#72: Basari

Strangely theme-less*, Basari is a trading game set in a Middle Eastern marketplace. Players balance the speed with which they circle the board, the number of gems they collect, and the victory points they accumulate in order to win. It's remarkably tight and playable - enough so that it's been republished "as is" in the U.S. and given a loving makeover in Germany as Edel, Stein & Reich. Reinhard Staupe, better known for his children's games, clocks in here with #72.

Jeremy Avery: "Deal-making game that packs a great punch in such a short timeframe."

William Eldard: "I just love this little game. Its rules are very simple, making it a great introductory game. But the bidding is truly challenging. The luck of the die rolls is somewhat offset by the variety of strategies available."

*(Mark: there was a theme suggested to me at one point, about suitors proving their worth to a caliph in fame [vp's], wealth [gems], and physical process [circling the board]... but it's nowhere in the rules themselves!)