Ishtar : Les jardins de Babylone

In the heart of the desert, the goddess Ishtar has given you the most precious of gifts. The water is finally flowing from the fountains and now allows vegetation to exist! Live up to this offering: grow flower beds and plant trees to transform the desert into a sumptuous garden. Be a shrewd strategist: only the best of you will achieve the coveted title of Royal Gardener of Babylon!

Strategic and accessible

Ishtar - Gardens of Babylon is the new great strategy game from Bruno Cathala and Evan Singh. Inspired by the game of Go, it pits 2 to 4 players in control of resources and plantations in a shared space. In turn, each player places a vegetation tile in the extension of one of the fountains and collects the gems, more or less rare, scattered on the ground. He 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 score of victory points.

Total interaction

Ishtar is a game that appeals as much for its accessibility as for its deep subtlety. Any action played remains in place until the end of the game, even if it is then turned against its author. Each tile placed changes the game board and immediately transforms the strategy of the following players, forced to constantly adapt to developments in the gardens. Are you going to save your gems to plant many trees or focus your strategy on controlling fountains? Between placements and blocks, Ishtar offers total and immediate interaction between players, with games that are decided only after the last tile has been placed.

Multiple strategies

Addicting and with its neat edition, Ishtar encourages players to refine their playstyle as they play. The game board, composed differently at the start of each game, guarantees optimal replayability. As for the strategies, they are so different that you quickly want to try them all! Will you choose to focus on flower beds, controlling fountains, collecting gems or planting trees? Each method can lead to very different results, and the Masteries will allow you to redefine the method of calculating your final score! Remember, Ishtar's secret is to adapt to the actions of your opponents!

With Ishtar, Bruno Cathala and Evan Singh offer us a remarkable game of accessibility and depth, which will appeal to the strategic gardeners who sleep in us!

Contents: 4 Player boards, 6 Terrain boards, 1 Carpet board, 42 Vegetation tiles, 6 Cup tiles, 8 Flower tokens, 26 Tree cards, 20 Tree pawns, 6 Fountain figures, 114 Gems, 16 Assistant pawns, 1 pawn Watering can, 1 score book, 1 setup sheet and 1 rule book.

Authors: Bruno Cathala, Evan Singh

Illustrator: Biboun