Fortune awaits across the sweeping sand dunes of Northern Africa. For centuries, Tuareg merchants have established and maintained trade through the brutal conditions of the Sahara Desert. Now, you can return to this harsh environment and forge your own path through the shifting sands. The remastered version of Reiner Knizia’s Through the Desert is available now!

A Modern Classic

With a compelling premise and simple gameplay that allows for great strategic depth, Through the Desert makes an excellent addition to the Euro Classics line of games. True to form, the remastered version of the game maintains the classic experience of the original game while offering updated visuals and additional gameplay options.

The desert encompasses the entire board during every game of Through the Desert, presenting an opportunity to any merchant brave enough to cross its sands. The spices, wheat, gold, salt, and other goods carried across these vast expanses help connect West and North Africa and ensure the survival of the Tuareg tribes that transport them.

But these caravans rarely carry enough water to meet their needs in this inhospitable territory. To survive, players spread their caravans throughout the Sahara Desert in search of the precious waterholes and oases that will support them and their trading empires. Whoever can discover watering holes, link oases, or enclose areas of the board will score the points they need to win the game.

Rather than controlling a single caravan, each player is in charge of five caravans of differently-colored camels and they must decide which caravans to add to on their turn. Simple rules dictate where camels can be placed, giving players the opportunity to race across the desert or block their opponents from key water sources. Many enter the Sahara in Through the Desert, but only the most cunning survive.

New Journeys

On top of the classic gameplay, the remastered version of Through the Desert also includes a number of modern flourishes that add fresh twists to the game. Chief among these is a beautifully illustrated, double-sided board that allows you to customize your game more than ever before. The reverse side of this board shows the Niger river running through the southern Sahara and offers a new tactical challenge. In addition to the different arrangement of land features on this board, the river itself becomes a focal point. Each caravan that “crosses” it receives five points, making it a tempting target for everyone.

Beyond this, players can also comb the desert for aquifers instead of the regular water holes. These underground reservoirs are typically accessed by digging wells, and you usually don’t know the size of an aquifer until you draw water from it. To reflect this, waterhole tokens are placed facedown when playing with aquifers and kept secret throughout the course of the game.

Find Your Path

In the desert, the best trade routes run through the few sources of water scattered among the sands. But with so many tribes traveling these paths, you must move quickly to secure the best routes for yourself. In this region of the wilderness, the fate of your people rests in your hands!