Camel Up

Components

Setup

1. 1Place the game board in the middle, stack the 5 pyramid tickets, and place them on their space.
2. 2Sort the betting tickets by color. For each color, place the two 2-Pound tickets on the bottom, the 3-Pound ticket in the middle, and the 5-Pound ticket on top. Tickets are taken from the top, so betting earlier pays more.
3. 3Sort the Egyptian Pound coins by value next to the board as the bank.
4. 4Give each player 3 Egyptian Pounds.
5. 5Each player chooses a character and takes that character's 5 finish cards and 1 spectator tile. With 6 or more players, also give each player their partnership card with the available side up (with 5 or fewer, leave the partnership cards in the box).
6. 6Roll all 5 racing dice together. Place each camel whose die shows a 1 onto space 1, a 2 onto space 2, and a 3 onto space 3. Stack camels that land on the same space in any order, all facing clockwise.
7. 7Roll the grey die. If it shows a white number, place the white crazy camel; if black, place the black crazy camel. A roll of 1 goes to space 16, 2 to space 15, and 3 to space 14. Roll again and place the other crazy camel the same way. If both land on the same space, stack the second one on top. Both crazy camels face counterclockwise (away from the finish line).
8. 8Put all 5 racing dice and the grey die into the pyramid and set it on its space.
9. 9Give the starting player marker to the youngest player and begin the race.

A turn — one of four actions

Starting with the player holding the starting player marker, each player performs exactly 1 action, proceeding clockwise. There are 4 possible actions (a 5th is added with 6 or more players), and you must choose one on your turn.

Camel movement and stacking

When a racing-colored die is revealed from the pyramid, move that camel clockwise the number of spaces shown (1 to 3). Camels on the same space form a stack, and moving the whole stack together is called a camel unit.

1. 1If the moving camel is part of a stack, it carries along every camel sitting on top of it. Camels beneath stay where they are.
2. 2If the destination space already has another camel or stack, the moved camel(s) jump on top of it as a unit.
3. 3After moving, place the revealed die onto its tent so everyone can see which dice are already out of the pyramid.

Crazy camels and the grey die

The two crazy camels (black and white) run the race track in the opposite direction (counterclockwise). No one can bet on them, but they can carry racing camels backward on their backs, scrambling the standings.

1. 1When the grey die is revealed, move the crazy camel matching its color (white or black) counterclockwise by the number shown.
2. 2Exception: if only one of the two crazy camels is currently carrying any racing camels on its back, move that one, regardless of the color shown on the grey die.
3. 3Exception: if one crazy camel sits directly on top of the other (with no racing camel between them), move the one on top, regardless of color.

Leg betting and spectator tiles

Betting tickets are scored against the leg's leader and runner-up at the end of the leg. You may take several of the same color, and since each color has only 4 tickets (2, 2, 3, 5), betting earlier secures the higher 5-Pound payout.

1. 1A spectator tile may only go on an empty space with no camel or spectator tile, and not adjacent to another spectator tile, nor on space 1.
2. 2When you place (or move) it, choose the cheering or booing side.
3. 3When any camel unit ends its movement on that space, the tile's owner immediately receives 1 Egyptian Pound from the bank.
4. 4Then, if the tile shows cheering, the camel unit moves 1 more space forward; if booing, 1 space backward. Landing on another unit while moving forward jumps on top as usual; landing while moving backward instead slides underneath.

Leg scoring

A leg ends the moment 5 of the 6 dice in the pyramid (5 racing dice plus the grey die) have been revealed, leaving just 1 inside. The player who took the last pyramid ticket reveals that 5th die, and scoring happens for everyone before the next player's turn.

1. 1Return all betting tickets to their color stacks, in order from the bottom: 2, 2, 3, 5.
2. 2Restack the 5 pyramid tickets on their space.
3. 3Return spectator tiles to their owners.
4. 4Return the 5 revealed dice to the pyramid.
5. 5Pass the starting player marker to the player on the left of whoever took the last pyramid ticket, then begin the next leg.

End of the game and final betting payouts

The race ends the instant any racing camel unit crosses the finish line. If a crazy camel drags racing camels across the finish line while moving counterclockwise, the game ends just the same.

1. 1Carry out one final leg scoring round.
2. 2Reveal the deck on the overall-winner betting space — since the bottom card was placed first, flip the whole deck so the first-placed card ends up on top.
3. 3Go through the deck in that order, paying the reward only to cards showing the actual winning camel. Any card showing a different camel instead pays 1 Pound to the bank.
4. 4Score the overall-loser betting space the same way — the overall loser is the least-advanced racing camel (the one at the bottom of a stack, if any).
5. 5After scoring, everyone counts their money. The player with the most wins; ties are shared.

Strategy tips

• Count which racing dice haven't been revealed yet to estimate how far a camel could still move this leg. Instead of betting on a settled outcome, look for the moment the 5-Pound ticket is still available.
• Spectator tiles' cheering/booing sides are a way to disrupt a rival's lead. Placing booing just ahead of a leading camel can slow its advance.
• If a camel you favor is near a crazy camel, be careful this leg — getting carried away counterclockwise can drop its ranking sharply.
• Overall winner/loser bets pay more the earlier they're placed (8 → 5 → 3 → 2 → 1). Calling a likely camel early in the race pays off.
• Betting tickets reset every leg, so taking the same color repeatedly within one leg is also a valid tactic.

Editions and expansions

Frequently confused rules

History and editions

Designed by Steffen Bogen and published by eggertspiele in 2014, the game won Germany's Spiel des Jahres that same year.

A 2nd edition debuted at Essen Spiel 2018, bringing crazy camels, the grey die, spectator tiles, and partnership cards into the base game, with new illustrations by Dennis Lohausen and Chris Quilliams. North American distribution was first handled by Pretzel Games; the 2024 English rules cross-checked for this guide are a Lookout Games (Asmodee) reprint.

Several spin-offs exist: the expansions Supercup (2015) and Off Season (2021), the standalone card game Camel Up Cards (2016, reprinted by Pretzel Games in 2023), and a 2015 mobile app (their rules were not cross-checked).

In Korea, Korea Boardgames officially distributes the 2nd edition under its Korean title (confirmed via its product page on 2026-10-10). No official Korean rulebook text could be obtained, so this guide is based on the English rules.