Morocco Review: rule the moroccan market

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We are in Morocco, more specifically in Marrakech, in the world-famous Jemaa el-Fnaa square, vying for one of its valuable spaces to set up our stalls and attract consumers to try our products or be enchanted by our incredible art and shows.

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Translated byAntonio Carlos

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Revised byAntonio Carlos

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The Jemaa el-Fnaa Square

Jemaa el-Fnaa is the main square in the city of Marrakech, in Morocco. It is located in the historic part of the city, the Medina. The square has been included on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2008.
The square in daytime
The square in daytime

The square is an efervescent place in Marrakech, featuring various street performers, acrobats, snake charmers, fakirs, sword swallowers, healers, musicians, dancers, storytellers, etc. At night, stalls selling traditional food extend through all the square, along with hundreds of tourists and locals.

The square in the sunset
The square in the sunset

The square is the main setting of the Morocco board game!

Morocco - Game Info

Morocco is a 2-to-5 players game, age 12+, by designers Ben Pinchback and Matt Riddle. Art by Adam P. McIver.

Game Box
Game Box

Morocco was released in 2016 by Eagle-Gryphon Games. Its mechanics include tile placement and influence (or area majority).

Game Components
Game Components

Let's play!

Playing the Game

In Morocco, we represent families of snake charmers, sellers, merchants, magicians, and food vendors, fiercely competing to set up our stalls in strategic locations in the Jemaa el-Fnaa square in Marrakech, Morocco. The competition for space is fierce, sometimes requiring the help of bodyguards, family members, and tourists, and at times we'll need to "manipulate" things to secure the best spot.

So, are you ready to fight for your space?

This is the setting of Morocco!

Game setup may seem like a lot, but it's actually quite straightforward:

- Position the game board in the center;

- Players take all the pieces of their chosen color: 2 cousin (family) markers, 2 tourists, 2 bodyguards, 12 assistants, 12 market tiles, and 1 scoring marker;

- Put the players' scoring markers on "0";

- Place the players' bodyguards in the guards' locations on the game board;

- Randomly draw and place the juice tokens face up in the corresponding spaces in the market;

- Stack the information cubes and gold coins near the game board. This is the common supply;

- Place 5 information cubes (one of each color) randomly in the market rows (on the side) and 5 information cubes (one of each color) randomly in the market columns (at the bottom);

- Place 5 information cubes (one of each color) randomly in the inner spaces of the board's rooftop;

- Place the pawn in the center rooftop space;

- Give the starting player marker to the player who most recently traveled to Morocco.

Game Setup
Game Setup

Morocco is played in a series of rounds. Each round has two separate Phases:

- Phase 1: Scout the Stalls;

- Phase 2: Assign Workers.

At the beginning of a round, before Phase 1, if playing with 2 or 3 players, the Market Die must be rolled:

- with 2 players: both players roll the Market Die once. For each roll, both players gain a cube of the color indicated on the die;

- with 3 players: the 1st player rolls the Market Die once and each player gains a cube of the color indicated on the die.

Market Die
Market Die

In both cases, if the "wild" face (the one with "?") of the die is rolled, each player wins a cube of their choice.

The rounds of Morocco have a specific order and repetition:

- all players execute Phase 1 once;

- all players execute Phase 2 twice.

This makes it easier to understand how many times players execute each Phase of a round.

In Phase 1, Scouting the Stalls, players will explore the market from the nearby rooftop and obtain information (cubes) that they will use later when sending their workers to the market to conquer the stalls.

Rooftops give you more information
Rooftops give you more information

Starting with the 1st player and proceeding clockwise, as already mentioned, each player performs one action during this Phase. On your turn, move the pawn to any other space on the rooftop (that is, the player cannot choose to leave the pawn in the same place). At least 2 cubes are gained: one for each cube in the spaces adjacent to the pawn.

The blue player moves their pawn to the space with the brown information cube. They gain 1 green cube and 1 orange cube
The blue player moves their pawn to the space with the brown information cube. They gain 1 green cube and 1 orange cube

Next, each other player wins 1 cube of the color corresponding to the cube in the space where the pawn was placed.

After the blue player takes their green and orange cubes, the remaining players each receive one brown cube.
After the blue player takes their green and orange cubes, the remaining players each receive one brown cube.

Regarding the colored information cubes and their use, for a better understanding, it is necessary to understand how they work. They are resources obtained in Phase 1 (Exploring the Stalls) and spent in Phase 2 (Worker Placement) to refer to a specific stall, as the stalls are found by color coordinates, using the cubes placed in the rows and columns that indicate the stall's position. Let's check out an example:

Phase 2, Assign Workers, is where players will use their information cubes to send workers to the market and compete to win the best stalls.

Starting with the 1st player and proceeding clockwise, each player performs two actions (one per turn) during this phase. Simply place your worker in any open space in the chosen stall and pay the costs in cubes.

For the green player to place an assistant in the indicated stall, they must have, and spend, 1 green cube, corresponding to the row, and 1 brown cube, corresponding to the column.
For the green player to place an assistant in the indicated stall, they must have, and spend, 1 green cube, corresponding to the row, and 1 brown cube, corresponding to the column.

All stalls have four spaces. Each assistant, including the bodyguard, occupies one space in the stall. The quantity and types of information cubes needed are determined by 2 factors:

- 2 cubes: corresponding to the row and column of the market where the specific stall is located;

- 1 extra cube: for the type of worker you want to place in the stall.

Let's look at the cube costs for placing workers:

- 2 cubes (assistant and bodyguard): only the 2 cubes corresponding to the row and column where the stall is located, no additional cost for these 2 types of workers;

- 3 cubes (tourist): In addition to the 2 cubes corresponding to the row and column where the tent is located, spend 1 additional cube of any color to be able to use this worker;

- 3 cubes (cousin): In addition to the 2 cubes corresponding to the row and column where the tent is located, spend 1 additional cube of any color to be able to use this worker. Then, place another assistant in an adjacent space of a tent different from the first, at no additional cost.

The different Worker types
The different Worker types

Bodyguards, tourists, and cousins ​​deserve a separate explanation; after all, these types of workers greatly aid our strategy and can change the course of the game. For counting workers in a tent, they count as two, in order to calculate whether it is full or not, to score points, and to determine who gets the tent.

The tent in the image is full, as it contains a green bodyguard, a yellow tourist, and a blue assistant.
The tent in the image is full, as it contains a green bodyguard, a yellow tourist, and a blue assistant.

Tourists, when a stall has enough workers to score points, move to any available space in the adjacent open stall indicated by the influence arrow on the market tile.

The stall has 2 green assistants and an influence arrow from an adjacent market tile. The blue player places a tourist in the tent. Now the tent is full, as there are 3 workers and 1 influence arrow, so the tent is closed and scored immediately.
The stall has 2 green assistants and an influence arrow from an adjacent market tile. The blue player places a tourist in the tent. Now the tent is full, as there are 3 workers and 1 influence arrow, so the tent is closed and scored immediately.

Next, the tourist is replaced by one of that player's assistants and then discarded from the game. If there are multiple tourists needing to move from the same stall, resolve their moves in the order of the rounds, clockwise from the active player.

Finally, the cousins. Discard a cousin token to play an assistant into a stall, spending one cube of each color corresponding to the row and column of the market where the stall is located, plus one additional cube of any color. Then, play another assistant into an adjacent space of a stall different from the first, at no additional cost.

The yellow player plays an assistant on the white stall, then discards a cousin token and plays another assistant. The second assistant can be placed on any of the red-highlighted spaces directly adjacent to a different stall.
The yellow player plays an assistant on the white stall, then discards a cousin token and plays another assistant. The second assistant can be placed on any of the red-highlighted spaces directly adjacent to a different stall.

After allocating a worker, it is always necessary to check if the stall is full, and consequently, if scoring will occur in order to determine who will get that highly sought-after spot.

A stall is considered full when the number of workers plus the influence(s) of the adjacent market(s) total four or more.

Full Stalls
Full Stalls

If several stalls are filled up at the same time, score them in the order they were filled.

Once a stall is full, it is necessary to perform the stall scoring, which works as follows:

- 1st Place: 5 victory points and places their market tile. If there is a tie, all tied players receive 5 VP and the active player places an empty market tile;

- 2nd Place: 2 victory points + 1 gold coin + 1 bodyguard. If there is a tie, all tied players receive 1 VP + a gold coin or a bodyguard;

- 3rd Place: 1 victory point + a gold coin or a bodyguard.

After scoring, players who have workers in the scored stall also receive the juice tokens adjacent to their own workers (if any) in that stall, placing them face down in the respective player areas.

The white player takes the juice token adjacent to their bodyguard. The green player takes the two juice tokens adjacent to their assistants. The remaining juice token stays on the board.
The white player takes the juice token adjacent to their bodyguard. The green player takes the two juice tokens adjacent to their assistants. The remaining juice token stays on the board.

After receiving any possible juice tokens, the player with the highest worker count places one of their market tiles on the stall; that stall now has an owner. If there is a tie for the highest worker count, the active player places an empty market tile on the stall instead.

That player then chooses an adjacent stall to influence, positioning their market piece so that the arrow points in that direction. The target stall cannot be a stall that already has an owner, unless there are no adjacent stalls still in dispute.

The green player used their bodyguard to win, and now places their market tile, influencing the stall below.
The green player used their bodyguard to win, and now places their market tile, influencing the stall below.

Finally, it's important to explain the purpose of the coins, and this is where the game's "manipulation" comes in. Gold coins can be spent at any time during your turn in Phase 2, Worker Placement. There is no limit to the number of gold coins you can spend at once.

Spending a gold coin allows you to swap the positions of any two information cubes assigned to market rows or any two information cubes assigned to market columns. You cannot swap a cube from a row to a column or vice versa.

The yellow player spends 1 gold coin to swap the positions of the purple and orange cubes in the market columns, and then spends an additional gold coin to swap the positions of the orange and green cubes in the market rows
The yellow player spends 1 gold coin to swap the positions of the purple and orange cubes in the market columns, and then spends an additional gold coin to swap the positions of the orange and green cubes in the market rows

Unused gold coins at the end of the game are worth 1 victory point each. Important, a player can never have more than 3 gold coins at the same time.

After each player has performed 2 actions in Phase 2, Assign Workers, the round ends. Pass the 1st player marker clockwise. Place the pawn back in the central space of the roof.

Pay attention, each player can only store 1 information cube to use in the next round; all other cubes the player has acquired must be returned to the supply.

That's a turn of Morocco!

Ending the Game

In Morocco, the final round is triggered when, after scoring a stall, there are 5 or fewer stalls remaining in play in the market. When this happens, end the current round; then the game ends.

Important: If, after scoring a stall, there are no open stalls left, the game ends immediately.

Final scoring occurs as follows:

- each player adds up the points for their juice tokens;

- each player earns 1 point for each gold coin in their play area;

- each player earns 3 points for each market tile in their largest contiguous group of conquered stalls;

- add all these values ​​to those already earned during the game from conquering stalls.

The green player gains 15 victory points, 3 x 5, because he has 5 market tiles in his largest contiguous market group.
The green player gains 15 victory points, 3 x 5, because he has 5 market tiles in his largest contiguous market group.

The player with the highest total number of points is the winner! In case of a tie, among those tied, the player who conquered the most stalls is the winner. If there is another tie, the tied players share the victory.

Strategy Tips

Morocco is incredibly fun, highly competitive, and strategic game. As a bonus, it has simple rules, which makes it a crowd favorite. Each game is unique because the setup varies in the placement of the colored cubes used as coordinates, and the juice tokens are also placed randomly.

Not to mention that we start with no gold coins and no bodyguards to help us. Strategically, you have to lose a stall dispute to win them, in addition to points, obviously.

You might ask me why you'd want to lose a stall competition. The answer is simple and strategic: beyond the points earned with the competition and possible juice tokens earned, you can disrupt your opponent's strategy, who might want to win all the points alone without leaving anything for anyone else, in addition to, obviously, gaining bodyguards and/or gold coins. Use this to your advantage; in fact, it's crucial to participate in several competitions and "lose" some.

In Phase 1, Scouting the Stalls, it's crucial to look at the colors of the cubes that give the row and column coordinates in the market to know which cubes you need. Be surgical here, because if you fail, you'll have to "manipulate" the market, spending coins you might not have.

Phase 2, Assign Workers, is the core of the game; after all, it's where we show our hand, that is, where we make our intentions to conquer stalls clear. Here, the goal is to start and accept the consequences, whether you compete until the end or not; ultimately, the strategy is yours.

When I say "accept," it's because you should always try to conquer stalls in sequence to score better at the end of the game, as you earn 3 points for each market stall in your longest sequence. Keep an eye on that.

The disputes become more intense after you conquer your first stall and indicate which direction you want to influence. That's when the "eye-gouging" begins. Your opponents will try to prevent you from making a sequence, which is why I mentioned having a strategy to "bank" your choices.

One way to do this, which I use a lot, is to create a chain reaction, that is, place your workers in 3 adjacent stalls as follows:

- stall 1: have 2 assistants;

- stall 2: have 2 assistants and 1 tourist;

- stall 3: have 2 assistants.

So, in your turn, simply place 1 bodyguard at stall 1, which will score points. Then, just place your market tile with the arrow influencing stall 2, which will also score points. You will place another market tile with the arrow influencing stall 3, and your tourist can send an assistant to stall 3, who will also score points, and so on.

Surprising your opponents with this strategy will leave everyone speechless. Is it easy? No, but this can happen even when you have opponents in the contested stalls:

- stall 1: have 1 assistant of yours and 1 of the opponent's;

- stall 2: have 1 assistant and 1 tourist of yours and 1 assistant of the opponent;

- stall 3: have 1 assistant of yours and 1 assistant of the opponent.

The effect of placing one of your bodyguards in stall 1 will be the same, a chain reaction in your favor conquering 3 stalls. In short, this is one of several strategies that can be devised.

Another thing to pay attention to is placing workers in stalls that have the highest value juice tokens, since they give victory points. However, be aware that juice tokens won't always be available, because when removed, no new tokens are placed in the empty spaces. Therefore, it's best to choose the best tents with the best juice tokens.

It's important to know how to use your workers at the right time:

- Assistants: are the famous "jacks of all trades," use them liberally, they return after scoring points in the tent they're in;

- Tourists and cousins: use them strategically, as you only have 2 of each and they leave after scoring points;

- Bodyguards: firstly, you start the game without them, there are only 2 per player and you only acquire them when you lose in a tent, and furthermore, when they score points, they return to the bodyguards' "lodging" and need to be "conquered" again.

See how strategy with the workers makes all the difference.

Furthermore, pay attention to the opportunities the game presents, devise your best strategy and win in Morocco.

Unboxing, Rules, and Gameplay

Unboxing:

Rules:

Gameplay:

Pedagogical Tips

If you're looking for a game with an extra layer of strategy for kids, Morocco is the game for you! It's easy to play, language-independent, yet highly strategic. Kids will find themselves constantly engaged; the game will hold their attention.

This is because every turn, including those of your opponents, impacts your game and strategy. Kids will quickly realize this and stay focused throughout the entire game. It's maximum concentration!

Beyond the fun of the game, Morocco masterfully addresses important stimuli for children, namely:

- cultural and historical: the history of Jemaa el-Fnaa square is very cool;

- resource management: managing workers, cubes, and gold coins;

- strategy: choosing where to spend cubes, workers, and gold coins;

- spatial coordination: choosing the coordinate positions of the best stalls;

- decision-making: deciding where, how, and when to spend resources; and

- logical-mathematical reasoning: predicting where to score best.

Pedagogically, Morocco brings a lot of history, addresses resource management, stimulates strategy, spatial coordination, decision-making, logical-mathematical reasoning, and on top of that, it's fun!

I recommend Morocco for your collection!

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