contracts — Players fulfill contracts to gain immediate rewards and ongoing income, potentially tucking rewards under their board.
- dice-based options — Some buildings provide push-your-luck or dice-related interactions, adding an element of chance to certain actions.
- endgame trigger — The game ends when nine contracts are completed or the brush track reaches 14.
- Resource management — Cubes representing different goods must be managed; higher-value goods yield better rewards but are harder to obtain.
- set collection / market trading — Buildings and market spaces allow players to acquire and convert various goods; colors and card levels determine value.
- tiered card values — Card height and color indicate difficulty and reward, encouraging progression along the brush track.
- Track advancement — A central track (the brush track) unlocks stronger cards, longer movement, and endgame scoring milestones as players advance.
- worker placement — On a turn, a player moves a pawn along footprint tracks up to three spaces and performs the action of the landing space.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a gateway game
- it's a pretty welcoming game
- the markets in this game work very well
- I like the resource trading
- it's just go around, get stuff, trade it in
- I would come back to it, but I'm shy of recommending