(from page 2 of the rule book)
Timbuktu is a four-player strategic-level wargame simulating the rise and fall of empires in the gold-producing regions of West Africa during the period 1050-1550. Each turn represents fifty years, more than enough time for several changes of monarch. Therefore, players are not taking the part of a king. Instead, they represent the changing political goals of their Tribe’s collective leadership.
Players will quickly realize that this is not a game where one Tribe can build an empire and hold onto it for the length of the game. Historically, as soon as any political system becomes set, decomposition begins. In short, empires decline. The effect of economic inflation and administrative inefficiency is built into the game. Victory lies in creating as glorious an empire as possible and cutting losses when it falls.