
- BGG rank
- BGG #272
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Cyclades
- 2–5 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2009

Rules assistance for Five Tribes: Whims of the Sultan
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Five Tribes: Whims of the Sultan is an expansion for Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala released in 2017 for 2–5 players, 40–90 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Bruno Cathala and its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding.
Description from the publisher: The Sultanate of Naqala continues to flourish, and the new Sultan has founded five fabulous cities to take advantage of this time of prosperity — but these cities have attracted more competitors than grains of sand in the desert and the fate of the Sultanate will once again lie in the hand of the five tribes and the powerful Djinns. Five Tribes: Whims of the Sultan contains all the components needed to play five-player games of Five Tribes and introduces new fabulous cities tiles. Visiting these cities gives players opportunities to win glory as they fulfill excessive requests from the Sultan by completing "Whim of the Sultan" cards. Fierce competition is to be expected, as controlling these tiles can be a major contributor to a player's final score.
Five Tribes: Whims of the Sultan supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Five Tribes: Whims of the Sultan is 40–90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Five Tribes: Whims of the Sultan for ages 13 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Five Tribes: Whims of the Sultan has a complexity rating of 2.9 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Five Tribes: Whims of the Sultan belongs to these categories: Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Five Tribes: Whims of the Sultan are: Bruno Cathala. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Five Tribes: Whims of the Sultan as an expansion for Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala to use it. Check that your edition of Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.