IYE

About this board game

IYE is a two-player strategy game played in about 30 minutes, in which rival Shaman candidates gather nature spirits and vie to become their clan’s next spiritual leader.

Players move the Shaman’s drum across the game board, calling the İye—nature spirits from the animist mythologies of Central Asia. The İye inhabit different things and are believed to protect them while holding extraordinary powers. Although the candidates compete, cooperation remains essential to building a bridge between people and the İye.

On each turn, choose between Natural Movement and İye Tile Movement. Natural Movement carries the drum one or two spaces vertically or horizontally. The drum cannot move diagonally or stop on an empty tile, though it may pass over empty spaces. Previously gathered İye Tiles can also be used to extend movement beyond what is naturally possible.

• The İye Tile reached by the drum is given to the opposing player.
• An İye used to power movement is spent and discarded, removing it from scoring.
• All discarded tiles remain visible to both players.

The cycle ends when only one İye Tile remains, or earlier if a player has no legal movement. If a player cannot move, the last player to move wins the cycle. Otherwise, each type of İye is scored separately: the player with the greater number of a type claims its points, while tied players receive none for that type.

In IYE, every movement shapes what your opponent receives. Success depends on calculating which spirit to leave behind, and deciding when an İye should lend a hand—or be saved for scoring.