Objective of the Game

In "Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar", players take on the roles of different Mayan tribes competing to gain the favor of the gods through strategic worker placement and the construction of buildings and monuments. The aim is to accumulate the most victory points by the end of the game.

Setup

The board features a central gear surrounded by five smaller gears representing different Mayan areas (Planning, Agriculture, Woodcutting, Quarry, Gold Mine, and Construction). Each player begins with a set number of workers and resources, as well as player boards and scoring markers.

Game Flow

Round Structure

Each round consists of two main phases: 1. Placing or Retrieving Workers: - Players can either place some of their workers on the gears or retrieve previously placed workers. Placing workers requires a corn fee per worker. - When retrieving workers, players perform the action of the space the worker currently occupies. The longer a worker stays on a gear, the stronger the actions they can perform. 2. Advancing the Central Gear: - At the end of each round, the central gear is rotated one space, moving all the workers on it forward. The game ends after a full rotation of the central gear.

Resources and Actions

• Corn is the basic currency needed to place and retrieve workers.
• Wood, Stone, and Gold are used to construct buildings and monuments.
• Players can perform additional actions to enhance technologies or gain the favor of the gods for extra moves or victory points.

Buildings and Monuments

Players can utilize their workers to construct buildings or monuments that provide one-time or ongoing benefits as well as victory points.

Strategic Considerations

• Long-term Planning: Since the gear cycle is continual, it's crucial to strategically plan worker placements and retrieves to maximize benefits.
• Flexibility: Adapt to opponents and the evolving game state by continuously adjusting your strategy, for example by finding alternative resource acquisition methods.
• Balanced Resource Management: Ensure steady resource availability to maintain versatile actions on the board.

Game End and Scoring

The game concludes after the central gear completes a full rotation. Players tally their victory points based on: - Constructed buildings and monuments - Achieved temple honors - Bonus points from technologies - Remaining corn and resources