Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar

2012

Step into the world of the Mayans in 'Tzolkin: The Mayan Calendar'. Use corn as currency, place workers on rotating gears, perform strategic actions, and please the gods for victory.

90
minutes

2 - 4
player(s)

13+

Medium Heavy

About the game

Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar is an immersive and meticulously designed board game that plunges you into the heart of Mayan civilization. The game is a testament to the ingenious calendar system the Mayans used, and it mirrors the cyclical flow of time, seasons, and the cultivation of crops, which were integral parts of Mayan life.

The game is set amidst the rich and vivid backdrop of Mayan culture and civilization. You, as a player, are transported to an era where you lead your tribe, strategize your growth, and compete with other tribes to gain the favor of the gods. The game board is a splendid array of interlocking gears representing the Tzolk’in – the Mayan Calendar – that adds dynamism to the gameplay.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar is a strategic board game that offers a unique twist with its innovative gear system. Here, we’ll describe each component of the game and explain its function and interaction within the gameplay.

1. Game Board: The game board is the main component of the game. It features six large gears that interlock in the center. Each gear represents a different Mayan city, and the giant central gear represents the Tzolk’in calendar. Players will place their workers on these gears, and as the gears rotate, the workers move to different action spots on the gears.

2. 64 Wooden Cubes: These cubes are divided equally into four colors (red, green, black, and white), representing the resources in the game: food, wood, stone, and gold. Players will collect these resources to advance their civilization, build buildings, and earn points.

3. 4 Player Boards: Each player receives a player board in their chosen color. This board helps players organize their resources, workers, and technology levels. It also includes a summary of the game’s scoring rules.

4. 24 Workers: There are six workers in each of the four player colors. Players will place these workers on the gears in the game to perform actions. The position of the worker on the gear determines the action they can perform.

5. 28 Buildings and 4 Monuments: Each player has access to a set of seven buildings in their color, which they can build using resources. There are also four monument tiles in the game, which any player can build for additional points.

6. 65 Resource Tokens: These tokens represent the four types of resources (food, wood, stone, gold) that players can collect during the game. Players will spend these tokens to build buildings, advance their technology, and feed their workers.

7. 13 Crystal Skulls: Crystal skulls are special tokens that a player can place on the Chichen Itza gear to earn a significant number of points.

8. 4 Calendars: The calendar is an important aspect of the game. It keeps track of the rounds and triggers certain events during gameplay. Each player has a calendar to keep track of their individual progress.

9. 21 Starting Wealth Tiles: These tiles determine the starting resources and workers for each player. At the start of the game, each player chooses one of these tiles to establish their initial setup.

10. Technology Tracks: There are four different technology tracks on the main game board, each representing a different type of technology: agriculture, resource extraction, construction, and theology. Players can advance on these tracks to gain various benefits and earn points.

11. God Tracks: The three god tracks on the main game board represent the three Mayan gods: the God of Corn, the God of Rain, and the God of the Sun. Players can gain favor with these gods to earn points and other benefits.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar is a strategic board game that takes you back in time to the world of the Mayans. Follow these steps to correctly set up the game:

Step 1: Place the Main Board

Position the main board in the center of the playing area. Ensure that the gears are correctly installed and that the central Tzolk’in gear is able to turn all the smaller gears.

Step 2: Setup the Player Boards

Every player should choose a color and take a player board, 3 workers (in the chosen color), 13 markers (with the same color), and 1 player marker. The player board is placed in front of each player and the player marker is placed on the scoring track of the main board.

Step 3: Setup the Starting Resources

Each player places their three workers on their player board and sets their resource markers at the starting levels indicated on their player board. Typically, this includes 2 corn and 3 wood.

Step 4: Place the Buildings and Monuments

Shuffle the building tiles and divide them into two roughly equal stacks. Then, place these stacks on the two building spaces on the main board. Do the same with the monument tiles, but place them on the monument spaces.

Step 5: Setup the Technology Tracks

Each player places a marker of their color on the first (leftmost) space of each of the four technology tracks on the main board.

Step 6: Determine the Starting Player

Determine the starting player randomly. That player takes the starting player token.

Step 7: Prepare the Resource Bank

Sort the corn, wood, stone, gold, and crystal skull tokens into separate piles to form the resource bank. Place the bank within reach of all players.

Step 8: Setup the Gods’ Favor

Shuffle the corn tiles and place one face up on each of the 8 spaces of the Gods’ Favor display. The remaining corn tiles form a face-down stack next to the display.

Step 9: Prepare the Calendar

Rotate the central Tzolk’in gear so that the marker points to the first (gray) space of the Tzolk’in calendar track. The game is now ready to play!

Remember, the goal of Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar is to please the gods and accumulate the most points through building, harvesting, and advancing on the technology tracks. Good luck and may the gods favor your civilization!

Game flow Round and round we go

‘Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar’ is a complex strategy board game that relies on worker placement and time management. The game is set over a series of rounds, each representing a day on the Mayan calendar. During each round, players will take turns placing workers on gears, advancing gears, and performing actions associated with the positions of their workers on the gears. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how the rounds and phases work.

Each round in Tzolk’in consists of two major phases:

Player Turns
Advancing the Gears

Player Turns:

During the Player Turns phase, players take turns in clockwise order. On each turn, a player must choose to either place one or more workers on the lowest available spots on the gears or to remove one or more workers from the gears. The worker placement and removal actions are detailed as follows:

Placing workers: When placing a worker, a player must pay corn equal to the number of workers they are placing plus the value of the spot on which they are placing a worker. For example, placing a worker on the third spot of a gear would cost three corn. Players may place workers on any number of gears, but they must all be placed at once.
Removing workers: When removing a worker, a player performs the action associated with the gear from which the worker is removed. The actions can include gathering resources, advancing on the temples, constructing buildings, and more. The action is determined by the symbol on the spot from which the worker is removed. If a player removes multiple workers, they may perform the actions in any order.

Advancing the Gears:

After all players have taken their turns, the central gear is advanced one space, causing all the workers on the gears to also advance one space. This represents the passage of time, with each worker getting closer to the more powerful spaces on each gear.

After the gears are advanced, the food days and preparation days are checked. If the central gear’s marker reaches a food day, players must feed their workers. If it reaches a preparation day, players prepare for the coming age, which can grant them bonuses based on their progress on the temples.

Once the central gear has made a full rotation, the game ends. Players then tally their points from buildings, monuments, the temples, and leftover resources. The player with the most points wins.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

In ‘Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar’, each player’s turn is divided into two main phases: the Worker Placement Phase and the Gear Rotation Phase. Below, we’ll delve into each phase, detailing possible actions, strategic choices, and their impact on gameplay.

Worker Placement Phase

A player may either place one or more workers on the lowest available spaces of the gears or remove one or more workers from the gears. However, they cannot do both in the same turn.

Placing Workers: A player may place any number of their available workers on the gears. The cost of placing a worker depends on the number of workers the player decides to place on that turn. For example, placing one worker is free, placing two workers costs one corn, three workers costs three corn, and so on. The strategic choice here lies in determining when to place workers and how many to place based on the available resources.
Removing Workers: A player may also choose to remove one or more of their workers from the gears. When a worker is removed, the player can perform the action of the space where the worker was located. These actions can include gathering resources, advancing on the technology track, constructing buildings, and more. The strategic choice here lies in deciding when to remove workers to maximize the benefits of these actions.

Gear Rotation Phase

At the end of each round, the central gear (Tzolk’in gear) is rotated one tooth forward, which in turn rotates all the other gears, moving the workers to the next higher spaces. The strategic choice in this phase lies in timing worker placements and removals to take advantage of the most beneficial positions on the gears as they rotate.

There are also certain special actions, such as ‘Feeding your Workers’ and ‘Planning for the Future’ that players must consider:

Feeding your Workers: At certain points in the game, players must feed their workers by paying two corn per worker. Players must strategize to ensure they have enough corn to feed their workers, or they will lose points.
Planning for the Future: Players also have the opportunity to plan for future turns by placing a worker on the Chichen Itza gear, which provides benefits on future turns rather than immediate rewards. This offers a strategic choice between short-term gains and long-term planning.

The game ends after one full revolution of the central Tzolk’in gear, and points are tallied based on buildings constructed, advancements on the technology track, monuments built, and remaining resources. The player with the most points wins.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The game of ‘Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar’ ends after the completion of one full revolution of the Tzolk’in gear, which represents a full 260-day Mayan year. This usually occurs after 26 rounds of play. Once the Tzolk’in gear has completed its revolution, players finish the current round and then proceed to final scoring.

Victory Conditions:

The player with the most Victory Points (VP) at the end of the game is declared the winner. Victory Points can be earned throughout the game by constructing buildings and monuments, advancing on the temple paths, feeding your workers, and performing various other actions. However, it is important to note that VP can also be lost for failing to feed your workers or for any remaining resources.

Final Scoring:

At the end of the game, additional Victory Points are awarded based on the following criteria:

Monuments: Players earn Victory Points based on the specific conditions outlined on their monument cards. Each monument card has different requirements and corresponding VP values.
Temples: Players earn VP based on their advancement along the temple paths. The further along a path a player is, the more points they receive.
Tech Trees: Players can also earn VP from their position on the technology tracks. The higher the position, the more VP earned.
Resources: Finally, players lose 1 VP for each resource they have left over at the end of the game.

Actions before Final Scoring:

Before the final scoring, players must perform the following actions:

Feed Workers: Each player must feed their workers one last time. For each worker that cannot be fed, the player loses 3 Victory Points.
Advance Workers: Players advance their workers on the gears one last time. Any actions that can be performed as a result of this final advancement are performed immediately.
Return Workers: Players return all their workers from the gears to their personal supply.

Once these actions have been performed, the final scoring can take place and the player with the most Victory Points can be declared the winner.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In the board game Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar, players accumulate points throughout the game in various ways, and the player with the highest total points at the end of the game wins. Below is a detailed explanation of how points are awarded:

During the Game:

Building Monuments and Buildings: Players can earn points by building monuments and buildings. The number of points awarded is specified on the monument or building card.
Advancing on the Technology Tracks: Players can gain points by advancing on the technology tracks. The points obtained depend on the position on the track.
Feeding Workers: Although not a source of points in itself, failing to feed workers results in a point penalty.
Performing Rituals: Players can score points through performing rituals at the Chichen Itza wheel. The points awarded depend on the level of the player’s token on the temple of the corresponding color.

End of the Game:

At the end of the game, additional points are awarded as follows:

Monuments: Many monuments give players bonus points based on certain conditions.
Resources: Players score points for their remaining resources. The conversion rate is 1 point for every 4 resources.
Crystal Skulls: Any crystal skulls left unused in a player’s possession are worth 3 points each.
Corn: Players receive 1 point for every 4 corn.

After all points are tallied, the player with the most points wins. In the event of a tie, the following tie-breaking rules apply:

The player with the most remaining resources (corn and wood combined) wins.
If there is still a tie, the player who has advanced furthest on the Avenue of the Dead wins.
If there is still a tie, the player with the most leftover workers wins.
If a tie still persists, the victory is shared.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

‘Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar’ is a strategy board game that incorporates a unique time-keeping mechanism. While the game’s rules are generally straightforward, there are some special rules, exceptions, and clarifications that players should be aware of.

1. Corn Rule: Corn is the currency of the game and can be used in several ways:

Feeding Workers: At the end of each quarter (every 4 rounds), players must feed each of their workers with 2 corns. Note that the Starting Player marker does not need to be fed.
Placing Workers: Players must pay corn equal to the number of workers they already have on the gears when they place a new worker on a gear.

2. Feeding Workers Exception: If a player does not have enough corn to feed their workers, they lose 3 points per unfed worker. They do not remove the unfed workers from the game.

3. Resource Gathering: Players should remember that they cannot gather resources if the corresponding gear space is empty. The resource cubes must be physically present on the gear space for a player to gather them.

4. Monument Building Rule: Monuments provide special abilities or end-game scoring opportunities. However, each player can only build each monument once.

5. Chichen Itza Rule: The Chichen Itza gear is unique in that it allows players to gain crystal skulls. However, players should note that once a crystal skull is placed on Chichen Itza, it cannot be removed, even if the player loses the game.

6. Last Round Rule: On the last round of the game, players cannot place workers. They can only retrieve workers and perform the associated actions.

7. Scoring Clarification: Points are scored for buildings and monuments built, corn and resources at the end of the game, advancements on the technology tracks, and for workers on the gears at the end of the game. Remember that scoring for buildings and monuments is immediate, while scoring for the other aspects is done at the end of the game.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies for ‘Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar’

1. Worker Placement Strategy: In Tzolk’in, the strategic placement of your workers is key. Since the wheels turn only in one direction, it is important to plan your moves ahead.

Place your workers in a manner that they get to the most valuable spots at the right time.
Anticipate your opponents’ moves and try to block their path whenever possible.

2. Resource Management: Efficient management of resources such as corn, wood, stone, and gold is crucial.

Try to gather as much corn as possible in the early game as it is needed to feed your workers and acquire new ones.
Stone and wood are essential for building, so keep an ample stock of them.
Gold is versatile and can substitute for other resources, so don’t ignore it.

3. Monument Building: Building monuments can give you a significant amount of points, especially in the endgame.

Plan your monument building from the start and gather the necessary resources.
Try to build the monuments that align with your strategy to maximize points.

Beginner Tips

1. Understanding the Game Mechanics: Before diving into the game, it’s important to understand its unique mechanics.

Practice a few rounds to familiarize yourself with the wheel’s movements and the action spots.
Understand the importance of each resource and how to acquire them.

2. Starting Strategy: As a beginner, focus on acquiring more workers and corn. This will give you more flexibility in your moves and ensure that you don’t starve your workers.

3. Experiment: Don’t be afraid to try different strategies. Each game is unique and what works in one game might not work in another.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Ignoring Corn: Corn is the most essential resource in the game. Ignoring it can lead to starvation of your workers, hindering your progress.

2. Not Planning Ahead: Since the wheels turn only in one direction, not planning your moves ahead can lead to missed opportunities.

3. Overlooking Monuments: Monuments can give you a lot of points, especially in the late game. Ignoring them can cost you the game.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay

1. Efficient Worker Placement: Place your workers in such a way that you can take multiple actions in a single turn.

2. Resource Diversification: Don’t focus on just one resource. Diversify your resource acquisition to maximize your options.

3. Strategic Monument Building: Plan your monument building from the start and build those that align with your strategy.