This historical semi-cooperative Eurogame is set in the Ottoman Empire between 1839 and 1876, at the time of the Tanzimat reforms. The Tanzimat reforms were an ambitious attempt on the part of liberally minded Ottoman sultans and politicians to modernize the aging empire and thereby keep it from disintegrating.
Players in the game represent Ottoman court factions who enlist Statesmen to use their bonuses, enact Reforms and reduce the number of Troubles in the empire. They must keep an eye on three common resources: Finances, Army and Standing. Event cards are drawn at the start of each turn that add new Troubles to the map, possibly causing Revolts.
The game consists of two Ages. At the end of each Age, a Crisis happens. (The Crisis may happen earlier if the number of Troubles and Revolts reach a critical number.) Only one player can win, but all players can lose if they let the empire crumble.
—description from the designer
The game is fully PnP!
COMPONENT LIST
1 rulebook
1 game board
40 Statesmen cards
30 Event cards
30 Reform cards
24 Sultan’s Decree cards
16 Legacy cards
9x4 buildings (Schools, Factories, Juries)
24 markers (partitions, Finances, Army, Standing, income, Loans, Revolts, game effects)
40 cubes (Troubles) - not included in the game!
5x4 cylinders (Influence, player order, VP, offices, Reform stage) - not included in the game!