Every year, thousands of new tabletop games get introduced to the public. Those are just from publishers who try to bring their game to the mass market. There are still other small game designers who work alone and probably just do it for their passion.
In this industry, there is a phenomenon called The Cult of the New. It is referring to people who always seek new games and forget the ones from, even the last year.
It is possible that those new games are just not that good. Therefore, people tend to easily forget about them and just move on.
However, sometimes there are those games who can stand the test of times. People keep coming back to those games to play them for whatever reasons.
This next game, Targi, was originally released back in 2012. Even almost a decade since then, it is still considered one of the best game for 2 players.
So, what is this Targi game? How do we play it? Can we play the game solo? Are there any expansions for Targi?
Those are probably just a few questions that came to mind after hearing about the game. Well, in this article, I’m going to share with you my Targi Review based on my experience on playing the game and what I can find from the internet.
Hope this helps. Is Targi going to be the best tabletop game for couples out there?
Click or tab on any sections from the table of contents to jump right to that part. Use the red arrow button on the bottom right corner of the screen to head back to the top.
Table of Contents
Overview
Game’s Title: Targi
Genre: Worker Placement, 2 Player Only, Competitive, Official Solo Variant, Resource Management, Modular Board, Card Drafting, Set Collection, Tableau Building.
Designer: Andreas Steiger
Artist: Franz Vohwinkel
Publisher: KOSMOS
Number of Players: 2
Playtime: 60 minutes
Official Website: Targi (kosmos.de)
Release Year: 2012
Price: $20
Contents:
1 Rulebook
30 Goods Tokens
6 Targi Figures
1 Robber Figure
4 Tribe Markers
8 Gold Tokens
15 Victory Point Tokens
1 Starting Player Token
80 Cards (59 x 91 mm):
Tribe Cards (45)
Goods Cards (19)
Border Cards (16)
Expansions:
The Action Tokens (2015)
Targi: The Expansion (2016)
Alternative Border Cards (2020)
About Targi Card Game
We can actually learn a bit about the theme from the rulebook overview. Targi is a male member of Tuareg, a semi-nomadic people who inhibit the Sahara desert in North Africa.
Tuareg people are known the blue people because they wear blue indigo dyed turbans to protect themselves from the windblown desert sands. Those blue color sometimes stains their skin color.
For centuries, the Tuareg people have controlled critical trade routes across the desert. They also have been instrumental in the spread of culture, religion, and goods throughout the vast region.
Targi families are divided into tribes, run by Imascheren, or nobles. But the desert is a dangerous place with robbers and rival tribes all competing for the same resources.
That’s the thematic setting of Targi.
Gameplay
In the game of Targi, players are leaders of Tuareg tribes, who will compete to have the most prosperous tribe. They first need to gather some goods like salt, dates and pepper which can be traded into golds.
Later, they can use those goods and golds to expand their tribe. Each tribe may develop areas for their Oasis, Well, Camel Riders, Camps or Targias, the female people of Tuareg.
In order to develop, each type of developments may require different set of goods and gold. Unless we have all of them ready to be spent, we have to hold the development.
Later, we can ask the help from Nobles in order to actually execute that halted development. Doing this will be a bit inefficient because it will take more turns to do so.
One of the challenge of the game is that we can only hold limited number of resources. So, sometimes we may have the right set of resources but not for the right type of development and vice versa.
This is a game of not just set collection but resource management as well. We also need to figure out how to trade the leftover goods into victory points before the game ends.
Each development will take shapes of a card and we need to build our tribe in a grid of 3 rows and 4 columns. There will be an incentive for keeping certain pattern for each row like all have the same type or all different.
That makes Targi as a tableau building game. We can say that those development or tribe card is another element of set collection.
Each development will give us victory points and possibly some effects. The effects can be a one time bonus or extra points at the end of the game.
If it is the former, the bonus may make us more productive or efficient for collecting goods which can be spent for more developments. For the latter, we may need to meet additional requirements before we can get those extra points.
At the end of the game, whoever gets the most point wins.
That is the main idea of the game. We will be trying to achieve that using a worker placement mechanism.
Worker Placement game is a game where we will be deploying our workers on certain spot in order to activate the benefit from that spot. In this game, the benefit can be about getting goods or those tribe development cards.
It can also be an action to trade those goods into either Gold or Victory points.
Usually, in a standard worker placement game, the challenge is that once a player has placed their worker on a spot, this will prevent other players for taking the same spot. The other player will have to wait until the spot is empty before they can deploy theirs and gain the benefit.
So, that can also happen in Targi. Players will be blocking each other. They may have to plan ahead and figure out how likely their opponent will try to compete for those same spots.
In the case of Targi, not only we cannot place our worker in the same spot that has been taken but we also cannot take the spot across this communal area. So, essentially, each placement is blocking up to 2 spots to the opponent.
The communal area where players may gather resources and tribes are made of 16 border cards and 9 center cards to form aย 5 x 5 grid. Border cards are the only spots where players can place their workers while the center cards are randomly generated between tribe cards or goods cards.
What makes Targi a unique worker placement game is how we can access those center cards. Each 2 of one player’s workers on the Border cards can create an intersection on one of those center cards and each player will always have 3 workers.
Those center cards can be just an additional goods that we can take or another tribe card which can help us score more points. This way, players cannot just consider the border cards but also what they can get from the center.
Even with players will be blocking each other, the game still offer enough combinations of triangulation that can happen from 3 different worker spots.
Player who can expand their tribe while dealing with the blocking from their opponents for gathering those resources will have a better chance to win the game.
This card game was designed by Andreas Steiger, released for the first time in 2012. Targi may not win the award but it was nominated for the Kennerspiel des Jahres (Expert Game of the Year) category, probably the most prestigious award in the industry.
So far, this is the only game from this designer and he was very active on the forum answering question related to this game. He even released the solo variant and alternative cards that anybody can try for free.
This next video is an interview with the designer when the game got nominated back in 2012.
Components
The game comes with a small square box with the size of 20 x 20 x 4.5 cm. For the box art, the latest (2018) printing will have the original art with a close up Targi or male character wearing veils and turbans.
On the back of the box, we can see an illustration that depicts the entire game with the cards and figures. The game was so popular that the publisher even mentioned the fact that they have sold over 50,000 copies on the box.
Inside the box of this English second printing copy, we can find a rulebook, two sheets of cardboards, a zip lock plastic bag for several wooden tokens and a big sealed deck of cards.
The game also comes with a black plastic insert. There are two slots for cards and one more for all of the cardboard tokens.
Without the insert, clearly the box is bigger than it should. We can save more space just storing the game in smaller box. The only problem would be to keep the rulebook that we probably need to fold it again to smaller size.
The slot for the cards are not big enough to store cards with sleeve without ruining the corners of the sleeve. Alternatively, we can store the cards without following the orientation of those slots and take advantage of space between the 2 slots.
Without the sleeve, all cards can even fit in just a single slot. So, the second one can store more cards from expansions.
All of the 80 cards that comes in the base game have the same size of 59 x 91 mm. So, sleeve for Euro size card (59 x 92) can definitely fit those cards.
The size of the third slot for the tokens are about 11.7 x 5.7 cm with about 3.3 cm depth. There is no partition inside this slot and they don’t provide more plastic bags.
I can see that the slot has enough space for tokens from expansion. But for tokens just from the base game, we probably will have to do a bit sorting everytime we play the game. It’s going to be a mess if we store the box vertically.
The cardboard sheets are about 2mm thick with the size of 19 x 19 cm. This is typical of German production where some of the square tokensย are going to be tied by another tokens.
If we don’t punch them out gently, there is a chance that one token might damage the other.
We cannot return those square tokens back to the sheet. This is not the case for the other tokens. One sheet contains 11 victory point tokens and 20 square tokens for dates and peppers.
The other sheet will have the gold tokens, starting player token, 10 salt tokens, and 4 more victory point tokens. Inside the zip lock plastic bag, we should get 11 wooden tokens, 5 with blue color, 5 with white color and one with gray color.
I guess this bag is big enough to store more tokens. That’s how all of the components come in the box.
Rulebook
We can find the digital file of the rulebook from the publisher website for UK, here. For German language, we can find one from their German website here.
If we go to BGG page for the game, here, we can also find those files and rulebook in many different languages. At this moment the available translations are for Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Korean, Hungarian, Norwegian, Dutch and Latvian.
It seems that some are translated by fans, not necessarily the official one. The game itself is almost language independent. So, if we have a copy from another language, we probably just need to translate several cards.
The rulebook itself is a single long sheet that can be folded into 6 pages of 19 x 19 cm size. Here is the table of contents.
Game Overview and Goal (Page 1). We can read a bit about what the word Targi means from this section. The second paragraph tells us a bit about what we will be doing in general but more in thematic way.
The more technical overview is on page 2 in the Game Play section.
Game Materials (Page 1). This part has an illustrated list of all components used in Targi game but without further explanation. Specifically for cards, they could have included the back side art of each type of card to make it easier to tell the difference.
This part also include the number of each token for each variant but not for the card. They only say the total number of each type of cards.
Game Preparation (Page 1 – 2). This explains how to setup the game and some starting resources for each player. The rule also includes two illustrations of how the setup will look like
I guess the only missing thing from that illustration is an area for discard pile of both draw piles. It also doesn’t tell us how each player’s tableau will look like with the grid of 12 cards.
Both players will start with the same resources.
Game Play (Page 2ย – 4). This explains the general course of play or what we will be doing step by step in each round. From advancing robber, placing the workers, marking the intersection, resolve the actions tp preparing the next round.
There is an important note that I missed related to holding card in hand. I didn’t know for a while that we cannot just replace that card with a new one. In order to do that we need to visit the Noble action.
Another note is about the goods that should be considered as unlimited supply. Some sections will tell us to refer to the next sections for further explanation like placing the tribe cards, or resolving raid event.
Additional Rules in Details (Page 4 – 5). This part explains further about the Tribe Cards and their advantage, the tableau building and extra score, how to resolve the Raid Event and resource limit
There is an important note that I missed related to advantage from the Tribe card that allows us to gain 1 additional good. Apparently, these do not apply if the good comes from Border cards.
Limitations of Goods and Golds at the End of the Round (Page 5). This is just a reminder that there is a limit of 10 goods and 3 gold at the end of the round. But it is not a hard limit. We can choose which goods to discard.
End Game and Scoring (Page 5 -6). Here we can find the 2 possible end game triggers, how we can count the score and tie breaker. They also provide an example of how to score from our tableau and special cards.
Credits (Page 6). Here we can find the photo of the designer and some biography about him followed by the developer team for the game and contact info about the publisher. It doesn’t seem to offer a way for component replacement.
First of all, I appreciate that the developer didn’t waste the first page just for the art. Instead, they start right away with the overview and game components.
On the other hand, there is more space on the last page that they could have used it for summary or quick reference. I don’t mind if they actually have a cover but instead of just art, they can use it for credits and some overview.
With the use of folded sheet, maybe the component part and the setup is better if they start on the second page. But it’s not a big deal.
The problem is that sometimes they put IMPORTANT NOTES scattered on all pages in different sections. So, if we want to revisit the game again after a while, we probably need to read the entire rulebook or miss some minor notes.
Those things are not game breaker but it can affect the strategy.
I like how they use bolded font style more to emphasize important points instead of using different font color. However, either a bit too much and kind of miss and inconsistent.
Overall, the rulebook does a great job explaining how to play the game. There are definitely more things that we need to read from the cards.
As mentioned earlier, I definitely missed a lot of details from both the rulebook and details from cards. I guess this is the downside of learning the game from some YouTube’s channels. Sadly, they don’t provide a link or QR code to show us the official way to play the game.
They could have explained further about thematic reasoning behind each mechanism in the game so the game doesn’t feel too abstract or dry.
On the forum, there is also FAQ file for the game with about 18 answers. The English version of the FAQ can be found here.
Amulet Token
This is the only cardboard token with a very unique shape. It is called the Amulet and serves as the STARTING PLAYER TOKEN.
In the game of Targi, players will take turns placing their worker or figure starting with the player with this token. Then in the next round, the starting player has to pass this token so the turn order will switch.
During the game there is no mechanism that allows players to reclaim the token so that they can start first again in the next round. That means, we know for sure which player will start first during specific round. There is no benefit for having this token at the end of the game.
Usually, it is very common for any worker placement game that the first player will have better advantage because they have full options. As a result, the subsequent player will get more resources to cover up their disadvantage.
That is not the case in Targi. Because of that, the game doesn’t have any variable setup from the turn order element. Not that it must have one. The game can have different setup variability with other elements of the game.
But I do feel like the starting player has slightly better advantage in certain situation. Of course, there is no guarantee that the starting player will win.
Wooden Tokens
Targi comes with 11 wooden pieces in a zip lock plastic bag. These are the Player’s Workers or Figures, Markers and the Robber Figure. So, each player will have 3 Figures and 2 Markers with either white or blue color. The Robber one is a bit different. More about this later.
The Workers or Figures have the shape of a person with the size about 2.5 cm x 1.2 cm and about 1 cm thick. While the shape is nice but it really doesn’t matter to the gameplay.
We can always use cubes or other game pieces if somehow we lose some of them. The same goes with the Markers which has the shape of a tube with 1 cm in diameter and 1.1 cm for the thickness.
In the game, players will be placing their Figures first on the Border Cards. Then, they will use the Markers on the center cards where their Figures will intersect.
So, as long as players can tell which of these pieces are theirs and which of them are the opponent’s we can use any pieces. Maybe it is recommended to use something that really stands out when placed on the card.
This is how the 3D shape actually elevate the experience. Even with the white color that maybe a bit too close to the color of the card, their shadow can really help us tell the difference.
I guess it is also not recommended to use something that is too big or even bigger than the card. Each round players will constantly have to place them all and take them back again.
Robber Figure
This is the only wooden token in Targi with a gray color. While the color is different from the player’s figure but the shape is identical.
It is called the Robber because players will have to avoid placing their worker on the same card or spot as the Robber. Actually we are not allowed to do so at all.
So, the first purpose of the Robber figure is to make the play area become tighter. From the 12 possible spots or cards that the player can place their figure on to, one of them will be taken by the Robber.
That means, players will have less choice. They have to take the Robber into consideration when planning for where they will take their action not just their opponent.
The good thing is that the Robber movement in the game is predictable. We know for sure where the Robber is going to go next.
The problem is that the turn order is also constant. Depending on the situation there is a chance that we may need to access certain border card but the Robber will be there as well.
So, even if the next round we go first but the Robber is in the way, we then have to wait for the next round. However, the next round, the opponent will go first. and we will have to wait even longer.
Or maybe it is not the border card that we need. It is the center one that can only be accessed from that border card.
That is also assuming that the center card is still there. Our opponent could have taken it out first before we have the chance.
Aside from blocking one card, the other purpose of the Robber is to RAID the players. From 16 border cards, players cannot access the 4 cards at the corner but the Robber can. These 4 corner cards are the RAID CARDS.
When the Robber reaches any of the corner, they will force players to either lose some resources or their victory point tokens. Again, we know when this will happen and we can choose which one we will sacrifice.
Also, the game actually provides each player with 4 Victory points at the start of the game which can be spent during the first 3 Raids. It’s just that players may choose to spend their resources because resources worth nothing at the end of the game.
But the resources is also a bit tight in this game. The penalty is inevitable and it encourages player to recalculate their plans. Maybe we will not lose that much by just losing 1 victory point while the two resources is enough to display a tribe card that can give us like 3 victory points.
The last purpose of the Robber is it will become the TIMER of the game.
As mentioned before, there are 12 Border cards that we can place our Figures on but the Robber will take one first each round, always start with border card number 1. Then, in the next round, the Robber will move one spot clockwise, always in that direction.
The location of each border cards are always the same for every game. Which is why we can predict the next spot the Robber will go to and when the RAID event will happen.
In addition to that, the Robber can become the endgame trigger. The Robber will end the game if they reach the sixteenth card or the fourth RAID event in which both players must give the Robber the final demand.
This is not the only way to trigger the end game. Players can do it as well and they will want to do it so they can avoid the penalty.
However, there is also a reason for a player to let the Robber triggers it. Maybe after the penalty, the opponent can suffer more losses than us because the opponent cannot provide the robber’s demand.
This is the reason that we should also pay attention to the opponent’s goods.
With all of how the Robber works in the game, the Robber actually encourages players to plan like three rounds ahead. Start with the next Raid and whether we can provide their demand. Then, move backwards to figure out the likelihood we can afford those extra resources.
Good and Gold Tokens
These are the cardboard tokens for the 3 types of goods in the game and the Gold. The goods are SALT, PEPPER and DATE and for each we get 10 tokens.
For the goods, the tokens are all have the same square shape and size of 2.5 cm.ย The illustration what actually make them difference to each other.
Salt will have a rather white color, which I guess on a plate while Dates will have a red color, also on a plate. Pepper is a bit different with rather blue color and inside a bag.
I guess it will be difficult to actually use specific shape to represent each goods. The problem is that if we place all of them in the same supply area, scattered, we really have to look at each token to find the right token.
The Gold tokens use round shape like a coin with brownish color. Both side of the token has the same art, in which we can see a Targi or male character with veils and turbans.
We can also read the word AFRICA MACUTA. I don’t know why but if we do a bit of Google search, Macuta is like the currency from Portuguese.
From what I understand, the Portuguese colonialization of Africa doesn’t happen in North Africa as the setting of the game but rather south in Angola and Mozambique. But I’m not a historian.
For Gold Tokens, the game comes with 8 tokens. Since the value of the coins are the same, we can just replace them with any metal coins that we have.
In this game, these tokens are considered as unlimited supply. If somehow the general supply runs out of certain type of goods, the rule says that we should take notes.
However, it is very unlikely to happen because there is a limit of 10 goods in total for each player. Player can have more during their turn but they have to discard the excess at the end of their turn.
It is possible that all of the 10 goods are from one type and that player cannot take other things. But I don’t think it is a good way to play.
Maybe towards the end where we can convert them into Victory Points. To do that, we can only trade the same type of resources. The exchange rate is either 2 goods for 1 VP or 4 goods for 3 VP.
But the trade to VP can only happen by Silversmith and only once per turn. That means, players will have to revisit the Silversmith in a couple of rounds.
The same goes with the Gold but we can only have up to 3 Golds at a time.
Other than trade them into other goods or VP, the main useย of these resources are for expanding the Tribe. We can spend them to buy the TRIBE CARDS and place the Tribe cards into our tableau. Those Tribe Cards will then generate more Victory Points.
Each Tribe card may require different set of goods and/or Gold. If they require Gold, it will always only 1 Gold but the Goods can be from 1 up to 5 Goods. However, each type of goods will never require more than 2 of the same type.
We can collect Goods from either the Border Cards or the Good Cards. There will be 8 Good Cards and 2 Border Cards that can generate each type.
The Gold is a bit limited. Other than from trading, there are only 3 Good Cards that allow us to get 1 Gold each and there isn’t any from the Border.
Victory Point Tokens
These are the 15 tokens with a shape of a jewelry, almost like a diamond. In the middle of each token we can see a number which indicates the value of each token. So, 1 means 1 Victory point, 3 means 3 Victory Points.
The different value is more for multiplier so they only need to provide less number of tokens. That means, if somehow we have to lose 1 Victory Point, we can trade the one with a number 3 and get 2 with a number 1 in return.
The Victory Point Tokens are not the only way we get points from. We can also get points from Tribe cards from our display or tableau.
These tokens are just for keep track the victory points from trading goods and/or Golds. The problem is that if we have to lose points, we cannot do that from the Tribe Cards. Instead, we can pay with these tokens.
At the end of the game, during scoring, those Tribe Cards can also give us points in addition to the depicted icons at the bottom right corner. So, we can take these tokens to help us count the score.
Most of the time, we can just count the score in our head. Maybe the use of the token will be obvious if we actually get those score at the time we display the card instead of just end game scoring.
As far as I know, the only way to lose points is from the RAID EVENT. However, the game itself even provides the players with enough points from the start to cover the penalty of the first 3 Raids. The last one may or may not even happen.
Because of that, I don’t think we need that many tokens for any game. At least, so far, I have never used the 5 variant and even the 3 is very rare.
I guess it can happen with different strategy. If we try just to trade all resources into VP tokens and almost ignoring Tribe cards, it’s possible to eventually have to trade a couple of small value ones into the 5.
It’s just that I wish the 3 and 5 variant can have different design than just the number to make it easier to sort them out.
Based on the SILVERSMITH action, each token or victory point is worth about 2 goods or if we can trade 4 goods, we can get 3 points. With Gold, 1 Gold is worth 2 points or 2 Golds for 4 points, which is the same rate.
That means, the fourth raid is the same between losing 1 Gold or 2 VP. For the 3rd Raid, however, losing 3 goods can mean losing more than 2 points. So, at that point, it’s better to just lose the VP.
The same goes for the 2nd Raid. Losing 2 Goods can mean losing about 1.5 points so we should just hand over that single token.
For the first raid however, 1 good can mean just 0.75 points. That means, it is better to lose the Good than the token here.
If we go with the Trader route, each good is only worth like 2/3 point. That means, using Trader is only useful to get Gold for displaying the Tribe.
Goods Cards
The first type of cards are the Goods Cards with the red color on the back. We can see the three goods icons as well.
From the box, we get 19 cards of this type. 15 of them are actually depicting Goods. Three of the rest will actually have 1 Gold icon each and the last one will depict the Victory Point Token.
This is probably what confuses people. The game doesn’t actually consider Gold and VP Token as Goods and yet they are in this deck.
In the game, we will be using this deck of Goods Cards face down. We shuffle them so the cards will come out in random order.
Sometimes, we can immediately see the Golds at the start of the game and other time we need to wait for a while. That is another setup variable which can make each game feel a bit different. The game itself will use these cards as part of the communal board or the center area.
We only place our Figure and maybe the Marker will land on one of these cards. What we will do next is to discard that card and take the corresponding resources from the general supply.
So, they are not cards that we will keep in our hand. We will definitely shuffle them at every start of the game.
With just 19 cards, the deck will at least run out of cards once and we have to form a new one from the discard pile. In that case, we will want to shuffle again.
From Goods Cards that actually depict Goods, there are 6 cards that allow us to gain 2 goods and 9 cards for just one. From the cards with two goods, each type of goods will have a card that can give 2 goods of that type, and 2 cards with one of the other type.
For the cards with just a single good, each type of goods will have 2 identical cards, so we get 6. The remaining three allow us to choose between the 3 types of goods.
In this game, we will not touch the deck before it runs out of cards. There will be no shuffling midways.
That means, each card will come out eventually. With just 19 cards, as the game progresses, it will be easier to predict what will come next as long as we remember the pattern.
So, with 1 or 2 Goods, we definitely want to get more Goods from one action. With 1 Good can worth up to 3/4 points, getting 2 Goods can mean 1.5 points.
The single Gold card can worth 2 points but the single Victory Point Token is just 1 point. So, the VP card can have better value than just a single Good but Golds are the best choice.
Of course, this should not be our only consideration. We may get better overall points from Goods if it can help us display a Tribe Card or to trade them via Silversmith. At that point, the type of Goods will matter.
Tribe Cards
Thematically, Tribe Cards should be the goal in this game. We are trying to expand our Tribe by providing each Tribe a set of different Goods and/or Gold.
Expanding here means we have to display the card in our tableau in a 3 x 4 grid from the left to the right. Some of the Tribe may give us immediate points, even if we only score them at the end.
But there are other Tribe that have additional requirement to boost the points. For example, that specific card needs to be at the right most of a row or they need another card with the same type of Tribe to get extra point.
Aside from giving just points, some of Tribe card can also give on-going, permanent advantage. These can be activated over and over again over the course of the game.
With those, we may not get a lot of points at the start but it can help us get more goods, or discount. The last kind of advantage is just one time bonus that we can activate right after we display that card.
From the base game, we get 45 unique cards. These are the cards with the blue color on the back with the word TRIBE and a unique icon that looks like a blade or another jewelry.
Each card will have one of 5 different type of Tribes, from Well, Oasis, Camel, Targia and Camp. The left half of the card will depict an illustration of that type of Tribe.
On the right half of the card, we can see a space for the advantage. It can be empty or the card will give no extra benefit or just a sentence that tell us how or what we will get for displaying that card.
At the top right corner, we can see icon or icons between 1 up to 5 icons that represent the cost. We have to pay the indicated set of goods and/or Golds in order to display the card in our tableau.
At the bottom right corner, we can see Victory Point Token icons which can be between 1 up to 3 points.
Like the Goods Cards, every game of Targi will use all 45 Tribe Cards, shuffled to form a single face down deck. These cards will occupy the center area of communal board.
Players need to aim them by placing 2 figures that intersect on that specific card. We can then, pay the cost and take the card, display them into our tableau.
Or, if we cannot afford them, we can keep them in our hand. But in order to display the card from our hand, we need to send the worker to a specific Border Card later.
The game itself will end after one player has displayed their 12th Tribe card. That means, each game we will only see like less than 30 cards out of 45.
Since they are face down and shuffled, we will not know the order of how they will come out and different between each game. That is another setup variable for the game.
Even though the cards are unique but each of 5 Tribes have the same pattern or cards that are similar. Each of them will have 9 cards from which 4 of them are worth just 1 VP, 3 are worth 2 VP and 2 are worth 3 VP.
That means we cannot have a row of 3 VP from all 4 cards with just a single type.
All of the Tribe Cards that are worth 3 VP will not give additional advantage. From those cards, each Tribe will have 1 card that requires 5 Goods and the other card that require 2 Goods and 1 Gold.
Each Tribe also have one card that is worth 2 VP without any advantage. From the cards that are worth just 1 VP, there is one card that can give discount the next time we display the same type of Tribe.
The last similar advantage from several Tribes is the one that give us 1 point for each 2 Tribe cards of another type. These will encourage players to pursue up to 3 types of Tribe.
The connection is Targia to Camel Rider to Camp to Oasis. Oasis and Well Tribe don’t have this.
Other than that, the remaining cards will have unique advantages.
The Tribe cards from the expansion have improvements that I wish the base game can have the same. They should have the icon that indicates whether the advantage is one time only, permanent, or end game bonus.
At least, this will help when we do scoring. There were times when I forgot that I got a card that let me get a discount so I could have saved more goods left.
So, those icons can help to remind us whether we get some additional rules midways.
Details of Tribe Cards
Camel Rider (1)
VP: 1
Cost: ย 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: Permanent.
Advantage: Pay 1 Fewer of any Goods required to add Camel Rider Cards to your display.
With 1 Gold, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2 VP.
However, the next time we display Camel Card we get a discount 1 fewer goods each. If we display 4 more Camel cards after this, the discount is worth like another 3 VP.
This is a powerful one, if we can actually get 4 more cards. For 3 more cards, we can get like 2.25 VP from the discount, and just 1 VP for 2 cards. The minimum should be 2 additional card from which the rate is the same with Gold to VP.
Camel Rider (2)
VP: 1
Cost: ย 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: End Game.
Advantage: If you have more cards in your display than your opponent at the end of the game, you receive 1 additional Victory Point.
With 1 Gold, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2 VP.
The bonus is just 1 additional point, so I guess it matches the rate from the Silversmith. We will not get the bonus is our opponent also get the same number of cards in their display.
So, most of the time, to make sure we get the bonus is by having 12 cards first to trigger the end game. Otherwise, we have to pay attention the whole time to our opponent.
It is possible that the opponent can make a big jump and just match the number and we fail to get the bonus. So, I guess, this is not a very good card. Besides, Golds are rather rare in this game.
Camel Rider (3)
VP: 1
Cost: ย 1 Salt, 2 Date
Type of Advantage: One Time.
Advantage: Immediately after displaying this card, for every 2 empty space out of 12 possible in your display, you receive a one-time bonus of 1 goods of your choice.
With 3 Goods, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.25 VP.
This card is definitely very powerful if it comes out early like the first or second card in our display. We will still have 11 empty space and generate 5 goods.
If we use the rate from Silversmith, that is a potential of 3.75 points. Even if we wait a bit and already have 3 cards, before displaying this one, we can still get 4 goods which is equal to extra 3 points.
We should aim for at least getting 2 goods so this should be the eighth card. Those two goods still give us a better rate than Silversmith.
Also, this give us flexibility. Wait until we trade goods to either VP token or Gold to make room for the bonus from this.
Camel Rider (4)
VP: 1
Cost: ย 1 Salt, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: End Game.
Advantage: At the end of the game, you receive 1 additional victory point for every 2 Camp cards in your display.
With 1 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.75 VP.
So, if we have 2 Camp cards, we get 1 point, 2 points for 4 Camp Cards. So, getting 4 cards is the minimum so we can get better rate than the Silversmith.
The problem is that there is no guarantee that we will have access to 4 Camp Cards. Our opponent can also try to collect them.
In that case, maybe we should try to at least deny our opponent from getting this card. Especially if they already have a row of Camp cards. It can also be just 4 cards scattered in 3 different rows.
Camel Rider (5)
VP: 2
Cost: ย 2 Salt, 2 Date, 1 Pepper
Type of Advantage: One Time.
Advantage: If at the end of the game this card is in the rightmost space of a complete row, you receive 2 additional victory points.
With 5 Goods, we can get 2 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3.75 VP.
That additional 2 VP can give us better rate if we can meet the requirement. This will be very easy if we are collecting the Camel Rider from the start and this will be the fourth one.
But if this card come out early when we don’t know what we will be getting, keeping it in hand will just make problem to us. We can no longer hold any card and have to wait until there are 3 cards in the same row.
I guess it will be easier if we try to aim for the 2 bonus points for having just different type of Tribe in a row. The rate is already high without we need to chase a four of a kind in a row.
Another possible combo is with the Oasis card that allows us to move 2 displayed cards. But that means, as soon as we see this Oasis card, we have to display the Camel Rider card.
Camel Rider (6)
VP: 2
Cost: ย 2 Pepper, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: Permanent.
Advantage: In each round in which you get at least 1 pepper from a Goods card, you receive 1 more pepper.
With 2 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 2 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3.5 VP.
However, the advantage is very powerful if we can get this card early in the game. We can get up to 12 extra goods, which are worth 9 VP via the Silversmith.
It is true that communal center area will not always have a goods card that give us Pepper. But there are 8 cards in total from which we can get at least 1 Pepper.
To get the same trade rate for trading goods to VP token, we only need 2 extra goods or just 2 rounds. If we can get more than that, it is a surplus.
Camel Rider (7)
VP: 2
Cost: 1 Pepper, 1 Date, 2 Salt
Type of Advantage: none.
Advantage: none.
With 4 Goods, we can get 2 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3 VP.
We should just take this one only if we want to complete a row. Hopefully for all Camel Rider cards or all different ones.
Camel Rider (8)
VP: 3
Cost: 1 Date, 2 Pepper, 2 Salt
Type of Advantage: None
Advantage: None.
With 5 Goods, we can get 3 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3.75 VP.
Camel Rider (9)
VP: 3
Cost: 1 Date, 1 Salt, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: None
Advantage: None.
With 2 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 3 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. The Silversmith can also give 3 or 3.5 VP with those same resources.
To display all of the Camel Rider Cards, we need like 7 Dates, 6 Peppers, 9 Salts and 5 Golds. We definitely can get more than enough Pepper from one of their cards.
Camp (1)
VP: 1
Cost: 1 Date, 2 Peppers or 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: End Game.
Advantage: Pay 1 Fewer of any Goods required to add Camp Cards to your display.
With 3 Goods or 1 Gold, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.25 VP or 2 VP.
However, the next time we display Camp Card we get a discount 1 fewer goods each. If we display 4 more Camp cards after this, the discount is worth like another 3 VP.
This is a powerful one, if we can actually get 4 more cards. For 3 more cards, we can get like 2.25 VP from the discount, and just 1 VP for 2 cards. The minimum should be 2 additional card from which the rate is the same with Gold to VP.
Camp (2)
VP: 1
Cost: 1 Date, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: Permanent.
Advantage: If you use the Trader action, you may exchange goods at a rate of 1 to 1.
With 1 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.75 VP.
The base rate from the trader is 2 to 1. If we somehow exchange goods 4 times, the discount can worth like 3 additional VP. We still need to visit Silversmith though.
I think, we might as well find another way to use the Goods that we already have rather than focusing on taking advantage of this card. It is very situational but this does have use towards the end of the game.
Maybe on the same turn, we can use that trades to get Gold for displaying Tribe cards.
Camp (3)
VP: 1
Cost: 1 Date, 1 Pepper
Type of Advantage: End Game
Advantage: At the end of the game, if you have 10 or more cards in your display, you receive 1 additional VP.
With 2 Goods, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 1.5 VP.
If we can get 10 cards then we can get a total of 2 VP, which is higher than the rate from Silversmith. I think that is not that difficult to achieve.
Camp (4)
VP: 1
Cost: 1 Date, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: End Game
Advantage: At the end of the game, you receive 1 additional VP for every 2 Oasis cards in your display.
With 1 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.75 VP.
If we only get 2 Oasis Cards, we get 1 VP or a total of 2 VP, which is lower than from Silversmith. We need 4 Oasis cards to give us a total of 3 VP so the rate can be higher than the Silversmith. That is just one row of Oasis Cards.
The problem is, there is no guarantee that those cards will show up or if the opponent will not try to get them as well.
Camp (5)
VP: 2
Cost: 1 Salt, 1 Date, 2 Pepper
Type of Advantage: One Time
Advantage: In the round after you display this card, your opponent may only place 2 Targi Figures as a one-time penalty.
This is probably the only mean card that directly affect our opponent. If this comes out at the Center Area, players will want to compete to get them. Especially if the opponent go first in the next round.
This is very powerful because the opponent will lose 2 spots, one from the Border and another from the Center card.
With 4 Goods we can get 2 VP which is lower than the rate from Silversmith.
Camp (6)
VP: 2
Cost: 1 Date, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: Permanent
Advantage: When you use the Noble Action to Place the Card in your hand in your display, pay 1 Goods fewer than required.
With 1 Goods and 1 Gold we can get 2 VP which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resource, we can get like 2.5 VP.
However, the Noble Action makes everything cheaper. Still, that is assuming we want to hold some cards. Otherwise, the advantage is very situational.
Camp (7)
VP: 2
Cost: 1 Pepper, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: none.
Advantage: none.
With 1 Good and 1 Gold, we can get 2 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.5 VP.
We should just take this one only if we want to complete a row. Hopefully for all Camp cards or all different ones.
Camp (8)
VP: 3
Cost: 1 Date, 1 Pepper, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: None
Advantage: None.
With 2 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 3 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 4 VP.
Camp (9)
VP: 3
Cost: 2 Dates, 1 Pepper, 2 Salt
Type of Advantage: None
Advantage: None.
With 5 Goods, we can get 3 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. The Silversmith can also give 3 VP with just 4 Goods.
To display all of the Camp Cards, we need like 9 Dates, 8 Peppers, 3 Salts and 6 Golds. I guess, we can focus the excess Salt for other Tribe or just trade them via Silversmith.
Oasis (1)
VP: 1
Cost: 2 Salt, 1 Pepper
Type of Advantage: Permanent.
Advantage: Pay 1 Fewer of any Goods required to your display.
With 3 Goods, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.25 VP.
However, the next time we display Oasis Card we get a discount 1 fewer goods each. If we display 4 more Oasis cards after this, the discount is worth like another 3 VP.
This is a powerful one, if we can actually get 4 more cards. For 3 more cards, we can get like 2.25 VP from the discount, and just 1 VP for 2 cards. The minimum should be 2 additional card from which the higher rate than the Silversmith.
Oasis (2)
VP: 1
Cost: 1 Gold, 1 Pepper
Type of Advantage: End Game.
Advantage: At the end of the game, you receive 1 additional VP for every 2 Well Cards in your display.
With 1 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.75 VP.
If we only get 2 Well Cards, we get 1 VP or a total of 2 VP, which is lower than from Silversmith. We need 4 Well cards to give us a total of 3 VP so the rate can be higher than the Silversmith. That is just one row of Oasis Cards.
The problem is, there is no guarantee that those cards will show up or if the opponent will not try to get them as well.
Oasis (3)
VP: 1
Cost: 1 Gold, 1 Pepper, 1 Salt
Type of Advantage: Permanent.
Advantage: You no longer have to surrender anything during a raid.
With 2 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3 or even 3.5 VP.
This can be a powerful one if it comes out early in the game. If we can display this from the start, we can avoid the first raid which will save us like 0.75 VP or 2 VP.
From the second raid, we can save 1.5 or 2 VP with this card and about 2 VP from the third raid. The fourth one may not happen but we can save another 2 VP.
That also means we can try to prolong the game and maybe our opponent can suffer more penalty.
To make it worth, I guess, we need at least to display this card before the second raid so we can save up to 4 VP. Or at least, display the card before the third raid and make the game longer until it gets to the fourth.
Oasis (4)
VP: 1
Cost: 2 Salt, 1 Pepper
Type of Advantage: Permanent.
Advantage: In each round in which you get at least 1 Salt from a Goods Card, you receive 1 more salt.
With 3 Goods, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.25 VP.
However, those additional Salt is definitely very powerful. We can get up to 12 Salt over 12 rounds. That is equal to 9 additional VP by trading on Silversmith 3 times. Also, assuming it comes out early.
As a reminder, we will not get additional Salt if the Salt is from Border Cards. So, there is a chance that we may not see any Salt several rounds.
We just need about 6 to 8 rounds to get the same or higher rate as from Silversmith. So, I guess, if the card didn’t show up before the 2nd Raid, we won’t get that many bonuses.
Oasis (5)
VP: 2
Cost: 1 Gold, 1 Pepper, 1 Salt
Type of Advantage: One Time.
Advantage: Immediately after displaying this card, you may move any 2 of the Tribe cards in your display (no gaps allowed after moving the cards).
With 2 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 2 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3.5 VP.
As far as I know, there are two reasons why we want to move cards in our display. Either to get the Row Bonus for having the same or all different Tribes, or to activate the advantage from one of the Camel Card.
There is no guarantee that the specific card for the second reason will show up. Maybe if it will, our opponent will take it.
Either way, to gain the benefit from this card, we will most likely have to hold this card and activate at the right time. Most of the time, it is not to get 4 of the same type but for all 4 different cards in a row.
That means, this card will only get us 2 extra points, that is also assuming we manage to complete the row. With all of that in mind, this is not really a useful card, especially if it comes out too early.
Oasis (6)
VP: 2
Cost: 1 Gold, 1 Pepper, 1 Date
Type of Advantage: Permanent.
Advantage: In each round in which you get no Goods from a Goods Card, you receive 1 Goods of your choice.
With 2 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 2 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3.5 VP.
So, we can still get Goods from the Border cards and activate this advantage, with the exception for Caravan Action. I think, most of the time, we will get goods from Good Cards because it is not a good plan to aim for multiple Tribe cards in the same round.
From the 2 Center cards we can take, if both of them are Goods, we can get up to 4 Goods which can worth 3 VP. I’m not really sure it is reasonable to avoid Good Cards just to activate the advantage from this card every round.
However, I think the exception would be when the center goods cards we take will give us either Gold or VP token. Then, this Oasis card will give us extra resource.
Unless we can find 3 rounds in which we get this bonus, at least, trading the resources right away via Silversmith is a better option.
Oasis (7)
VP: 2
Cost: 1 Pepper, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: none.
Advantage: none.
With 1 Good and 1 Gold, we can get 2 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.5 VP.
We should just take this one only if we want to complete a row. Hopefully for all Oasis cards or all different ones.
Oasis (8)
VP: 3
Cost: 1 Date, 1 Salt, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: None
Advantage: None.
With 2 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 3 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 4 VP.
Oasis (9)
VP: 3
Cost: 2 Dates, 2 Pepper, 1 Salt
Type of Advantage: None
Advantage: None.
For 5 Goods, we can get 3 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. The Silversmith can also give 3 VP with just 4 Goods.
To display all of the Oasis Cards, we need like 4 Dates, 9 Peppers, 8 Salts and 6 Golds. I guess, we can focus the excess Dates for other Tribe or just trade them via Silversmith.
Targia (1)
VP: 1
Cost: 2 Pepper, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: End Game.
Advantage: At the end of the game, you receive 4 victory points instead of 2 for each complete row of 4 different tribe symbols (for up to 2 rows).
For 2 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3.5 VP.
Assuming we can get the full advantage, we can get 4 extra points, which can be higher than the trade rate in Silversmith. However, it will be easier if this card come out early.
Most of the time, players will just try to go for four of a kind set right from the start. To make the most out of this card, we still need at least 2 rows.
There is still a chance that we may not succeed for even completing a row, let alone for the row bonus. But if we can, we definitely should pursue this strategy.
Targia (2)
VP: 1
Cost: 2 Salt, 1 Date or 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: Permanent.
Advantage: Pay 1 fewer of any goods required to add Targia cards to your display.
For 3 Goods or 1 Gold, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2 VP or 2.25 VP. Gold can be a cheaper option for this one.
However, that discount can be a powerful one if we are collecting more Targia cards. In order to get the same rate as the Silversmith, we need like 1.25 extra VP.
That can comes from 2 goods so if we can get 2 Targia cards after this one, we can definitely break even or slightly better rate. So, if this card comes early, it will be very powerful.
But it doesn’t mean we get access to more Targia cards. Also, maybe our opponent is collecting the same tribe.
Targia (3)
VP: 1
Cost: 1 Date, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: Permanent.
Advantage: For every raid, you receive 1 Victory Point after surrendering what is demanded.
For 1 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.75 VP.
The advantage can also be a powerful one if it comes out early, like before even the first Raid. For the 1st raid, if we give 1 goods or about 0.75 VP, we can get 1 VP. So it is a good trade if we don’t surrender a VP token.
For the 2nd one, if we surrender 2 goods, we are losing 1.5 VP and get 1 VP. We might as well just hand over 1 VP token and get it back.
For the 3rd one, if we surrender 3 goods, we are losing 2.25 VP and get only 1 VP. That means we are losing just 1.25 VP instead of handing over 2 VP.
For the last one, if we surrender a Gold, we are losing just 2 VP and get 1 VP back. That means we just lose 1 VP instead of 3.
So, the potential benefit is like saving 2.5 VP, assuming we get the bonus for all 4 Raids. That is definitely a better rate than trading resources to the Silversmith.
But then, even the fourth one may not happen which will give us the best saving. If we only get the benefit from the first 3 raids, we might as well just trade the goods to Silversmith and get a better deal.
Some people were asking about how this card interact with the Oasis card that allow us not to surrender anything. The designer says that we still need to pay the demanded goods in order to gain any VP back.
That means, if we want to take advantage of this Targia card, we are basically ignoring the Oasis card. The Oasis card is a better option.
Targia (4)
VP: 1
Cost: 1 Pepper, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: End Game.
Advantage: At the end of the game, you receive 1 additional victory point for every 2 Camel Rider cards in your display.
For 1 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.75 VP.
So, if we have 2 Camel Rider cards, we get 1 point, 2 points for 4 Camel Rider Cards. So, getting 4 cards is the minimum so we can get better rate than the Silversmith.
The problem is that there is no guarantee that we will have access to 4 Camel Rider Cards. Our opponent can also try to collect them.
In that case, maybe we should try to at least deny our opponent from getting this card. Especially if they already have a row of Camel Rider cards. It can also be just 4 cards scattered in 3 different rows.
Targia (5)
VP: 2
Cost: 1 Salt, 1 Date, 2 Pepper
Type of Advantage: One Time.
Advantage: Immediately after displaying this card, you receive a one-time bonus of 3 goods of your choice, 1 Gold or 1 VP.
For 4 Goods, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3 VP.
If we choose 3 goods as a bonus, that means paying 1 goods and get 2 VP which is a good deal. One Gold can mean 2 extra VP while 1 VP is just 1.
Depending on the situation, Gold can be useful for displaying another card. If not, I think the 3 goods is the best choice and the VP token is the least.
Another consideration would be whether we can still hold more goods. We definitely need to figure out carefully to execute our turn involving this card.
Targia (6)
VP: 2
Cost: 2 Dates, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: Permanent.
Advantage: In each round in which you get at least 1 dates from the goods cards, you receive more dates.
For 2 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 2 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3.5 VP.
However, the advantage is very powerful if we can get this card early in the game. We can get up to 12 extra goods, which are worth 9 VP via the Silversmith.
It is true that communal center area will not always have a goods card that give us Date. But there are 8 cards in total from which we can get at least 1 Date.
To get the same trade rate for trading goods to VP token, we only need 2 extra goods or just 2 rounds. If we can get more than that, it is a surplus.
Targia (7)
VP: 2
Cost: 2 Pepper, 1 Date, 1 Salt
Type of Advantage: none.
Advantage: none.
For 4 Goods, we can get 2 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3 VP.
We should just take this one only if we want to complete a row. Hopefully for all Targia cards or all different ones.
Targia (8)
VP: 3
Cost: 1 Date, 2 Salt, 2 Pepper
Type of Advantage: None
Advantage: None.
For 5 Goods, we can get 3 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3.75 VP.
Targia (9)
VP: 3
Cost: 1 Date, 1 Pepper, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: None
Advantage: None.
For 2 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 3 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same resources, we can get 3.5 VP.
To display all of the Targia Cards, we need like 8 Dates, 10 Peppers, 6 Salts and 6 Golds. That one card that can give us more Date is definitely a must if we want to collect these Targia.
Well (1)
VP: 1
Cost: 2 Salt, 1 Date
Type of Advantage: Permanent.
Advantage: Pay 1 fewer of any goods required to add Well cards to your display.
For 3 Goods, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.25 VP.
However, that discount can be a powerful one if we are collecting more Well cards. In order to get the same rate as the Silversmith, we need like 1.25 extra VP.
That can comes from 2 goods so if we can get 2 Well cards after this one, we can definitely break even or slightly better rate. So, if this card comes early, it will be very powerful.
But it doesn’t mean we get access to more Well cards. Also, maybe our opponent is collecting the same tribe.
Well (2)
VP: 1
Cost: 1 Date, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: One time.
Advantage: Place 1 Gold from the supply on this card. If you display a card later on, that costs Gold, take the Gold from here.
For 1 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.75 VP.
However, we immediately get 1 Gold back. That makes 1 goods for 1 VP as a good rate instead of just 0.75 VP per goods.
The problem would be when we can only display this card almost at the end of the game. If we don’t display any other card with the cost of Goldย after this one, that extra Gold is useless.
We cannot spend that Gold for other purposes like Silversmith or paying the last Raid.
Well (3)
VP: 1
Cost: 1 Gold, 1 Date
Type of Advantage: Permanent.
Advantage: You may place 1 of your Targi Figures on the card occupied by the Robber.
For 1 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.75 VP.
The advantage gives us a lot of flexibility because we can access the same card as the robber. I’m still not sure but I assume, if the opponent place their Targi across the Robber first, we still cannot place our Targi on where the Robber is.
If that is the case, the only way to use take advantage of this card is by placing our Targi first on either the same card as the Robber or on the opposite site. Our opponent may not occupy the robber’s spot but they can still occupy the opposite site which will deny us the site of the Robber.
So, this card can be a good one or almost useless. It has some uses depending on the situation but unless we go first, we may not be able to get any benefit.
If we do go first, we are preventing our opponent to occupy the opposite card. Our opponent may forget that we have that card and thought they can place their Targi there. Even if they do remember, it will still force our opponent to occupy that spot first and leaves a room for the other cards.
Well (4)
VP: 1
Cost: 1 Gold, 1 Salt
Type of Advantage: End Game.
Advantage: At the end of the game, you receive 1 additional Victory point for every 2 Targia cards in your display.
For 1 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 1 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 2.75 VP.
So, if we have 2 Targia cards, we get 1 point, 2 points for 4 Targia Cards. So, getting 4 cards is the minimum so we can get better rate than the Silversmith.
The problem is that there is no guarantee that we will have access to 4 Targia Cards. Our opponent can also try to collect them.
In that case, maybe we should try to at least deny our opponent from getting this card. Especially if they already have a row of Targia cards. It can also be just 4 cards scattered in 3 different rows.
Well (5)
VP: 2
Cost: 1 Gold, 1 Salt, 1 Pepper
Type of Advantage: Permanent.
Advantage: If you pay 1 additional goods of one of the types required, you may display 1 card from your hand without using the Noble Action.
For 2 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 2 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3.5 VP.
So, the rate is already low at the start. But if we actually try to get the benefit from the advantage, we will have to lose even more.
What this card does is giving us some flexibility, more power to utilize keeping Tribe card in hand. But it doesn’t mean we can switch the card in hand with a different one. We still need to use the Noble action for that and we still can only hold 1 card
This will not be useful at all if we don’t keep any card in hand like always have enough goods and golds to display any Tribe cards we get. I think the only way we can take advantage of this card is if we have displayed a Tribe card that allow us to pay 1 less goods the next time we want to display a Tribe card of the same type.
Without that, this card has some use but in just very specific situation.
Also, this advantage also allows us to have 1 additional action which is to display the card in hand. Assuming we have enough resources to display it, it can be very useful towards the end of the game.
Well (6)
VP: 2
Cost: 1 Pepper, 2 Salt, 1 Date
Type of Advantage: One Time.
Advantage: Immediately after displaying this card, you receive a one-time bonus of 1 goods of your choice for every 2 cards in your display.
For 4 Goods, we can get 2 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3 VP.
This is definitely a card that we want to hold in hand first. The more cards we have displayed before this one will give us more goods.
Let’s say this card will be the 12th cards. That means we can get up to 6 goods which can worth like 4.5 VP. Of course, we need to plan carefully how to execute our last turn, probably by sending 1 figure to Noble and the other for the Silversmith.
Even then, we can only trade once at the Silversmith and gain 4 VP. That can still give better rate with a total of 6 VP. The minimum should be that this card becomes the 8th card in our tableau to get at least the same rate.
It is also nice that we can choose the type of goods, gives us more flexibility.
Well (7)
VP: 2
Cost: 2 Date, 1 Pepper, 1 Salt
Type of Advantage: none.
Advantage: none.
For 4 Goods, we can get 2 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3 VP.
We should just take this one only if we want to complete a row. Hopefully for all Well cards or all different ones.
Well (8)
VP: 3
Cost: 1 Salt, 2 Date, 2 Pepper
Type of Advantage: None
Advantage: None.
For 5 Goods, we can get 3 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same amount of resources we can get like 3.75 VP.
Well (9)
VP: 3
Cost: 1 Date, 1 Salt, 1 Gold
Type of Advantage: None
Advantage: None.
For 2 Goods and 1 Gold, we can get 3 VP from this which is lower than the rate from Silversmith. With the same resources, we can get 3.5 VP.
To display all of the Well Cards, we need like 9 Dates, 5 Peppers, 9 Salts and 5 Golds.
Those are all of the Tribe cards that come in the base game of Targi.
Border Cards
These are the last and main component of Targi card game. They are called the Border cards because in this game, we will be creating a 5 x 5 grid and these cards will occupy the 16 cards on the border. The remaining nine at the center is for either Good cards or Tribe cards.
I thought at first, that these Border cards are double sided for 2 different uses. It turns out, one side is just icon while the other is the explanation of what we can do of that particular card.
Each card also has a number from 1 to 16 at the top left corner of the card from either side. These numbers will tell us where to place this card on that 5×5 grid.
Number 1 starts at the first or top row and the second column of that grid, followed by the next ascending number in clockwise order. So, card number 16 or the last one will be at the top row and first column from the left or right next to the card number 1.
With how we setup these Border cards, apparently, the game doesn’t get different setup variability from the Border cards. They will always setup the same order and the same exact location.
I guess, we can say that there are 2 types of Border Cards. One is the RAID CARDS which will occupy the four corner. Two is the ACTION CARD which will occupy the rest of the borders.
The action cards are where players can place their Figures on and activate the action. We cannot place anything on the corner cards or RAID CARDS. Those are just for the Robber.
Based on the type of Action, there are 2 type of Actions. If the card only show us an icon of any Goods, that simply says, to take 1 Good token of that type. There are 6 cards like this offering 2 Goods for each type.
The other type of Actions will tell us a name of that action on their card. Those 6 cards are NOBLE, TRADER, FATAMORGANA, SILVERSMITH CARAVAN and TRIBAL EXPANSION.
Essentially each of those actions are unique. If a player has taken any of them, that means, their opponent will have to wait for the next round to access that same action.
There is no mechanism in the game to move, cancel or override those placements. That means, the starting player can always have advantage.
However, while players will activate all of their chosen actions consecutively, players will be taking turns placing their figures. That means, choosing one spot will open the other to their opponent.
We definitely have to choose wisely. It is not a good idea to put ourselves in a position where we need to access more than one.
In this game, when a player put their Figure on one of these Action Cards, they will also prevent their opponent for placing a figure on the opposite of that action card. The general idea is that for each card with an Action title, the opposite will be just a Good Card.
Some may argue that we can randomize the position of border cards by following just those rules.
I don’t know the thematic reasoning for blocking the opposite side as well. It feels more for gameplay approach.
What will happen is that a player may not necessarily want to block an Action. However, they may need those goods across that action and as a result preventing the Action as well.
That means, their opponent need to consider not just the action but also how likely the opponent will take the Goods at the opposite side. Because of that, the portion of the game where players will be placing their figures will take the longest time.
Some players may even get into analysis paralysis. The options that they can take may not that much. But they need to consider several layers of possible blocking that can be done by their opponent.
As mentioned before, each player will have 3 figures that they can place each round and they will take turns placing those figures one by one. While players can only control their 3, the opponent’s 3 will also affect their placement.
But that is not the only thing to consider. So far we are just talking how players will choose border cards related to the potential blocking.
The position of every 2 figures will also determine the cards we can get from the center area either Goods or Tribe cards. Players can get additional cards from the center where the 2 of their figures will intersect.
With 3 figures, players can have up to 2 center cards. To get the most, players will not want to just place the figures on two parallel sides because it will create no intersection and lose additional benefit.
However, it is possible that even if they can access the center cards, they cannot do anything with it. Like having too many goods or don’t have the right type of goods to pay the Tribe.
Still, they can choose just to remove it from the game so the opponent can no longer access that card in the next round.
With that in mind, a player may not care that much about the Border cards, but they probably need some specific cards from the center.
This will definitely affect how that player place their Figures and how the opponent will have to react. That opens to a lot more of possibilities which can lead to the AP situation.
The good thing is by taking turns for placing figures, each placement will narrow the option down. To the point where placing the last one is just getting the better option of what’s left.
So, at the start of each round, there are 11 open spots from 12 because the Robber will take one. Then the starting player will place their 1st figure which will block up to 2 more spaces.
After that, 2nd player goes, choosing 1 spot of remaining 9. This can also block 2 more spaces.
For the 1st player’s 2nd figure, they take one from the remaining 7 and the second will take from the remaining 5. Then back to 1st player will take 1 from up to 3 remaining space.
Usually this actually can leave the 2nd player with 2 spots. From that option sometimes the choice is rather obvious.
Details for Border Cards
#1 Noble
Opposite Card: 1x Pepper (#11)
Action: You may place the card in your hand in your display if you pay the costs. Or you may discard the card in your hand.
Because this is the first card, the Robber will occupy this in the first round and the players will have no card in hand yet. So, later, the only obstacle that will block this will be from our opponent.
#2 Dates
Opposite Card: Silversmith (#10)
Action: Take 1 Date Token.
#3 Salt
Opposite Card: Fata Morgana (#9)
Action: Take 1 Salt Token.
#4 Raid (1st)
Opposite Card: none (Corner Card)
Action: Each player must surrender 1 goods of their choice or 1 victory point. Then the Robber immediately advances 1 card. Only the Robber may be placed on this card.
One of the Oasis card can prevent player to avoid this penalty. Also, one of the Targia cards allows player to get one VP in return after surrendering the demand.
#5 Trader
Opposite Card: 1x Salt (#15)
Action: You may exchange 3 goods of the same type for 1 Gold, or, 2 Goods of the same type for 1 other goods. You may perform as many trades as you like.
So, it is possible to trade 2 goods into one and trade the result with the 2 that we already have to Gold in a single action. However, we need to complete all of the Trader actions consecutively, not taking turns with other actions.
What that means is we should think several turns ahead how to execute the plan. Usually, we want to activate this as the last turn.
Unless we are trying to get Gold to pay for the Tribe card. This is also the only way we can actively gain Gold while the other option is from Good Cards, which is very random.
#6 Pepper
Opposite Card: Tribal Expansion (#14)
Action: Take 1 Pepper Token.
#7 Dates
Opposite Card: Caravan (#13)
Action: Take 1 Date Token.
#8 Raid (2nd)
Opposite Card: None (Corner Card)
Action: Each player must surrender 2 goods of his or her choice or 1 victory point. Then, the Robber immediately advances 1 card. Only the Robber may be placed on this card.
One of the Oasis card can prevent player to avoid this penalty. Also, one of the Targia cards allows player to get one VP in return after surrendering the demand.
#9 Fata Morgana (Mirage)
Opposite Card: 1x Salt (#3)
Action: You may move 1 of your Tribe Markers from a card in the center area to another unoccupied central card.
This allows us to move the Marker that hasn’t been activated. It is considered one of the most powerful action because it allows us to ignore the blocking or placing on specific border cards.
Some even consider this being too powerful. Players, especially new ones tend to immediately go to this card as their main strategy.
Well, if there is a specific card that we want to get from the Center area, Fata Morgana action will give a better chance for accessing that specific card. But it is not a guarantee, especially if the user is the second player on that round.
The first player can still use 2 of their Figure to actually take that one specific card. That means, we still need to secure at least the column or the row.
Considering that players will be taking turns placing their figures, if we, as the first player take that Fata Morgana spot, the second who goes right after can block either the column or the row.
Unless, the card itself is in the same column as the Fata Morgana. The second can block the row but they will not be able to block the column.
Because of that, I think Fata Morgana is powerful but not really as good as people might think.
Also, we cannot move Markers if there is no intersection. With no intersection, there will be no cards to put the marker on.
#10 Silversmith (Once per turn)
Opposite Card: 1x Date (#2)
Action: You can earn Victory points: For 2 Goods of the same type, you get 1 VP or 4 Goods of the same type to get 3 VP. For 1 Gold, you get 2 VP or for 2 Gold, get 4 VP.
If anybody actually read this article, especially regarding the Tribe card above, I always compare the VP that we can get from each Tribe card to the rate from Silversmith.
I still think Silversmith gives a better conversion rate from Goods to VP token and they are very easy to be achieved. We may get more from Tribe cards but only if we successfully get the bonus from completing each row.
That is also assuming we can get the highest value Tribe cards which can come out from the deck randomly.
The problem with Silversmith is always the one use per round. There is also another issue with this strategy where we have to lose excess goods in the process.
We may not even realize that we actually lose the benefit of this strategy each time we have to discard those excess goods.
#11 Pepper
Opposite Card: Noble (#1)
Action: Take 1 Pepper token.
#12 Raid (3rd)
Opposite Card: None (Corner Card)
Action: Each player must surrender 3 goods of his or her choice or 2 Victory Points. Then, the Robber immediately advances 1 card. Only the Robber may be placed on this card.
One of the Oasis card can prevent player to avoid this penalty. Also, one of the Targia cards allows player to get one VP in return after surrendering the demand.
#13 Caravan
Opposite Card: 1x Dates (#7)
Action: Draw the top Goods Card from the draw pile and take whatever is depicted on it:, either 1 or 2 Goods; 1 Gold, or 1 Victory Point. Then, discard the card.
Regardless of the strategy we pursue to get those Victory points, we still need to have resources. Placing a figure here will give us extra goods. We will be very lucky if we even get a Gold or VP token.
We may have to draw randomly but as long as we have empty space for goods, we really don’t have to worry. Actually, with just 19 cards, it is probably not that hard to predict the next card to come out.
We are not allowed to check the discard pile but we can still see the last card on that pile. There are also several Good Cards at the center area.
If there is a risk of holding too many goods, I guess we should activate this Action first during our turn. Then, we also have to make sure that we have access to either the Silversmith or spend some of them to pay the Tribe cards. Or just send figure to Traders or Nobles.
#14 Tribal Expansion
Opposite Card: 1x Pepper (#6)
Action: Turn over the top Tribe card from the draw pile. You may display it immediately if you pay the costs. Or you can take it into your hand (if you do not have other cards in your hand already). Or, discard it.
This is actually the opposite of Caravan. At least for me.
We don’t know what we will get from drawing the top of the card. Unlike the Good cards, there are more than twice as many cards as the Good Cards. There is no way we can make a guess.
If we do draw that card, we either have to display it right away, discard it or take up the space in our hand. For the last option, we cannot easily discard the card without using the Noble action.
The designer also said that if we do take the card in our hand, we have to keep it a secret from the opponent. It may not be the card that we need but it can be a card that will give a lot of benefit for the opponent.
Usually, I will only activate this Tribal Expansion action the last. This happens after I make sure that mostly I have enough goods even after doing Silversmith or Trader action or displaying other Tribe cards.
Because of that, if I have to take this row, I rather take the opposite.
#15 Salt
Opposite Card: Trader (#4)
Action: Take 1 Salt Token.
#16 Raid (4th)
Opposite Card: none (Corner Card)
Action: Each player must surrender 1 Gold or 3 Victory Points. The game ends immediately after. Only the Robber may be placed on this card.
One of the Oasis card can prevent player to avoid this penalty. Also, one of the Targia cards allows player to get one VP in return after surrendering the demand.
This raid doesn’t always happen because players can trigger the end game first by displaying their 12th cards. Unlike the previous 3 Raids, the game doesn’t actually provide us with the VP Tokens or a single Gold to pay.
Paying with Gold is always a better option. Not only because of the value but because Gold is worth nothing during scoring. The VP tokens are what matters.
Since the last round starts from the second player, the first player might want to secure the payment even before. If the second player takes the Trader and the 1st doesn’t have any Gold, they will lose 3 VP or give 3 VP to the second.
Again, that is assuming that the Robber will trigger this Raid and ends the game. Otherwise, we might want to trade the leftover Gold for 2 VP. So, we still need to pay attention to other player or we have to trigger it ourselves.
Those are all of the components to play the base game of Targi. Now, we can learn how to play.
How to Play
Officially, Targi is a 2 player only competitive game. The designer actually released a solo variant on the forum which will be discussed in the next section of this article.
There is also a variant from the designer to play with 3 or 4 players but it requires the main expansion. Here is the link for that variant.
In this section we will only discuss the setup and how to play for official 2 player variant from the base game, without the expansion.
This next video is from Before You Play channel by Monique and Naveen for how to play Targi.
Setup
1st. Place the 16 BORDER CARDS at the center of the table to create the border of 5 x 5 grid. Card #1 will be at the top row 2nd column and continue in clockwise order with Card #2 and so on.
If we do it correctly, Card #16 will be at the top left corner of the grid as the final card. Both side of each card works the same, just the front for symbols and the back for the explanation of that card.
Make sure to leave some space at the left side of the grid for another column of cards and another one on the right for the general supply.
2nd. Shuffle all of the 45 TRIBE CARDS and put them as a single face down deck right beside the TRIBAL EXPANSION card (Border Card #14).
From this deck, draw 4 cards and put them face up in a diamond pattern at the central area of the grid. That means these cards will occupy: 2nd row- 3rd Column, 3rd Row- 2nd Column, 3rd row – 4th Column, and 4th row – 3rd column.
3rd. Shuffle all of the 19 GOODS CARDS and put them as a single face down deck right beside the CARVAN CARD (Border Card #13).
From this deck draw 5 cards and put them face up on the leftover empty space of the central area of the grid. That means, these cards will occupy 2nd row- 2nd column, 2nd row – 4th column, 3rd row – 3rd column, 4th row – 2nd column and 4th row – 4th column.
4th. Place all of the GOODS, GOLD AND VP TOKENS to create a GENERAL SUPPLY. We can use the space on the right side of the grid.
5th. Place the ROBBER FIGURE right next to NOBLE CARD (Border Card #1). If there is not enough space, we can place it on the card itself but remember that the Figure will start there instead of advancing immediately to card number 2.
6th. Each Player takes 3 TRIBE FIGURES AND 2 TRIBE MARKERS of one color and put them on the table in front of the player.
7th. As the Starting resources, each player will take 2 DATES, 2 SALT, 2 PEPPER, 1 GOLD and VP TOKENS worth of 4 points from the general supply. For the VP token, each player take 1 token with 3 VP value and 1 token with 1 VP value.
8th. Each player also need to have their own PLAYER’S AREA for 3 x 4 grid of cards in addition to spaces for their resources in front of them.
9th. Players can choose the starting player randomly and give that player the STARTING PLAYER TOKEN. The rule suggests the starting player should be the last who eat dates or the blue one should start.
That is the setup.
Gameplay
The game of Targi will be played over up to 12 rounds unless one of the player trigger the end game first. In each round, we will be doing these step by step.
1st. Advance the Robber Figure.
2nd. Resolve Raid Event.
3rd. Placement of Targi Figures.
4th. Placement of Markers
5th. Activating Actions.
6th. Prepare for the Next Round.
The end game can be triggered during either the 2nd step, which will end the game immediately. Or, during the 5th step, which players should finish the round until both of them have resolved their actions.
After that, players will proceed to the Scoring Phase to determine the winner.
Advance the Robber 1 Border Card
In the first round, the Robber will occupy the NOBLE card (Border Card #1). At the start of the next round, we move the Robber figure 1 Border Card in ascending order.
If the Border card is the RAID CARD (#4, #8, #12ย or #16), resolve the RAID EVENT. Otherwise, we proceed on to the PLACEMENT OF TARGI FIGURES PHASE.
Raid Event
What will happen is that each player have to pay the Robber their demand. We check the RAID CARD which will tell us the 2 demand options.
Players can choose which of those 2 that they are willing to pay with and put them to the general supply. For the VP token, the depicted number on Raid Cards means the value or number of points, not the number of token itself.
So, if the Raid demands 1 VP, and the player choose to pay with their VP token with the value of 3, the player will get 2 VP tokens with a value of 1 back.
Each player starts with 4 VP which is enough for the 3 first Raids. That means for those Raids, players will always have something to pay with.
After the Raid is done, we immediately advance the Robber 1 Border Card again. Then, we proceed to the TARGI FIGURE PLACEMENT phase.
Unless, it was the 4th Raid Card which will end the game immediately. Because of that, the game will end after 12 rounds.
Placement of Targi Figures
Beginning with the Starting player, players will take turns place 1 of their 3 Targi Figures. So 1st player places their 1st figure, followed by the 2nd, and back to first,ย then the second again until all three figures have been placed by both.
We can only place them on BORDER CARDS with the following exceptions.
One. We cannot place them on the card where the Robber is standing.
Two. We cannot place them on occupied Border Cards either by our own Targi or the opponent’s.
Three. We cannot place them on the opposite one of the opponent’s Targi.
That means, at the start of each round, the starting player can choose from one of the 11 available Border cards because one of them is occupied by the Robber. Unless, the player has a Tribe card that allows player to place their Targi at the same card as the Robber.
Remember that everytime we choose 1 Border card, we are giving access of the other Border cards to our opponent.
We can place all 3 of them on just one side of the grid or the parallel side but we should also consider aiming the intersection to get cards from the central area. More about this next.
With that in mind, it is recommended to plan not just where all of our 3 Figures will go to but what will happen if our opponent occupy those Border cards.
This is where we should also pay attention to the opponent’s playing area to figure out what they are going for next.
NOTE: There is also 1 Tribe Card that will force the opponent to only place 2 Figures.
Placing Marker in the Intersection
After placing all 3 Targi Figures, then, players should place their Markers on cards in the central area of the grid. To do that, we need to imagine drawing a straight line from each of our Targi Figure to the opposite side of the grid.
Then, if we can find a card that intersect 2 lines from 2 Figures, we can place 1 Marker on that card. The intersection will only happen if there are 2 Figures on the non parallel sides of the grid.
With 3 Figures, players can have up to 2 intersections, which is why we have 2 Markers. But depending on the placement of those 3 Figures, players might have only one intersection or none at all.
If 2 Figures are placed on the same column or the same row, that player will only have 1 intersection. In the case where all figures are on the same side of the grid or the parallel sides of the grid, that player will not make any intersection.
Activate Actions
In this phase, the starting player will activate or carry out all of the 5 possible actions first. After the starting player is done, then the second player activate theirs.
Each player has the freedom to choose in which order they will activate those actions. However, each action must be resolved completely before moving on to the next one.
The classic example would be about the TRADER ACTION which allows player to trade multiple times. But they cannot do it taking turns with the other 4 actions. They need to resolve all of the trading before or after the other action.
Most of the time, the consideration would be about whether we have enough resources to activate the other. If not, maybe we should activate the ones that allows us to gain those resources first.
Players are also allowed NOT to activate those actions.
NOTE: Everytime we want to activate any Action, it is recommended to check our Displayed Tribe Cards and see if any of them can give additional advantage related to that action.
Whether they choose to activate or not, they need to take back those Figures from the Border cards to indicate that they have completed that action. The Border Card remains in place.
The similar goes with cards from the Central Area, We need to take the Markers back to indicate that we have completed the actions.
The difference is that we have to discard the Card from the Central Area and replace them with the card of the other type. If the central card is a Goods card, it will be replaced by a Tribe Card and vice versa.
We draw the top card from the other deck and place them on the same spot in the central area FACE DOWN. This is important for the FATA MORGANA action. Players cannot move their markers using this action to a face down card.
If any of the deck ever runs out of card, we shuffle all cards from the discard pile for each and form a new deck. Usually this only happens for the deck of Goods Cards.
Action: Goods / CARAVAN
If the action cards depict any type of Goods, Golds or VP Tokens, we simply take the token from the general supply.
Any token is considered as unlimited supply. So, if the general supply runs out of any Token, we need to take notes or use other replacement to remind us.
From Caravan action or Goods Cards in the central area, it is possible that the card allows us to take up to 2 Goods or choose one of 3 types of Goods.
NOTE: There are Tribe Cards that allow us to gain additional goods but only if we get the goods from the first place from Goods Cards but not from Border Cards.
LIMIT: Players are only allowed to have up to 10 Goods and 3 Golds at the end of their turn. They are not hard limits so players can have more during their turns but have to discard the excess by the end of it.
Action: Tribes / TRIBAL EXPANSION
If the Action allows us to take a TRIBE CARD, we can either, discard it, put it in our hand or DISPLAY in our own Area. If choose not to activate the action from the Central Area, we simply let the Tribe card remains in place.
DISCARDING means we simply place them into the discard pile. The idea is to prevent the opponent for taking that card, either in the next round or using the Fata Morgana action.
We can also DISPLAY THE TRIBE CARD in our Tableau. To do that, we need to pay the indicated cost, and put those resources to the general supply.
Our tableau has a maximum grid of 3 Rows and 4 Columns. We need to place the Tribe Cards in ANY ROW but FROM LEFT TO RIGHT.
NOTE: There is a bonus point for having four of a kind in a row or all 4 different Tribes in a row.
If we do display the card, we will get VP as indicated by the icons on the bottom right corner of the card.
The card may also give us ADVANTAGE. There are 3 possible type of advantage.
One. Permanent Advantage.ย It can be activated in the subsequent turns or rounds as long as we meet the requirements.
Two. One Time Advantage.ย We need to resolve this immediately after we displayed that particular card.
Three End Game Advantage. Usually this will give us additional VP at the end of the game if we meet the requirement as stated on the card.
We can also PUT TRIBE CARD IN OUR HAND but only if we don’t have any yet. There is a hard limit of just 1 card in hand and we cannot discard the existing one without using the NOBLE ACTION.
That means, we have to activate the NOBLE action first to empty our hand. Then, we can activate the action that let us take that Tribe Card.
We also need to use the NOBLE ACTION if we want to display the card from our hand and pay the cost as well.
NOTE: There is a Tribe Card that allows us to display the card from our hand without using the NOBLE ACTION.
Preparing for the Next Round
After both players have completed their actions and taken back their Figures and Markers, we are ready to prepare for the next round.
During this phase, players need to return the excess of their resources either Goods or Golds.
Then, we need to flip the face down Goods and Tribe cards in the center area of the grid so they will face up now.
After that, the STARTING PLAYER TOKEN is passed to the next player so that player will be the starting one in the next round.
Now, we are ready to begin the next round with the ADVANCING THE ROBBER 1 BORDER CARD.
End Game Phase
As mentioned before, there are two ways to trigger the end game in Targi. Either the Robber reach the 4th RAID CARD or one player displayed their 12th card.
If it is by the Robber, players will have to pay the demands, either with 1 Gold or 3 VP and put them to the general supply.
NOTE: There is a Tribe card that allows player to avoid the RAID.
If any player cannot afford the demand, their opponent will get 3 VP. So, if both players cannot afford, basically nothing happen.
If it is triggered by the player, that means it happens during the 5th phase when the player activate their actions. In that case, players should finish the round so that both players will have equal number of turns.
Then, the game ends immediately. We don’t need to proceed with PREPARING FOR THE NEXT ROUND phase.
It’s time for the SCORING phase.
Scoring
In Targi, players can earn points from several categories.
One. Points from the VP TOKENS that they still have at the end of the game. We can either earn this from displaying certain Tribe Cards or trade Goods or Golds to VP Token via Silversmith.
Two. Points from the DISPLAYED TRIBE CARDS. We can see the icons at the bottom right corner of each card. Each icon represent 1 VP.
Three. Points from END GAME ADVANTAGE. Some of the displayed Tribe Cards will give extra points if we meet the requirements.
Four. Points from COMPLETED ROW of the player’s display area. Each row needs to have 4 cards to be considered as completed. However we get the bonus points only if the following are met.
For a row that has the same type of Tribes for all 4 cards, player will gain 4 VP. Alternatively, players can earn only 2 VP if all cards have the different type of Tribes in a single row.
From those 4 categories, the player with the most points wins.
In case of a tie, the first tie breaker is whoever has the most Golds. Then, the second tie breaker is the player with the most Goods. If it is still a tie, both players share the win.
That is it with how to play the base game of Targi for the official two player mode.
Official Solo Variant
This variant is from the designer himself. It doesn’t included in the base game or even considered as an expansion but they posted on the forum.
We can find the digital file of the rule on this page.
It was released after they released the main expansion. So, the rule includes a way to use only the base game or with the expansion as well.
The only additional thing that we need to use this variant is a D12 dice.
How to Play the Solo Variant
Basically, we will be competing against an AI named Andy. I guess that comes from the designer’s name.
Andy himself doesn’t build their tableau or display Tribe Cards. He is mostly just occupy spaces just like a human player by placing Figures and Markers. So, we need to use those tokens set for another player.
We simply roll the D12 to let us know where to put Andy’s Figure. The 12 number represent each of the 12 Border Cards as shown by the previous picture.
If the card was taken, we simply place Andy’s figure on the next available Border Cards. This still follows the original Targi Placement Rules.
Both player and Andy cannot place their Figure on the same card as the opponent or the opposite side of that card. Just like the regular rule.
The same goes with the Markers. it is possible that Andy may not get any intersection at all.
Both of us can be the starting player of the game and each round just like the regular rule. When Andy activate his actions, he simply just discard that specific central cards and replace it with card from the other type.
Because of that, Andy will never trigger the end of the game. But player can still do it or just wait until the Robber reach the 4th Raid.
However, there is a minor change. If we are the one to trigger the end game by displaying our 12th cards, we can get extra 1 VP for each remaining rounds left.
That is the basic idea of how this solo variant works. The designer also offer ways to increase the difficulty by giving a set of objectives that we need to fulfill in order to win the game.
Additional Objectives
As we can see from the previous picture, there are 4 objectives that we need to fulfill and 1 set of obstacles to increase the difficulty.
The rule actually says that the first objective or the minimum score should be the basic rule for the solo variant. We roll the D12, and we can find the minimum score we should get between 30 to 40.
Then, if we think that is still too easy, we can try adding one or more of these objectives. However, if we fail to complete all of them, we lose.
Just like the minimum score, we simply roll the D12 to determine the objective of each category. There are 3 categories: RESOURCES, ROBBER / DISPLAY CARDS and DISPLAY ROWS.
OBJECTIVE RESOURCES means we need to have that specific type of resources at the end of the game to win. So, if we roll and get 1, that means we need to have 2 Dates tokens at the end to win.
If we roll 2, we need to have 1 Water and 1 Goods of any type. This and all of the even number are if we use the expansion. Without the expansion, the rule suggests to take the next lower number.
OBJECTIVE ROBBER / DISPLAY CARDS are based on the position of the Robber or the number of displayed cards. So, depending on the roll, we need to fulfill just one of the 2.
I guess it doesn’t really matter if we choose to trigger the end game ourselves with 12 displayed cards. However, one roll may ask us to have 12 cards at most when the Robber reach card number 14 or the TRIBAL EXPANSION card.
OBJECTIVE ROWS is based on our display area. The objective can either ask us to have a row or more with just 1 type of Tribe or all different.
This can actually end the game rather early. Regarding the last 2 objectives, it seems that the picture can be interpreted as we need to have just 1 type of Tribe for 2 or more Rows. That is not the case. We just need to have two row and each row may have different type of Tribes.
The rule also suggests a variant for this. Instead of rolling a D12 for each category, we simply just choose the lowest one. If we succeed, we can choose the next higher number for our next game.
Additional Obstacles
Just like the objective, we can roll a D12 to determine which of these obstacles that we need to implement to our game. They basically make the game more difficult.
For example, we may need to start the game without any Goods but only with VP tokens. Another number will tell us to pay the RAID twice.
I think on their own, one obstacle is not a big deal. Some may not even happen at all
But if we do take several objectives, the obstacles can really get in the way.
Half of these obstacles are for if we use the expansion. If we roll any even numbers, the rule suggests to take the next lower number obstacle.
The objectives and obstacles are interesting ideas. However, we really need to print out the file or look the digital file to know which of them that we are going to take.
This solo mode definitely lose the player interaction aspect from the regular 2P rule. We will not know where the AI is going next. They are all random.
We cannot predict because the AI itself has no tableau or display area. I can see how these objectives might be necessary for some to have any challenge.
That is it with the solo variant for Targi.
My Experience and Thoughts
What I’m about to say in this section is solely based on just the core game of Targi. I haven’t tried the Expansion and I think the designer actually tried to solve some issues that I have with the game.
Targi is also one of few games that I had the experience playing with someone who only played Monopoly and no other modern designer tabletop games. Based on that, I can see that the game is very easy to teach.
However, it seems that FATA MORGANA action is the easy choice to go for new players as part of their strategy. I agree that it gives some flexibility, but I really don’t think it is that the action is too powerful.
The designer said that the highest score we can get is slightly over 50 points. I’m not really sure how they can achieve that as I can barely score like 40 points. Maybe the digital implementation have better randomizer or so?
Ever since I wrote this article, I realized that the best way to earn point is actually from the Silversmith. From a couple of session, I can still beat the opponent even if I didn’t trigger the end game and only had like 6 or so Tribe Cards.
Again, I can only get like 40 points, so clearly not as those who can get like almost 50. But it is still enough to win the game. Even the objective in solo mode only require like 40 points at most.
Also, again, it seems that the designer tried to fix it with the alternative border cards or expansion. If that is not over powered, there is no reason for the designer to tweak that aspect.
From what I understand, it’s not that we cannot get better score by building the tableau or Tribe Cards. But to get the most points from them, we also need to meet additional requirements, at least from the bonus row.
There are a lot of things how we can fail from achieving that. We may not find the right Tribe cards. Those cards can even get buried at the bottom of the deck.
We may complete a row but some cards give rather low points and only get a bonus when we completed the row. Sometimes we need to change our plan and make our third row to score with all different Tribes.
Even for that we don’t really have a lot of control. Some Tribe cards can give a lot of advantages but only if we display it at the right time.
Sure, we get to keep the card in hand. However, we still need to use the NOBLE action in order to display the card or even discard it. That discarding rule is making it harder to even consider keeping the card in hand.
Yes, I admit that there is a change for that with the expansion.
Another issue with the Tribe card for me is that sometimes I keep forgetting that I had that advantages. I wish even the cards from the base game can tell me at least a sign to know the type of advantage we get from each card like one time, permanent or end game.
It feels like all cards are the same mostly because of the desert background. We have to keep reading them one by one.
As I said earlier, we might want to avoid keeping card in hand. However, another issue with pursuing the tableau building strategy is that we need to have the resources ready.
Because of that, we first need to gather resources first. But then, sometimes, the Tribe Cards that we need come out at the wrong time.
If that happens, we have to choose between pursuing the resources or that Tribe cards. Some may argue that those situation is what makes the game interesting because we have to make tough choice.
However, with the rule as it is, I may as well just go for the Goods and then later trade them via Silversmith. It is easier to get those points from this route.
If we choose the Tribe cards and we don’t have the goods, we still have to gather the goods, keep the card and visit the Noble. With the Silversmith strategy, there is a chance that another card will come out again.
With all of that in mind, whether we want to get points from Silversmith or displaying Tribe Cards, we still need to gather resources. It is a bottleneck and I think it makes the game have less replay value from the strategy level.
Also, if the designer want to change anything, it should be that CARAVAN CARD, because I always go there first. I believe the designer also did changed it with the main expansion.
By having enough resources, we have some flexibility to pursue different tactics. I think that is the reason some people may find it very repetitive.
Moreover, from my experience, I think I managed to use this resources strategy rather inefficiently. Like I forgot that I already had more than 10 and no action to spend them.
So, there is another limit. Even after wasting a few Goods tokens, I still get higher score than the player who trigger the end game.
I admit that the way we activate all of 5 actions is probably one of the most interesting part of the game. If we get to access those actions correctly, there is no way we have too many goods.
The question is, can we access them? Can we get away from the blocking mechanism by our opponent placing their Figure on either the card that we need or the opposite of that card first?
This interaction should be the main thing of the game. Some even refers the experience as a wresting match that I tend to agree.
The triangulation thing is a brilliant idea that actually can change where we want to place our figures. But in practice, I kind of feel like getting the central cards are nothing but just a bonus.
The first thing that we need to target is still the Border cards because they are the ones that actually gives us some actions. Sure, we can get Tribe Cards but, as I said earlier, there are a lot of hurdles to get points from them.
The central area can also give us 2 Goods or 1 Gold which is very rare and important to do other things in this game. But as I said earlier as well, if we play safely, we can have too many Goods.
Because of that, placing the first Targi Figure is actually the most interesting and important one. The third however, it feels like I really don’t care that much.
Another thing regarding this wresting match competing for cards from the grid is that we will be busy planning the next 5 actions we can do. We can play a bit aggressively to deny access to certain cards from our opponent.
But it really isn’t going to help ourselves a lot to get better score. There is a chance where we just occupy the Border cards on the same or parallel side just to block our opponent but we also lose making any intersection.
It’s like the game offers a lot of ways to beat the opponent but at the same time there are a lot of limits. The game is too tight to the point where we should just play the game safely instead of engaging with the opponent.
I think that is the reason people tend to immediately just go with the FATA MORGANA action. Not because the action is too powerful but engage in competition with the opponent is not really worth the trouble.
The tension and mind reading that we need to do each round can be exhausting without giving really satisfying result. In fact, when we fail to do so and the opponent choose the other way, it kind of heart breaking.
Another reason why it can feel repetitive and makes the game longer than it should. For me, I don’t mind the longer time but because I play it safely, I was expecting something different would have happened.
I feel like it forces us to pay more attention to our opponent most of the time compared to our own progress or tableau. It is a highly interactive game but it is not really the experience that I will enjoy too many times. It’s not that the game is bad, but really just different taste.
I guess that is the reason why I enjoy the solo variant more. Mostly because I no longer need to think about my opponent. The opponent will just do random stuff and I only need to deal with those randomness afterwards.
Sure, the solo variant loses the charm of potential interaction. The objectives are necessary but not really the kind I was looking for.
Alternatively, I will say that I also enjoy Targi just playing the 2P mode game casually. Or, maybe I should try any of the expansion.
Some Ideas
Again, I haven’t tried the expansion at this point but I already take a look some of the ideas that the designer got. I’m not any designer, so this is just me exercising my thoughts for the game.
In my opinion if we need to fix anything about the game, the game should give more incentive for people pursuing the tableau building strategy. So far, I think the designer chose to lower the benefit of the goods conversion strategy.
One idea that the designer has tried was the concept of EXPLORING the discard pile of Tribe Card. I think this will give players a better shot on completing their row.
However, there is no guarantee that anybody would actually discard those cards. Our opponent may choose to just display the card themselves or keep it in their hand.
I think this exploring can also be done to the deck. If we use the idea of RESEARCHING from another game, GIZMOS, we can explore this face down deck.
The way it works is that we draw a number of cards and choose one that we like and return the rest to the bottom of the deck. Gizmos also has the idea of increasing the number of cards that we can draw for this explore action.
In my mind, for Targi, maybe they can implement something similar. For example, for every displayed card, we can increase the number of cards we can draw from that Tribe deck.
At the start of the game, we only draw one, which is the basic action because we have no displayed card. But after we display one, we get to draw 2. We can keep increasing this number and eventually we get to draw like 11 cards.
Thematically, it’s like the bigger we expand our Tribe, it’s like we have more power to explore. This will give incentive for player to just keep displaying and keep exploring.
We can also implement that increasing power to the deck of GOODS CARD. So, if we have displayed 6 Tribe cards, the next time we use CARAVAN ACTION, we can draw 1+6 cards and choose just one of them.
This way, player will less likely to just pursue the Silversmith strategy. Player who expand their Tribe will be more powerful and can even get an engine building feeling.
Another idea that I can think of is to RANDOMIZE where the Robber will go. For that, we can just roll the D12, just like in solo variant and the Robber can always access all 12 cards because the robber goes first.
However, we do need another way to keep track on when to trigger the RAID. The solution that I can think of is to just flip 1 Border Card and every 3 card we flip, then we have to resolve the Raid.
It is possible that the Robber can always visit the same Border card. If we want the Robber to always choose a different one, we can also implement the idea from the AI that the Robber will always go with the next Border Card.
I don’t know if we even need this. But, I think if the turn order is always the same, maybe if the Robber movement is a bit random, it can make the game more interesting.
Again, all of these are just idea from me, who knows nothing about game design. I don’t know if it will every work or whether it will be balance.
Anybody can come up with an idea but only those who can execute the idea into a real game is what matters. Hopefully, if anybody reads this, they can make it work.
Expansions
For almost 10 years since Targi was first released in German, the designer has published two mini expansions, the solo variant and one major expansion.
Maybe there will be a release for celebrating the 10th year anniversary. I will update this section if there are any news.
Here are some of the official expansions that have been registered on BGG.
The Action Tokens (2015)
At the end of 2015, FrostedGames.de run an Advent Calendar event where they collaborate with about 24 game publishers to release a mini expansion for one of their game. Targi from KOSMOS was one of the game and publisher which released the Action Tokens for Targi on day 12 of the event.
Here is the link for digital file of the rulebook to use those tokens.
In this expansion, we get 8 round cardboard tokens with 4 different types of icon. They are 2 JOKER GOODS TOKENS, 2 TARGI FIGURE TOKENS, 2 TRIBE MARKER TOKENS and 2 WAIVER TOKENS.
For the Targi Figure and Tribe Marker Token, the two tokens have one white color and one for blue color. So, each player will get 1 of each type.
Players will have to secretly choose only three of them and return the unchosen one to the box. These are one time use only and players will discard them right after the use.
JOKER GOODS TOKEN will be an extra Goods in the player’s possession that can be spent to replace any type of Goods required by the action.
The TARGI TOKEN allows player to take any leftover Border Cards after both players have placed all of their 3 figures. This include the opposite side of Border Cards occupied by the opponent.
If both players choose to spend this token on the same round, the first player of the round goes first.
The TRIBE MARKER TOKEN can be placed on free cards on the Center area but only if that card is the result of intersection between the Robber and one of the player’s figure. This should be done after all players have placed their wooden tokens.
Starts with the first player of the round, followed by the second if both choose to spend it in the same round. The rule also says that these tokens cannot be moved by Fata Morgana action.
Also, other players cannot override these tokens by moving their wooden markers using the Fata Morgana action. I guess this is a bit tricky to take advantage of.
The last is the WAIVER TOKEN which is a twist. This allows players to ignore the advantage from any displayed Tribe Cards in exchange of getting 2 VP.
We will place this token on that card that we don’t want to use the advantage from. There is an extra rule where we can only place this token before we display our 10th card.
So, this is also a bit tricky to use as we need to figure out very specific timing to spend it.
As far as I know, the designer actually released the digital file of the image on BGG so players can try to print themselves to play with. Here is the link to that file.
Targi: The Expansion (2016)
This is the only major expansion so far for Targi. The original art of the box shows the Targia or Tuareg women.
So far I cannot find the official English translation file of the rulebook for this expansion. Here is one from BGG which was translated by fan. The German version can be found on the official webpage for this expansion here.
There are a couple of new mechanisms that can be added to the base game. The designer said that anybody can mix and match even Border cards between the base game and the expansion.
The first new element is the WATER as another resources. They are like the joker or wild resources that with 2 of them can replace any of 1 Goods.
The expansion includes 15 WATER TOKENS with three different values. There are 10 tokens that has a value of 1 Water, 3 tokens for 3 Water and 2 tokens worth of 5 Water.
Players can only have 10 Water at a time, which is not considered as the Goods and its limit. At the end of the game every 2 Water is worth 1 VP.
In the game, we can gain these Water like any goods. One of them is from the new 5 GOOD CARDSย that we have to mix them with Goods Cards from the base game. All of these 5 will give us either just Water or between VP and Gold.
We can also gain them from some of the 10 NEW BORDER CARDS that can be used by replacing Border cards from the base game with the same position. The remaining 6 Border cards are those that shows the Goods and we need to include those from the base game.
All of the ACTION BORDER CARDS are slightly altered, including the 4 RAID CARDS. If the Robber will now demand a specific type of Goods during each raid. The last raid even can force player to lose one of their Tribe cards.
The New NOBLE ACTION allows us to gain 1 Water and 1 Goods if we discard the card from our hand. With the NEW TRADER ACTION, we can also trade 2 Water for 1 Gold and 1 Water for 1 Goods in addition to the original actions.
The NEW FATA MORGANA is considered as a weaker one compared to the base game. We can only move The Tribe Markers to an adjacent central cards, that includes diagonally.
Caravan action has been replaced by just WATER action. So, with this card, we will not access the deck of Goods Cards but only get 1 Water. That deck will only occupy the central area.
The new TRIBAL EXPANSION still works the same as the original with additional action. If we discard the card from the deck, we can pay 1 Water to draw a new Tribe card again and this can be done multiple times.
The next new element from the expansion is the TARGIA FIGURE. This works similar to the Robber where each round it will advance 1 Border card but in counter clockwise.
However, Targia will not block that Border card. Instead if we place our figure on the same card, we can still use the action and gain 1 Goods of our choice.
Alternatively, we can also choose to pay 1 Goods, and draw the top card from the Goods cards deck. I guess the idea is hopefully to get 2 Goods, Gold or even 1 VP.
The last new module from the expansion is the 20 SAND DUNE CARDS. If we use this, each round we will draw 3 cards from this deck. Those cards will be 3 additional cards that players can put their Figure on.
Players can then activate the action from these Dune Cards and discard the card. By doing so, players will have less number of intersection on the central area.
However, the action we can get is very powerful and unique. For example, one of the card allows us to use the action from any Border cards regardless of the border card being free or occupied.
During each RAID event, we will have to draw 3 new Sand Dune cards, replacing the remaining revealed cards.
Aside from the new element, we will also get more content for the original ones. like more Goods, Gold and VP tokens. We will also get 45 NEW TRIBE CARDS which introduced new elements as well.
Some of the new Tribe Cards can give additional points if we choose to pay extra cost. Otherwise we can just pay the base cost and get the base points.
Some of them also have advantage that can be activate anytime during the game. They will have a triangle icon on which we will place an ACTION TOKEN and only remove it after we activate the advantage.
All of these come in the same size box as the base game of Targi for about the same price. This next video from BoardGameGeek channel is the interview with the publisher regarding this expansion.
Alternative Border Cards (2020)
This is also a mini expansion that the designer shared for free during the lockdown time of Covid 19. We can find the digital file for these cards via this link.
The file itself has two sets of 6 alternative Border Cards each to replace the 6 main Action Border Cards from the base game. I think the Caravan and Trader card from the first set is similar to the base game version.
The other cards are slightly modified and the second set will a completely different set of cards. There is even an added mechanism for the second set that involves using new tokens, which is also included in the file.
I think technically we can mix and match even with cards from the base game. But I’m not sure about the balance. I recommend just use cards from the same set.
The designer has expressed that the chances of this version to be printed officially is very low but not impossible.
1st Set
As mentioned before, from the 6 Border cards with unique action from the base game, the new set doesn’t change the Caravan and Trader card. The rests are slightly different.
NOBLE ACTION from this set still allows us to do the same two things. Either discard or display the card in hand. The difference is that if we choose to display, we only need to pay 1 less required goods.
If we choose to discard the card, we are allowed to draw the top card of Good Cards and gain the benefit. With this new version, the NOBLE ACTION might have an actual use other than just last resort.
SILVERSMITH action from the new set only allow us to trade less number of sets into VP. For 3 goods we can get 2 VP and for 1 goods and 1 Gold we can get 3 VP.
With the new card, we no longer need to trade Goods of the same type.
So, the rate is lower from the original card from 0.75 VP per goods down to 0.6 VP per goods. With this card, we also cannot just trade Gold. We also need to include 1 goods.
But that rate for Gold and 1 Good means the rate for goods can be like 1 VP per goods if we consider the Gold as 2 VP per gold. The problem is that we can no longer hold 2 Golds and trade them in the same round.
FATA MORGANA action is different wit this set. Instead of moving Marker to a different Center Card, we can only move it to an unoccupied Border card.
The card says that we can move it on the opposite card from the opponent’s figure. This still doesn’t allow us to move Marker if there is no intersection.
I assume we also cannot move Marker to where the Robber is. It also doesn’t change when we have that Tribe cards that allows us to place marker on where the Robber is.
Based on that, there will be about 5 unoccupied Border cards where we can move the Marker to. Most of the time, we just get a Goods, but the Action cards are situational to be useful.
It seems that players will tend to place their Figure here as the last placement. Otherwise, they really don’t know how which the empty cards are.
TRIBAL EXPANSION action gets an additional way to resolve the action. Aside from just drawing the top card from the draw pile, we are allowed to search through the specific card from the discard pile.
However, in order to trigger this action, we need to pay 1 Goods of our choice. We still need to pay the cost if we choose to display the card or just take it to our hand.
TRADER action also has the same action with minor change. We no longer need to trade the same type of Goods.
2nd Set
The second set introduced a new mechanism with the use of new round tokens. These are called the CHANGE MARKERS. They allow us to change the Tribe icon from the displayed cards.
Each of the tokens will have all of the Tribe icons at the back and just a single icon of all Tribe at the front. We will be using 10 tokens with 2 identical tokens for each Tribe.
They are also considered as limited resource. In the game, we can get them by placing Figure on the new Caravan card. Instead of drawing a Goods card, we can take any of these markers.
After that, we can immediately use them or keep them in our supply. However, if we want to use them later, we need to use the Noble action.
The Markers are also multi use. We can then exchange them for Golds or VP via Trader or Silversmith. However, once exchanged, they are out of the game. I guess, it can be mean way to the other player.
As far as I know, there is no limit of how many of these tokens we can keep in our supply at a time.
So, because of this new mechanism, the new set of Border cards have additional actions related to it. Here are the new actions we can get from this set.
NOBLE action now allows us to place those Markers on the displayed card. The second action is similar to the first set where we are allowed to display a card from our hand by paying 1 less of the required goods.
We can still discard the card in our hand like the original but with additional benefit. If we also pay 1 Goods of our choice for discarding that card, we will also get 1 VP.
If we consider it as 1 Goods for 1 VP only, I guess, it gives a very good rate then. It’s like the designer encourages us to keep something in our hand.
TRADER action will allow us to do the same 2 actions from the original. We can still get Gold for 3 Goods or exchange 2 goods to get a new one.
With this new card, we no longer need to trade Goods of the same type.
As mentioned above, the new action allows us to also trade 1 CHANGE MARKER into 1 Gold. Like the original, we can use the actions multiple times on the same turn.
FATA MORGANA action also still has the same action as the original to move Tribe Marker to an unoccupied central card. It has another use now.
If we pay 2 Goods of our choice, we can move BOTH of the Tribe Markers. I assume we still only have 2 actions from the Central cards.
If I understand correctly, this doesn’t change the fact that as the second player, we can only hope that the first one didn’t take or discard the card that we want. It might be powerful for the first player but not so much for the second.
I also think 2 Goods is a bit too expensive in general. Clearly there will be certain specific situation where it will be good like during the last turn of the game.
SILVERSMITH has a big change from this set. We can now activate the action twice to get VP with 4 different set of resources.
With the new card, we no longer need to trade Goods of the same type.
For 2 Goods, we can get 1 VP or 1 Gold for 2 VP, just like the original. Now, we can also include the CHANGE MARKER with either Goods or Gold to get more VP from the trade.
With 1 Change Marker + 1 Goods, we can get 2 VP. It’s like the Marker itself worth 1.5 VP.
With 1 Change Marker + 1 Gold, we can get 3 VP. For this, the Marker is worth just 1 VP.
Compared to the original, we can no longer get 3 VP from 4 Goods. The Markers give a good rate, but they are limited to just 10 for both players.
CARAVAN action still allows us to draw the top Goods card from the deck. There is a second action that allows us to take any of the CHANGE MARKER.
TRIBAL EXPANSION action also still allows us to do the same as in the original. We can draw a card from the deck to either display by paying the cost or keep in our hand. Like the original, we can still choose to discard that card.
However, the new card has an icon of the ROBBER. This indicates that instead of drawing the card, we can also activate the action where the Robber is at.
That means, if the Robber is in the way, we can still access the card by using the Tribal Expansion action.
While the designer has a lot of interesting idea with both of sets, I’m not sure about whether the new ones are better.
Session Reports and Pictures
Usually, I share a session report of playing a game on BGG. Here are the links of each session for this game.
I also put turn-by-turn pictures of a session and unboxing pictures for every game on my collection that anybody can find on my Instagram. For this game, search for #TargiAtHomeOfMark on IG for all of the sessions.
Also, check out my blog on BGG. I occasionally write a detailed session report / written playthrough for a game that I’ve played. In each, I will explain the decision process during the game every turn.
September 2024 session and more pictures of that session on TikTok and on Instagram. 2-handed session. Got a lot of errors of placing the meeple on opposite side of where the other player just placed. The winner got perfect score of 44 after 3 errors while the other only got 32 with the real score was closer to 38 and 36.
June 2024 session and more pictures of that session on Instagram and on TikTok. Solo session with some errors that invalidated the win like placing the pawn across the opponent’s
November 2023 session and more pictures of that session on IG. This was a Full Session Report, solo play using the PnP rule.
January 2023 session and more pictures of that session on IG.
Summary
Targi is a 2 player only game which got nomination for the Kennerspiel des Jahres in 2012. The main mechanism of the game is Worker Placement where each round, players will take turns deploying 3 of their Figures one by one.
We can only place them on the Border Cards of this grid of 5 x 5 cards but not the corner cards. What makes this game unique is that the player can also access the Central Area of the grid from the intersection that can happen between two of their Figures.
That means, if we place the figure in the right way, we can get up to 2 additional actions.
Like the standard worker placement game, choosing a card to place our Figure also means blocking the opponent to access that same spot. What makes Targi more interesting is that we also prevent the opponent from accessing the card on the opposite side of the grid.
Because of those additional twists, each round, players can engage in a very tense player interaction. We need to find out not only where to place our workers and how likely the opponent will take the others.
Another obstacle of placing our Figure is the existence of the Robber. We can still place the figure on the opposite side but not on the same one as where the Robber is.
Every 3 rounds, there will be RAID event that we need to pay the Robber’s demands or lose some VP tokens.
The goal of the game is to get more points either from displaying Tribe cards in our own tableau or by getting Silver or VP tokens. Either way, we need to have a set of Goods and/or Gold to pay the cost of those actions.
Somehow that kind of the only strategy we need to pursue and makes the game rather have low replay value. Once we have enough resources, we will get more options to different tactics.
There is a limit to the amount of resources that we can have each round. It is not a hard limit but every round, we really need to plan ahead all 5 actions so the goods will not go to waste.
That is probably the most interesting part of the game. As an example, with the first 3 actions we will try gain a lot of Goods and the other 2 is to spend them. We can get a lot of combination with those up to 5 actions.
Each Tribe card can also give us advantage, a power that can be either one time only, permanent or gives additional VP at the end. We will be displaying these Tribe Cards in our tableau of 3 rows and 4 columns.
If we can have a completed row with either all of the same tribes or all different tribes, we can get additional points.
The game will end after one player have displayed 12 cards or if the Robber have reached the 4th Raid event. Whoever has the most points wins.
Targi may sound complex but it is actually very easy to teach. Like a lot of 2 player only game, the excitement mostly come from our opponent. It can be very casual or a bit heavier, depending on the player’s experience.
The designer has shared a lot of variants for free including the solo mode and alternative border cards. If we use the expansion, the complexity may increase offering the same way to play but totally different experience.
More Similar Games
Here are some games that I have played so far that in my opinion share some similarities with Targi.
Player Interaction
The first thing that makes Targi interesting is the 2 player only element. Games that were designed for this specific player count usually can offer better PLAYER INTERACTION and scaling compared to other multiplayer games that are compatible for 2 players.
In Targi, we need to pay attention to our opponent. Each round we need to know how likely they choose certain worker spot and how the blocking may affect our plan.
If we are looking for 2 player only game, I have played Jaipur, Mandala, Seastead and Circle the Wagons. All four of them have different main gameplay mechanism to Targi.
Jaipur and Circle the Wagons are definitely smaller in size with shorter playtime. Mandala probably comes with similar size but still shorter in play time.
The player interaction in Jaipur comes from the timing of when we should take cards from the common area and when to trade them into points. There is also a way to block or force the opponent to take cards that they may not need using the Camel cards.
Mandala also have similar things but with Area Control element. We need to know when to manipulate the market and when to increase our control of the 2 Mandala. If we don’t pay attention to our opponent, they can suddenly just close the market have they have better control over it.
Circle the Wagons is a bit different with the Time Track element. In this game, we can skip over some cards that we may not need and aim for the right one. However, at the same time, we are giving our opponent those skipped cards.
Because of that, we need to know how likely the opponent will get benefit from those cards that we may not need. Each turn, we have to consider several options available like in Targi when we take turns placing those Figures.
I think Seastead doesn’t have that intense interaction. However, the game has another form of player interaction where one player can take advantage of the action of the opponent.
Targi offers this player interaction element in the form of WORKER PLACEMENT mechanism. It is a standard worker placement where each spot can be occupied by just one Worker or Figure and that will block the opponent.
If that is the experience we are looking for, other worker placement games that I have tried are Mint Works and Architects of the West Kingdom. To some degree, Oh My Goods! is also another worker placement game.
Mint Works also uses this standard worker placement but the size is smaller, which can be considered as micro game. In this game, the Worker is also a resource that we need to manage.
Architects of the West Kingdom is definitely bigger in size compared to Targi as this supports up to 5 players with the base game. The main Worker Placement element is a bit different though but it also has that standard one with the Black Market.
In this game, our worker will not block the opponent for taking the same spot. We actually can even place multiple workers and gain bigger benefit. The problem is that our opponent can capture our workers and make us less efficient.
Focusing on a single spot makes us an easy target. We have to diversify and spread the workers over multiple spots.
Oh My Goods! is a bit different as worker placement. In this game, we can only send worker to our own space and there is no player interaction. It is more of a resource management game using that mechanism based on the situation of the communal market.
Resource Management
The next interesting element of Targi is probably the RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. We can only have limited amount of resources at a time and we need to figure out when to get them, spend them or convert them into points.
Even gathering resources in Targi feels like a challenge because of the blocking nature.
The limited aspect in Targi comes not only from Goods but also hand of card. We cannot just focus on getting them but also spending them so they won’t get stuck.
When we do spend those resources, we can either score points or get a long term benefit that can help us being more productive. This can lead to just one time additional action or COMBO or it can offer multiple bonus, almost like an engine building aspect.
In Targi We also need to manage several types of resources each with different uses. Sometimes we need to focus on just certain types but be prepared to shift to other types.
With all of that, the game of Targi feels very tight. Almost every Euro games will have resource management aspect in some way. But not all of them can give the similar experience.
Other games that have this experience that I have mentioned is Architects of the West Kingdom. The resources doesn’t feel limited but we need to manage several types and only certain types worth points.
Games that I have not mentioned are Cafรฉ, Finished!,ย Fleet, Imperial Settlers, Peloponnes Card Game, Quests of Valeria, Tybor the Builderย and Villages of Valeria.
Spatial Tableau Building
There is also a minor spatial aspect in the TABLEAU BUILDING part of Targi. This is basically a set collection game where either get all 4 of a kind in a row or all different kind.
Because of that, sometimes we need to aim for certain cards and ignore the others. We also may need to sacrifice a good card just because it doesn’t work well with the rest of our tableau.
We can still watch our tableau grow with more cards and that might be an interesting element for some. Almost every game that I have mentioned that have resource management can also have this aspect.
For games where the spatial placement matters, I have played Ankh’or, Cafรฉ Circle the Wagons and Walking in Burano. In roll and write genre, The Castles of Burgundy: The Dice Game has also this element.
I will keep updating my website with more games. Find out the latest update from this Complete List. If we are just looking for portable games that we can play anywhere, there are more games on that list.
Final Words
That is all I can share with you about Targi, a card game. At this point, this is probably the oldest game that I have written a review about.
I probably have missed something that I should have discussed regarding the game. Please don’t hesitate to point that out and share what you know related to this game and I will update this article.
I keep saying that these tabletop games can be a good way to spend some time without looking at the screen of our gadget.ย If we do have someone close, that we can play with, there are other games where we can play cooperatively or competitively but with a lot of player interaction.
The game can be very fast or like a filler type or it can take hours to play. Some games can also be played in solitaire mode and they are still more engaging than other entertainment activity.
So, what is your experience on playing this game? If you know other games similar or even better than this, please do share via the comment section below. I would love to learn and play that game, assuming I can get a copy.
This article is just my notes about what I can find from the internet. Hopefully this can help anybody who reads it.
Thanks for reading.
Mark M.