Friedberg, February 01, 2023: At the Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg, Pegasus Spiele publishes a new title of the award-winning Istanbul series by Rüdiger Dorn: Istanbul – Choose & Write. In addition to the core game of Istanbul, plus its expansions, and a dice game, gamers can now again visit the bazaar. Istanbul – Choose & Write is a brand new race for rubies that unfolds as an entirely new challenge!
Since its publication in 2014, Istanbul has captivated both the gaming community and international juries, and was awarded the 2014 “Kennerspiel des Jahres” (Connoisseur-gamer Game of the Year). In Istanbul, players take the role of merchants who compete to acquire goods and lira in order to exchange them for valuable rubies that win the game. In 2017, a family game version titled Istanbul – Das Würfelspiel (Istanbul - The Dice Game) was published and awarded the Austrian Games Prize by the Vienna Games Academy a year later. This year, for the 30th anniversary, Pegasus Spiele proudly presents the third part of the popular game series, titled Istanbul - Choose & Write.
In Istanbul - Choose & Write, one to five players aged eight and up return as clever merchants at the bazaar who race to collect rubies, but will also be challenged by new mechanics. On their turn, each player will choose a card and may either perform the action of the corresponding place or that of an adjacent place. Any goods and lira received are written on their personal bazaar sheet. As before, these resources can later be exchanged for precious rubies at specific locations. When choosing a location card, all other players may also perform a location action but must cross off one of their action fields linked to that specific card. If all action fields are crossed off without the player having unlocked any additional bonus actions, they will only be able to visit that location if they choose it on their own turn. One option to prevent other players at the table from benefiting from this follow action, is to choose a guild card instead of a location card. This is expensive however, and will cost valuable lira to accomplish.
Istanbul - Choose & Write contains all of the favorite elements of Istanbul game principle, but thanks to its new game mechanisms, will provide a completely new experience that is exciting both for fans of the original and anyone who enjoys fast-playing, tactical, family games. Istanbul – Choose & Write also introduces a solo mode so individual players can visit the Istanbul bazaar and face 14 escalating challenges.
Those who want to experience even more of the bazaar should also take a look at the other games in the Istanbul series: In the first title, Istanbul, players wander across a modular bazaar plan. Busy assistants that they can drop off at the locations will support them. To find the most effective way, players need to plan well ahead. Thanks to the short rules, getting into the game is easy despite its core level. In 2018 the Istanbul Big Box was released, which includes not only the basic game but also two expansions. In Istanbul - The Dice Game, though, players roll the dice and use them cleverly to collect goods, lira, and finally rubies. As a family game, it offers a simple introduction to the world of Istanbul, but at the same time, tactical decisions have to be made.
