Taj Mahal is a German-style board game

German-style board game

German-style board games, frequently referred to in gaming circles as Euro Games or Euro-style, are a broad class of tabletop games that generally have simple rules, short to medium playing times, indirect player interaction and abstract physical components...

 for 3–5 players designed by Reiner Knizia

Reiner Knizia

Reiner Knizia is a prolific German-style board game designer. Born in Germany, he developed his first game at the age of eight. He has a PhD in mathematics, and has been a full-time game designer since 1997, when he quit his job from the board of a large international bank...

 and first published in 2000 by Alea

Alea

* ALEA , a Web Desktop Management Tool* ALEA Ensemble, Austrian ensemble for contemporary music* Alea , originally a game-publishing subsidiary of Ravensburger, now purchased by Heidelburger...

 in German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

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Basics

During 12 rounds, players bid with cards on up to six different prizes each turn. Those prizes earn points in themselves, but players can also get points for connecting provinces on the map. After the twelfth round, the player with the highest point total wins the game.

Auctions

During the auction phase of the game, players take turns playing cards from their hands to increase the amount of their bid. A player may choose to withdraw instead of increasing their bid, in which case they immediately collect any awards they have earned for that round, and are removed from the auction. The round ends after all players have withdrawn from the auction.