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Timbuktu box art
1993 Ranked #2,621

Timbuktu

Caravan strategy game where leaders transport camels and goods across desert oases toward Timbuktu. Thieves strike at every stop and clues reveal their targets, so every route must protect your cargo while staying ahead of the losses.

Strategy Games Deduction Economic Memory Simultaneous Action Selection

Players

3-5

Play time

Not listed

Age

10+

Complexity

2.78/5

Rating

6.65

Harder to teach Highly interactive Deep strategy

Overview

At a glance

Is this game right for my group?

ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.

Teachability 2.3/5

Harder to teach

Replay value 4.0/5

High replayability

Interaction 3.7/5

Highly interactive

Player scaling 4.0/5

Scales well

Strategic depth 4.5/5

Deep strategy

See all 5 specifications

How it plays

How does it play?

In this game each player takes the role of a caravan leader. The number of camels within a caravan depends on the number of players.

Core mechanisms

Key systems that shape the decisions players make.

Read the full game description

In this game each player takes the role of a caravan leader. The number of camels within a caravan depends on the number of players. Each camel is loaded with a lot of goods, and the goal of the game is to carry all the goods from the starting position to the final oasis: Timbuktu. However, during the course of this journey, the caravans stop at other oases. Once all camels arrive at an oasis, and night falls, thieves attack the caravan and steal different goods. While moving from one oasis to another, players receive different clues about the nature of the thefts. Each player has a different clue, and although clues are passed around, only one player receives three of the total five clues. From the actions of the other players (caravan leaders), the clues have to be guessed and camels have to be relocated, in order to save all the goods from the thieves. The next morning, the caravan continues its way towards Timbuktu, and players are challenged with different clues again. The object of the game is to be the trader left with the most value in goods when they arrive at Timbuktu.

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Editions

Language and publisher variants currently recorded in the catalog.

Edition Year Language Publisher / Region
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Player resources

Rulebooks, player aids, FAQs, and solo resources.

No files imported yet.

Game and edition data

All specifications (5)

Play and group

Players
3–5
Best with
3–5
Play time
60 min
Age
10+
Complexity
2.8/5
Credits and catalog connections

Credits

Designers

1
Dirk Henn

Artists

1
Jo Hartwig

Publishers

1
Queen Games

Linked items

No published linked games yet.