Istanbul: Choose & Write

About the game

What is Istanbul: Choose & Write?

Welcome back to the Istanbul Bazaar! Once again, players take on the role of shrewd merchants whose goal is to gather goods and lira, then trade them for the precious rubies needed to win. In Istanbul: Choose & Write, instead of a common set of locations in the middle of the table, each player has a bazaar in front of them as a game plan, a personal tracking sheet where players will mark their choices as they play. On their turn, players must choose to play either a Location card or a Guild card. Location cards will allow all merchants to perform the action of the specified location, or the action of an adjacent space on their sheet. If a player would rather prevent others from taking this follow action, they can instead play a Guild card, which is expensive but triggers powerful effects. Fans of the Istanbul game series will recognize familiar locations in Istanbul: Choose & Write, such as the Large Market and the Gemstone Dealer. However, thanks to the innovative choose-and-write mechanism, this visit to the bazaar will challenge players in a completely new way. —description from the publisher

How it plays

Mechanics

On the shelf

Categories

Questions players ask

Questions to bring to BoardGameBrain

• How do setup and the first turn work in Istanbul: Choose & Write?
• When does scoring happen and what ends the game?
• How should the table resolve an unusual timing or rules interaction?