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Taj Mahal

2-5 players 45-90 min 7.3 Board Game Geek Rating

In 18th-century India, rival princes compete for dominance as Mogul power declines. Players use colored cards to bid in twelve auction rounds for influence over key figures (Vizier, General, Monk, Princess, Grand Mogul) and regional control. Winning bids allows palace construction and commodity acquisition. Victory goes to whoever accumulates the most influence points through strategic bidding and territorial expansion.

Published 2000

Taj Mahal

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Each player takes a Score marker and Palaces of their color, and is dealt 6 Influence Cards
2
Place the Board with each player's Score Marker on 0
3
Place a supply of Advisor tokens and place the 4 Prestige Cards face-up next to the board
4
Place the Taj Mahal token on the City of Agra and the 12 Province Token in that province
5
Place a random Province Token face-up in each other province
6
Place a random Bonus Token face-up on each Diamond Shaped City
7
Place Influence Card Deck near the board
8
Place the Grand Mogul's Crown on its space
9
Youngest player is first player and takes the First Player Marker
10
Round Preparation (each round):

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Each player must either **Influence the Court** or **Withdraw**
2
Influence the Court:
3
Prestige Card Effects:
4
Withdraw:
End participation and resolve in order:
5
End of Round:
Return 2 matching Advisor tokens to gain that Prestige card; return Grand Mogul's Crown; pass First Player Marker left

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Game ends after the 12th round (when all Province Tiles have been taken)
2
Each player scores 1 additional point for each colourless card in their hand
3
Each player scores 1 additional point for each card in their hand of one color of their choice
4
Player with the highest score wins
5
If tied, the tied player with the most cards in their hand wins

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

PDF RULEBOOK

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