If a player cannot or will not complete an action (such as they dont have enough money), every other player receives two gold from the bank as a reward.

Each character card gives the owning player a special ability, also. If the player picks the switch character card ability, they can possibly use the abilities of each character card. The abilities are (in order):

After all players have taken their turn in each round, the city where the Maharaja is currently present is scored. Each player receives temporary points for their presence in the city: One point for each house, one point for each outer palace - unless they have role card #4, one point for having their architect in the city, and three points if they built the first (center) palace in the city. Each player receives a certain amount of money based on who got the most points (ties are broken by whoever has the lower role card number), and the next round begins. The game ends when one person builds all of their palaces, at which point they win. If two players complete all their palaces in the same round, the player with the most money wins. Also, if the game reaches the tenth round, the player who has built the most palaces wins, with money again being the tiebreaker.

Some comments on the game...

1.) Components: The game is absolutely gorgeous when laid out on the table. For the first time in a while, its nice to play a German game with no scoring track. The palaces are glass stones, each matching the color of the nice pawns and wooden houses (which look remarkably like the hotels from Monopoly). The board is big, and even a decent jar to the table doesnt really mess it up; and when houses and palaces are set up, it really makes some nice eye candy. The role cards are extremely nice, and are made of thick cardboard and are a decent size; so that all players can easily see them. All the components are entirely language independent, with symbols and illustrations for actions being shown on the wheels - which were rather nice by the way - and everyone found that the symbols were very self-explanatory. Everything fit well in the box; but I had to throw out the plastic insert, because I could not figure out how everything was supposed to fit into it, and neither could anyone else. I finally just ditched it and plastic bagged all the components. Except for the box insert, the game, including the gorgeous artwork by Franz Vohwinkel, was of fantastic quality.

2.) Rules: The rules were laid out very nicely in an eight page full-colored booklet. There were some illustrations and many examples, and I thought that the game was easy to comprehend from the instructions. The layout was a little odd, and it did take me a bit to totally comprehend the exact way governor pieces moved on the track, but these were small obstacles. The game is simple, once you know it, but I found that it did take some explanation when teaching it; and people constantly asked what the character cards did, and could they pick the same action twice, etc. Still, everyone enjoyed the fact that for once we were playing a game in which the goal was not to get the most points.

3.) Unique strategy: And that, I think, drew me to the game as much as anything else. The goal seems quite simple - almost too simple; get rid of all your palaces. Yet the strategies to achieving this simple goal were quite varied. Ive seen people play with many different styles, and have yet to find one dominant style. Some moves seem scripted, such as the first player on the first turn should go to the city where the Maharaja is at and build the center palace, all but assuring him control of that city during the first round. However, after that, its an open field, and players try all different things. Some try to establish a presence in multiple cities, gathering up gold and laying palaces down wherever they can. Others (myself included) try to control one or two cities, and then maneuver the Maharaja so that he returns to these cities, giving us several big scoring turns. Still others try to control the roads, soaking up a lot of money in tolls as others architect travel across them.

4.) Tactics: Maharaja is a game where the difference in strategy and tactics is quite clear. I may have a set strategy to the game, but I must adapt to the moves that my opponents make; and this can vary from turn to turn. The back of the box rates the game a 3 in randomness, and I didnt know where they found ANY randomness in the game; but then realized that they were talking about the randomness of other players moves. You cant overtly screw another player in this game, such as remove one of their palaces, or sabotage their architect. But one can still mess with opponents plans by doing the action first, or switching character cards with that person. The interaction in the game is quite engrossing, and one finds themselves watching the other players carefully during their turns.

5.) Taking Chances: There is a small amount of taking chances that a player can do (I tried never to do it). One might not have enough money to build a palace, house, etc.; but might hope to get the money from people passing through their villages. But the whims of others might forego this, and a player may find themselves the unhappy benefactor; as everyone else cheerfully takes money from the bank. You can take a chance in the game; its just not often profitable.

6.) Time and Fun Factor: The game runs for about 60-90 minutes, which is an excellent time for a game of this weight and caliber. The ten round time limit helps keep the game from dragging out too long, and often Ive seen the game end on the seventh or eighth turn. The constant watching of the board means that players are always involved, keeping the game far from being boring.

7.) Optional Rules: There are two sets of optional rules at the end of the rulebook - and I think that the first set is quite an addition to the game - making only two small changes.

8.) Leader: When one player does well, and Ive noticed that this happens when one player has played the game and others havent. They can sometimes get into a position where it is impossible to catch them. They have a lot of money, and theyll easily build their last few palaces. This could be a problem, but most games Ive seen are balanced, and it seems like it only happens when several of the players are new, and/or the advanced rules are being used.

This is easily one of the best five games to come out in 2004 and shows the genius of Kramer & Kiesling yet once again. The theme is lightly laid on top of mechanics, but the mechanics are sound and very refreshing. When one plays the game, it doesnt really remind you of too many other designer games; and thats an enjoyable change, especially for those of us who have hundreds of games. But even if you only have a few games, Maharaja is a terrific game to pick up - a deep, thoughtful yet fun game, where the decisions you make each turn are agonizing yet enjoyable.