Basari is a game of gem merchants competing in a marketplace": racing, collecting, trading, and predicting what the other merchants will do.
To start the game, players receive 12 gemstones (3 each of 4 colors). Each turn there will be a movement phase and an action phase:
For movement, everyone simultaneously rolls their die and moves their markers around a track.
They then choose one of three different actions to perform. The actions are:
- to take a variety of gems from a market stall,
- to immediately score from between 4 and 7 points, or
- to roll and move again and also collect points.
The action cards are revealed simultaneously. If only 1 player chose a particular action, they simply perform that action. If 2 players chose the same action, they barter back and forth with gemstones.
One player will eventually accept the other's offer of gems, and the other will take the action. If 3 or 4 players all chose the same action card, that action is cancelled. Note that in 4-player games, there will always be a conflict in choice of 3 actions, so much more negotiating goes on.
A new turn begins with everyone rolling their die, moving, then choosing and revealing their action cards.
When any merchant piece completes a lap around the board, the round ends and bonus points are awarded based on who has the majority in each gem color and who has completed a lap. After three rounds, the game is over and the highest score wins.
