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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.
Taj Mahal - How To Play
- 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
- 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
- Building influence and trade routes in Mughal India
- India during the Mughal Empire
- 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
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)
- 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.
- 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.
- Auctions and connecting palaces
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
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)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
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)
- grueling, strategic auctions
- varied routes and scoring options
- classic Knizia design with strong player interaction
- long play time (roughly 60-90 minutes); can linger
- some criticism of tile/icon differentiation
- trade, influence, and regional control
- India; auction and route-building game
- strategic bidding with long-term route planning
- 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
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