Overview

Marrakesh is a complex euro game by Stefan Feld, the fourth entry in Queen Games’ City Collection. Players compete to earn the most victory points by managing resources, placing assistants on market sectors, and executing actions driven by a cube tower mechanic. The game combines dice/cylinder selection, set collection, area majorities, and resource management.

Components

• 1 main game board (Marrakesh market with colored sectors)
• 1 cube tower
• Player boards
• Colored cylinders (multiple colors per player)
• Assistant meeples
• Resource tokens
• Victory point track
• Various tiles and cards
• Score pad

Setup

1. Place the main board centrally with the cube tower assembled.
2. Each player takes a player board, cylinders, and assistant meeples.
3. Distribute starting resources.
4. Place scoring markers on the VP track.
5. Follow scenario-specific setup for tiles and market layout.

Turn Structure

Each round:

1. Cylinder Selection: Each player secretly selects 3 cylinders from behind their screen.
2. Reveal and Place Assistants: Reveal selections simultaneously. Place assistants in market sectors matching the selected cylinder colors.
3. Tower Drop: Gather all selected cylinders and drop them into the cube tower. Cylinders that emerge at the bottom are drafted.
4. Draft Cylinders: Players draft emerging cylinder sets one at a time, placing them on their player boards.
5. Execute Actions: Use placed cylinders to boost associated action strengths, then perform actions.

Actions

Actions correspond to the colored sectors on the market board:

Sector Color	Action
Red	Trade goods at the market
Blue	Construct buildings
Green	Hire workers / gain resources
Yellow	Influence scoring tracks
Purple	Acquire special abilities

The strength of each action depends on how many matching cylinders a player has accumulated on their board. More cylinders = more powerful actions.

Assistants

Placing assistants in sectors provides area majority bonuses and influences action availability. Having the most assistants in a sector may grant bonus VP at scoring.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Points are earned throughout the game from:

• Completed buildings
• Trade goods delivered
• Area majorities in market sectors
• Special ability bonuses
• End-game scoring for collections, remaining resources, and position on various tracks

The player with the most victory points after the final round wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Cube Tower: Not all dropped cylinders emerge immediately; some are retained inside the tower and may come out in future rounds, creating uncertainty.
• Cylinder colors determine which actions are boosted; strategic selection is essential.
• Player screens hide cylinder selections until simultaneous reveal.
• The game has multiple scoring dimensions that reward diverse strategies.

Player Reference

Phase	Action
1	Secretly select 3 cylinders
2	Reveal; place assistants in matching sectors
3	Drop cylinders into tower
4	Draft emerging cylinders
5	Execute boosted actions