A game played with a standard double-six or double-nine set of dominoes (depending on desired map size and game length). The tiles (or dominoes cards) form a grid map of a virtual fictionalized Indian Ocean, and players manipulate wooden bits reprenting trade empires, merchant houses, and the sailing ships (dhow) that they'll use to accomplish the objective of having a majority representation (most merchant houses) in each of the expanding empires - without knowing which will be the largest and which will score the most before the game ends. —description from the designer