The Game

Bazaar is a barter game. The players use luck and bartering to obtain as many points as possible. Each player obtains colored pebbles through luck and controlled bartering with an administrator. With these pebbles, a player can purchase cards. For each purchase, a player receives some points. The value of a purchase depends on the card and the number of pebbles that are still in the player's possession.

The Cards

Each card displays five colored pebbles. To buy such a card, a player must pay five matching pebbles to the administrator. For example, if a card displays three reds and two blues, a player must pay three red pebbles and two blue ones to obtain the card.

There are three levels of cards: the lowest, plain level; those with one star; and the highest ranked level with two stars.

The Purchase

When a player buys a card, the administrator computes a score: the fewer pebbles a player has and the more stars a card displays, the higher the score. The following table specifies the value of all possible trades:

                   |      Rank of Card
 Remaining Pebbles | Plain       *        **
 --------------------------------------------
    3 or more      |  40        50        60
    2              |  50        60        80
    1              |  60        80       110
    0              |  80       110       150

The Color Die

The game comes with a color die, which displays five colors and a star. If a player chooses to roll the die, the administrator pays out a pebble that matches the color on the die. If the die displays the star, the player may pick a color.

The Barter

The game comes with ten barter cards. Each barter card displays five equations. Each equation specifies how to exchange one collection of pebbles for another.

Playing

• The administrator picks two of the ten barter cards. These cards are used throughout the game.
• Each player is given one random pebble initially.
• On each turn, a player must perform the following actions:
  • roll the die or trade some pebbles
  • optional: buy a card

The End

At the end of an agreed-upon number of rounds, the administrator stops the game. The player with the highest score wins.