Karawane is a bluffing and bidding game published by Ravensburger in 1990. Players lead camel caravans racing across the desert from trading post to trading post, collecting silk to present to Kublai Khan. The core mechanic involves simultaneously choosing how many water gourds to spend on movement, with movement speed determined by relative bids. Players must balance speed against water conservation to survive the journey.
Components
Game board (desert route with trading posts)
Camel caravan pieces (1 per player)
Water gourd tokens
Silk tokens
Trading post cards
Setup
Place the game board in the center.
Each player takes a camel caravan piece and places it at the starting position.
Distribute starting water gourds equally to each player.
Set up silk and trading post elements as specified.
Turn Structure
Each round:
Secret Bid: All players simultaneously and secretly palm a number of water gourds in their hand.
Reveal: All players reveal their bids simultaneously.
Movement: Players move their caravans forward based on the relative ranking of their bids.
Trading: Players at trading posts may collect silk or trade.
Actions
Movement Bidding
Each player secretly chooses a number of gourds (including zero) to bid.
All bids are revealed simultaneously.
The player with the highest bid moves forward a number of spaces equal to the number of players.
The next highest moves one fewer space, and so on.
The minimum movement is 1 space.
Tied bids: Players who choose the same number of gourds move the same number of spaces.
Water Management
Spent gourds are consumed – they do not return.
Players can choose to bid zero gourds to conserve water, intentionally moving last (1 space) but saving resources for future rounds.
Running out of water can strand your caravan in the desert.
Trading at Posts
When arriving at a trading post, players may collect silk or interact with the post’s effects.
Silk is the primary commodity needed for victory.
Scoring / Victory Conditions
The goal is to win Kublai Khan’s camel race by arriving at the destination with the most silk. The player who best balances movement speed (gourd spending) with silk collection wins the game.
Special Rules & Edge Cases
Choosing zero gourds is a valid strategy to save water, but other players may do the same, diluting the advantage.
The simultaneous reveal creates a “Hols der Geier” style double-think dynamic – predicting opponents’ bids is crucial.
If multiple players bid the same amount, they all receive the same movement, making ties strategically significant.
Water is finite – overspending early can leave a player stranded later.
The number of players affects how many spaces the top bidder can move (always equal to player count).