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Game Info
Year
2000
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
Northwest India at the beginning of the 18th century. The rule of the Grand Moguls is waning, and the Maharishis and princes seize the opportunity to take control of the region. By influencing the prominent forces, building magnificent palaces, and ensuring a steady supply of commodities, the princes increase their power until the most successful has won.
The goal of the game is to gain the most influence points. These can be obtained by building palaces and by acquiring commodities. A palace can be built after securing the support of the Vizier, the General, the Monk, the Princess, or the Grand Mogul. Commodities are gained by seizing control of a region or by retrieving them on a space where a palace has just been built.
There are twelve turns with an auction for the region control and the support of the Vizier, General, Monk, Princess, and Grand Mogul, each represented by a different symbol. Players use cards in four colors to bid for the various prizes, and each player may only play one color in any given turn. During your turn you can either increase your bid by playing more cards or withdraw. When you do, you gain the reward for every symbol you have the majority of. You place palaces, gain region tiles, and increase your score accordingly. There are bonus points for connecting palaces over several regions on the map.After the final area on the board is auctioned, the player with the highest point total wins the game.
This game is #3 in the Alea big box series.
Note: the 2018 edition from Fantasy Flight Games includes rules for 2 players. You use only the cards included in the game, so no additional components are required. Anyone could use these rules with any version of the game.
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Taj Mahal - How To Play
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 8
This page: 8
Sentiment:
pos 6 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–8 of 8
Video _D7fYaWI_wg
Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 1008:42:20 sentiment: positive
video_pk 93510 · mention_pk 253128
Click to watch at 1008:42:20 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Enjoyed the bidding mechanism.
- Appreciated the old-school Euro feel.
- Strategic card play and hand management are key.
- Has depth beyond simple rules.
- Considered a good choice for a Euro classic.
Cons
- Can be 'brutal' and punishing if wrong decisions are made.
- The reviewer initially underestimated its complexity, calling it a 'brain burner'.
Thematic elements
- Bidding for influence and placing Taj Mahals
- Provinces
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Majority — Players compete for majority influence in provinces to place Taj Mahals and gain points.
- bidding — A core mechanic where players bid on influence over provinces by playing cards of a certain color.
- Hand Management — Players manage a hand of cards used for bidding and must strategically decide when to play them and when to withdraw.
- Set Collection — Collecting resources and special tokens like elephants or crowns.
- Variable player powers — Special council member abilities and bonus tiles provide different advantages.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm gonna throw him under the bus
- You know I don't know if that bits getting old
- The game is phenomenal and it's built in such a way that it's just one of the most addictive video game experiences I've had in a long time
- that trailer came out and it spoke to me in the most perfect of ways
- I don't own the show so I thought I was gonna be up first
- You got to get your people to get in touch with his people
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video w8ageJvxRDY
Gaming Rules! Discussion at 1:33:27 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 83911 · mention_pk 212455
Click to watch at 1:33:27 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Neutral
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Movie Tricks is really good. Movie Tricks is from Chitty Fox Games. It's a trick taker, but it's got a bit of a kick and I really like that.
- Severton is a game from Vlades Shaattle. You may have heard of Vlad Shaattle, but he's got a new game this year called Severton. It's the first time he's had a new game published for about 10 years. And a little bit like Dutch Resistance: Orange Shall Overcome, it's a cooperative game where you're trying to complete missions. And it's really, really good. And not many people are talking about it.
- The new version for me is an improved version of the game. So, if you like Ingenious or Genal, whatever you want to call it, then have a look at the 3D version. That was really good.
- we played this game called drop alter and I absolutely blitzed it. I mean I think I won I think I won six of five of the six rounds that we played or something like that.
- In general, I don't play abstract games. But there are certain ones which I do play and I do like.
- Project L is another really really good game and I really like Project L and uh and that is a completely abstract game.
- I dread the day when I have to play on Mars again because I don't have the time, mental energy, everything else to go back and relearn on Mars.
- Talisman. 34 year gap between playing it.
- as much as A Trespass Odyssey was the most complicated game that I've ever played and some of the rules were extremely confusing and we weren't sure of some of the rules after 25 games, that game had things in it which I have never had that experience from any other game ever.
- And I've heard that Kingdoms for Lawn offers a similar experience.
- But when I'm playing it solo, if I'm not live streaming it, my brain because of the weird memory issues that I have, literally gets to a point and I go up and it just stops and my short-term memory disappears and I'm like, I have no idea not only what I was doing, but where we are, what phase we're on, or anything like that.
- live streaming it and talking to the audience and keeping things going is the only way that I can actually get my brain to, you know, work and be able to cope with playing the actual game itself.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video w8ageJvxRDY
Gaming Rules! Discussion at 1:33:29 sentiment: positive
video_pk 83911 · mention_pk 212439
Click to watch at 1:33:29 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
- 15-year gap between plays
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Movie Tricks is really good. Movie Tricks is from Chitty Fox Games. It's a trick taker, but it's got a bit of a kick and I really like that.
- Severton is a game from Vlades Shaattle. You may have heard of Vlad Shaattle, but he's got a new game this year called Severton. It's the first time he's had a new game published for about 10 years. And a little bit like Dutch Resistance: Orange Shall Overcome, it's a cooperative game where you're trying to complete missions. And it's really, really good. And not many people are talking about it.
- The new version for me is an improved version of the game. So, if you like Ingenious or Genal, whatever you want to call it, then have a look at the 3D version. That was really good.
- we played this game called drop alter and I absolutely blitzed it. I mean I think I won I think I won six of five of the six rounds that we played or something like that.
- In general, I don't play abstract games. But there are certain ones which I do play and I do like.
- Project L is another really really good game and I really like Project L and uh and that is a completely abstract game.
- I dread the day when I have to play on Mars again because I don't have the time, mental energy, everything else to go back and relearn on Mars.
- Talisman. 34 year gap between playing it.
- as much as A Trespass Odyssey was the most complicated game that I've ever played and some of the rules were extremely confusing and we weren't sure of some of the rules after 25 games, that game had things in it which I have never had that experience from any other game ever.
- And I've heard that Kingdoms for Lawn offers a similar experience.
- But when I'm playing it solo, if I'm not live streaming it, my brain because of the weird memory issues that I have, literally gets to a point and I go up and it just stops and my short-term memory disappears and I'm like, I have no idea not only what I was doing, but where we are, what phase we're on, or anything like that.
- live streaming it and talking to the audience and keeping things going is the only way that I can actually get my brain to, you know, work and be able to cope with playing the actual game itself.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video JYGkuEu8kWM
Rules Teach at 3:57 sentiment: positive
video_pk 69257 · mention_pk 165679
Click to watch at 3:57 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Simple and straightforward mechanics
- Moves at a good pace
- Compounding scoring potential
- Strategic depth
- Tight endgame
- Good player interaction and blocking opportunities
- Evergreen game
- Aesthetically pleasing board and components
Cons
- Can take a few rounds to 'click'
- Potential for early game mistakes to be costly
- Some graphic design elements on cards could be smaller or clearer
Thematic elements
- Building influence and trade routes in Mughal India
- India during the Mughal Empire
Comparison games
- Modern Art
- Ra
- Medici
- Castells
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area control/influence — Players place palaces in provinces to gain influence and connect areas.
- auction/bidding — The game features 12 auctions where players compete for various rewards.
- Hand Management — Players manage a hand of cards used for playing in auctions.
- network and route building — Connecting palaces across provinces forms networks for scoring.
- Set Collection — Players collect sets of commodity tiles and advisor tokens for points.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is Taj Mahal.
- The object of the game is to score points and the main way to score points uh are twofold you're going to get a lot of points from connecting your palaces across this map and you're going to get a lot of points from collecting um these symbols here.
- Spite is is a good currency in this game.
- It is a lost almost a lost Gem of of his.
- This is an evergreen game for me this is never leaving my collection.
- If I were designing a game and trying to come up with a theme I would stay the hell away from actual historical settings I would I would invent a setting like you know aliens in space.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 3E9rMtMDukc
Rules Teach at 0:18 sentiment: positive
video_pk 69235 · mention_pk 165644
Click to watch at 0:18 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Can score points by connecting palaces across the map.
- Can score points by collecting symbols.
- Can score points from picking up tiles.
- Can score points from playing specific cards.
- Points are awarded for having the most of certain symbols when cashing out.
- Bonus tokens can provide additional benefits like drawing cards or straight points.
- Cards can be acquired by collecting two of a given advisor token.
- End-game scoring rewards players for the most colors of cards in their hand.
Cons
- White cards can only be played with another card of the same color.
- White cards cannot be played by themselves.
- Ties for having the most of a symbol do not grant the award.
- The crown mechanic is described as tricky and involves a palace on stilts that does not pick up bonus tokens.
Thematic elements
- Auctions and connecting palaces
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Placing palaces on the board to claim provinces and potentially connect them.
- Auctions — There are 12 auctions over the course of the game, where players bid for province tokens.
- Card Drafting — Players can take two cards from a market after withdrawing.
- Hand Management — Players manage a hand of cards that are used for playing in auctions and for end-game scoring.
- Set Collection — Collecting multiple symbols to gain points.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I need to be able to see otherwise I don't exist if I can't see myself.
- This is Taj Mahal. This is this is from the the golden age of uh circa 2000.
- The object of the game is to score points.
- Spite is is a good currency in this game.
- Very minimal endame scoring.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video GKIqxNfPFIQ
Watch It Played Rules Teach at 0:00
video_pk 68159 · mention_pk 164517
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
No quotes stored for this video.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video pf5KL-WrmoM
jungkits games Live Q And A at 36:41 sentiment: positive
video_pk 66015 · mention_pk 160386
Click to watch at 36:41 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the only constant is change
- jungkus games is my full-time career
- i want to make this digest of all games i've talked about on the site
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video lyrT4jUQapo
All You Can Board Discussion at 23:56 sentiment: positive
video_pk 62452 · mention_pk 154972
Click to watch at 23:56 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- grueling, strategic auctions
- varied routes and scoring options
- classic Knizia design with strong player interaction
Cons
- long play time (roughly 60-90 minutes); can linger
- some criticism of tile/icon differentiation
Thematic elements
- trade, influence, and regional control
- India; auction and route-building game
- strategic bidding with long-term route planning
Comparison games
- Lost Cities
- Orango
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Auction / Bidding — value and bid on areas around the table, with majority-based benefits
- auction bidding — value and bid on areas around the table, with majority-based benefits
- card-driven route advancement — cards and icons determine rewards as you push routes across provinces
- pass mechanics — passing yields different bonuses and dictates how auctions resolve
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a dig in for me
- the tactical decision space is really interesting
- this is going to be one of my go-to filler games
- the tipping point for every row and column is the funnest thing
- the dice are great
- this is a behemoth
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–8 of 8