Overview
Asara is a card-driven worker-placement and tower-building game set in a magical realm. Players compete as architects building towers from colored sections (bases, trunks, windows, turrets) in 5 different materials. Players dispatch buyer cards to market areas to purchase sections, visit the bank, or build towers. After 4 rounds (years), the player with the most prestige points wins.
Components
- Game board with market areas, bank, and building circle
- 4 player screens
- Buyer cards (multiple colors per player)
- Tower sections: bases, trunks, windows, turrets in 5 colors (brown, green, red, black, white), some with gold decorations
- Asari (currency)
- Prestige point tokens
Setup
- Place the board centrally. Set up tower sections in their respective market areas face up.
- Each player takes a screen and buyer cards of their color.
- Distribute starting Asari to each player.
- Deal starting tower sections per the setup rules.
- Youngest player starts.
Turn Structure
Play proceeds clockwise. Each turn:
- Dispatch buyer (place 1 buyer card face up on an empty space in a market area).
- Execute move (buy a tower section, get money, build a tower, etc., based on where the buyer was placed).
Actions
Dispatching Buyers:
- If no other buyers in the area: place any color buyer card.
- If buyers already present: must follow suit (match the color already there).
- Cannot follow suit: place any 2 cards face down on 1 space instead.
Possible Moves:
| Area |
Move |
| Base market |
Buy 1 base section, pay its color’s cost |
| Trunk market |
Buy 1 trunk section, pay its color’s cost |
| Window market |
Buy 1 window section, pay its color’s cost |
| Turret market |
Buy 1 turret section, pay its color’s cost |
| Bank |
Collect Asari from the bank |
| Building circle |
Build a tower using collected sections |
Buying Sections: Take 1 face-up section from the market area. Pay the cost in Asari (price depends on color, same for all section types of that color). Gold decorations cost the same but score extra.
Building Towers: Place behind your screen. A tower needs at minimum a base and a turret. Trunks and windows are optional middle sections. All sections in one tower must be the same color.
Scoring / Victory Conditions
After 4 rounds, score:
- Points for each completed tower based on height (more sections = more points)
- Bonus for towers with gold-decorated sections
- Bonus for having the tallest tower
- Bonus for the most towers
- Bonus for towers in the most different colors
Highest prestige total wins.
Special Rules & Edge Cases
- Tower sections of the same color always cost the same amount regardless of section type.
- Gold-decorated sections cost the same as plain ones but score bonus prestige.
- Following suit applies to ALL areas (bank, building circle, and all market areas).
- Using 2 cards face down counts as following suit when you cannot match the color.
- Unsold sections are refreshed between rounds.
- The professional variant adds additional strategic elements.
Player Reference
| Color |
All sections same price |
| Brown |
Cheapest |
| Green |
Low |
| Red |
Medium |
| Black |
High |
| White |
Most expensive |
| Tower Requirement |
Minimum |
| Base |
Required (1) |
| Trunk |
Optional (0+) |
| Window |
Optional (0+) |
| Turret |
Required (1, on top) |
| Color |
All same color |