Tzolk'in The Mayan Calendar Board Game

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That is, of course, unless there are people at the table prone to analysis paralysis (AP). For them, this game might be a doozy. There is so much to think about, not only in terms of how to most effectively manage your corn and resources and economize your actions, but also in terms of trying to predict what your opponents are going to do. Layered into that is a very strong visual and mechanical presence of acting through discrete units of time that makes the calculations that much more complicated. I’ve been able to embrace a satisficing mindset with this game, but I don’t necessarily think it will be easy for others to do so. The game ends after the fourth Food Day. The Tzolk'in gear will have made one complete revolution. Players convert all of their commodities to victory points and score their monuments. Give the Starting Player Marker to the player who most recently sacrificed something. In case of a tie, give the Starting Player Marker to the player who volunteers for the next sacrifice.

The game ends after the fourth Food Day. The Tzolk'in gear will have made one complete revolution. Players convert all of their commodities to victory points and score their monuments. Then the player with the most points wins. In case of a tie, whoever has the most workers left on the gears wins. If it is still a tie, then all tied players win. Esoteric Note: Technically, the Tzolk'in gear advances one more day after the end-of-Age-2 scoring and before the final scoring. This might push workers off the gears, which could affect the tiebreaker. Monuments have effects that apply only at the end of the game. These effects are depicted on the tile. You may construct more than one monument. If no worker was placed on the Starting Player Space this turn, take 1 corn from the bank and put it on the current tooth of the Tzolk'in gear. On the other hand, if there is a worker on the Starting Player Space, the rules for advancing the calendar are different. If this sounds deceptively simple, that’s because it is. However, since this is a very well thought-out and challenging board game, there are complications. Perhaps I need to invest in some jade paint to spice up the gears, they are a plain pale beige color, and though they are slightly textured with some design, they definitely dull down the otherwise beautiful board.Brown-orange Food Days occur at the middle of an age. These happen at the one-quarter and threequarter marks of the game. Example: When feeding workers, this player pays 3 corn. Two of her workers require 0 corn, and the others require only 1 corn each. If you receive the privilege of climbing one step on a temple on which you can go no higher, that privilege is wasted. In case of a tie, whoever has the most workers left on the gears wins. If it is still a tie, then all tied players win. Some buildings provide an immediate, one-time bonus. Others, called farms, provide a benefit every time you feed your workers. Single-Use Buildings

At the start of your turn, if you have 2 or fewer corn, you may beg for corn. To beg for corn, discard all your corn and take 3 from the bank (i.e., take corn from the bank until you have exactly 3). Your foolishness angers the gods and you must step down on one of the three temples. Rare Special Case: At the beginning of your turn, if you have no workers on the gears, then you must place workers. And if you do not have enough corn to place a worker, then you must beg for corn. But if you are already at the bottom step of every temple, then you cannot beg for corn. Do not worry. In this situation, the gods will take pity on you and allow you to place exactly 1 worker. You place the worker on an action space with the lowest possible cost and give all your corn to the bank. Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar is a worker placement game for 2-4 players that plays in about 90 minutes. We’ve found that Tzolk’in will play well with any number of players but plays best with 4. Game Overview: The main board in Tzolk’in consists of 5 gears connected to a large central gear. To place a worker, choose a gear and put one of your available workers on the lowest-numbered unoccupied action space. (The lowest action space is 0).Four teeth on the Tzolk'in gear are marked as Food Days. When the gear turns so that the arrowhead points to a Food Day (or when a player uses the privilege of the Starting Player Space to skip over a Food Day) the new round is a Food Day. The numbers on the Tzolk'in gear tell you how many days you have until the next Food Day. Average in this game. Moves you take before someone else take options away from them since you are playing on a shared board. So there is bound to be some lamentations. And other conversation that naturally occurs during game time. When you construct a building, you must deal a new building to replace it at the end of your turn. The new building is from the current age. If all current-age buildings have already been dealt, then the space is left blank. Advance the calendar. Advance the central Tzolk'in gear - usually only one day. If a worker is on the Starting Player Space, the Starting Player Marker changes hands at this time.

The upper right number is the bonus at the end of the game. If multiple players are tied as highest on a temple, all tied players receive half the bonus. Feed the Workers Each players must pay 2 corn for each worker they have in play (on a gear or in front of you) with the exception for any farms you own. You must feed as many workers as you have corn for. Associated with the Palenque gear are groups of four spaces representing fields in the jungle that can be cleared and farmed. Place one Corn Harvest Tile on each field.

Food Days

I’ve spent a good amount to time talking about issues with Tzolk’in, but I don’t want to give the impression that it’s a bad game, far from it. Tzolk’in is a really good game with a creative new mechanic. The strategy can run deep, really deep. I find myself working in big chunks of turns, planning out moves far in advance, and then planning what actions those moves will allow me to do. I also love all the different paths to victory I can take. I’ve played Tzolk’in quite a few times and rarely has any of the games played out the same. Tzolk’in will let you jump around the board, trying different strategies, and see which one works the best for you that particular game. Some games have a clear path to victory and it’s a race to see who can get there first, not so in Tzolk’in. This level of depth and strategy is going to appeal to a lot of people.