In the heart of the desert, the goddess Ishtar has given you the most precious of gifts. Water is finally flowing from the fountains, allowing vegetation to flourish! Show yourself worthy of this gift: grow flowerbeds and plant trees to transform the desert into a sumptuous garden. Be a shrewd strategist: only the best of you will win the coveted title of Royal Gardener of Babylon!
Light Strategy!
Ishtar – Gardens of Babylon is a grand strategy game by Bruno Cathala and Evan Singh. Inspired by the game of Go, it pits 2 to 4 players against each other in the control of resources and plantations within a shared space. On their turn, each player places a vegetation tile in the extension of one of the fountains and collects the gems, more or less rare, scattered over the terrain. They can then use these resources to select a promising vegetation tile, plant trees or unlock Masteries. Each choice made, each action taken, can have a considerable influence on the final victory point tally.
Total interaction!
Ishtar is a game that captivates as much by its accessibility as by its profound subtlety. Any action played remains in place until the end of the game, even if it then turns against its author. Each tile placed on the board changes the strategy of subsequent players, who must constantly adapt to new developments in the gardens. Are you going to save your gems to plant lots of trees, or focus your strategy on controlling the fountains? Ishtar offers total and immediate interaction between players, with games only decided once the last tile has been laid.
Multiple strategies!
Addictive and beautifully edited, Ishtar encourages players to refine their style of play as the game progresses. The game board, composed differently at the start of each game, guarantees optimal replayability. As for the strategies, they’re so different that you’ll quickly want to try them all! Will you choose to focus on flowerbeds, controlling fountains, collecting gems or planting trees? Each method can lead to very different results, and Mastery will enable you to redefine the method of calculating your final score! Remember, the secret of Ishtar is to adapt to your opponents’ actions!
With Ishtar, Bruno Cathala and Evan Singh offer us a game of remarkable accessibility and depth, sure to appeal to the gardening strategists in all of us!
