Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar

I've already described quite a few games here, but I feel like it's time to get down and describe my favorite game. So far the only game I've scored 10 for. This is the innovative, serious, yet extremely elegant Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar . In the following paragraphs, I will also describe why I rate this game so highly.

Subject matter

The game is about the ancient Mayan civilization, specifically one year in the lives of the Mayans. Players each manage one tribe that does daily chores to improve their social status, technology, build buildings, but most importantly, please their gods. Although the game is very mechanical, the theme is palpable, which is rare in the gaming world.

Components

Shortly after we played Tzolk'in, one of my acquaintances said, "It's a beautiful game!". That's right, Tzolk'in on the table looks very bright, colorful and alive, but the colors are not too colorful and support mechanisms. Different color patterns are used very successfully, which helps to learn the game intuitively. Tzolk'in is about the quality of the components, the game could do with ordinary cards, cardboard chips. But instead, the game features very thick cardboard plates, wooden blocks, and absolutely gorgeous blue skulls. But the main component of the game is the base of the game, on which 6 connected, moving gears are mounted, which is also the main and most innovative mechanic in the game.

Mechanics

Actually, the actions are very simple, you either put your workers on one of the gears or remove them. But it matters where you put it on and when you take it off, because after each round the workers on the gear rotate forward. The further the workers have traveled, the stronger the action when removing them. In order to control this mechanic well, players need to seriously plan their timing and next moves. The main task is time management, because you have to understand when to put workers on top and when to take them off.

Different actions can be performed on each of the gears, one allows you to get corn, which is the main currency in the game, others to develop science, build buildings, make offerings to the gods and collect valuable resources. Tzolk'in is all about combos and efficiency, as there are only 26 rounds in total, which go by very quickly. In order to be successful in the game, you have to choose one direction in which you will work from the very beginning, then you have to move your brain thoroughly so that you can implement your strategy using the free spaces in the gears.

Multiplayer

Tzolk'in has very high multiplayer. Only a few temples are drawn in each game, indicating potential paths to victory, the houses appear in a different order, guaranteeing different situations. But the most important thing is that there is a lot of passive interactivity in the game, because there is a high possibility that someone will put his worker in the place that you have watched. But it rarely ruins your strategy, you just have to find other ways. In addition to multiplayer, Tzolk'in can be obtained with the "Tribes & Prophecies" expansion, which gives different abilities to each tribe, and also introduces a prophesy mechanic that makes certain things more expensive during certain periods, but if you meet the necessary criteria, you can get extra points. With the expansion, the multiplayer seems close to infinite. Also, Tzolk'in is very playable with 2, 3, 4 and even 5 players if there is an expansion.

Rating

Tzolk'in is an extremely deep, strategic game that forces you to think carefully, if you win, it's only because you know how to find and execute different combinations more successfully, but at the same time, it doesn't have a fixed, better or worse way to win, each game is different, and the only advantage experienced players have is that they know the rules better than they know which squares not to use. My rating is still 10 out of 10, but note that although the actions are simple, the game will make you really dig in and think, there will probably be a lot of silence in the last rounds, someone will be up and hard at the numbers, but the satisfaction of an effective hand is immeasurable .

Kristaps

You can buy the games in the Brain Games store at K.Barona Street 55 or in the online store:
Tzolk'in, The Mayan Calendar , Tzolk'in: Tribes & Prophecies

Game rating on BGG: 7.9

Images: Board Game Geek