Maya (2019)
Maya Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 game board (divided into four areas), each with a scoring matrix, temple space, temple area, score track, and border
- 13 temples
- 13 temple tiles
- 128 plantation tiles (32 tiles in each of the 4 player colours), with 1 or 2 crops of the 4 types: pepper, squash, potato, corn
- 4 scoring markers (1 in each of the 4 player colours)
- 12 border tiles (9x size 2, 3x size 1)
- 4 tile racks
Setup
- Place the game board in the middle of the table.
- Place the temple tiles and the temples next to the board.
- Place a temple tile on Tikal and place a temple on top of that tile.
- Each player chooses a player colour and receives in that colour:
- 32 tiles: shuffle your tiles and place them in front of you in face-down stacks. This is your personal supply.
- 1 scoring marker: place this on the 0 square of the score track on the game board.
- Each player receives a tile rack. Then each player draws 5 tiles from their personal supply and places them on their tile rack. Don't show the other players which crops are on these tiles.
- Choose a starting player.
2- or 3-player game
- Place all the components of the not used player colours (plantation tiles and scoring markers) back into the game box. These are not used in the game.
- Choose collectively which areas of the game board are used. The blue playing area (with Tikal) must always be used. In a 2-player game 1 extra area is used, in a 3 player game 2 extra areas are used.
- Use the border tiles to indicate the border of the playing area.
Objective
Players develop the land by creating plantations. In addition, they expand cities. Large cities earn you more points. When a city can no longer be expanded, it will be scored.
The player who has grown the most crops around the city will earn the most points. The player who has the most points at the end of the game is the winner.
Gameplay
The game is played in turns. The start player starts the game. Then play continues in clockwise order.
The player whose turn it is must perform 1 of these 2 actions:
A. Plant crops B. Expand a city
After that, a city may be scored.
A. Plant crops
Play 1 or more plantation tiles with the same crop (potato, pepper, corn or squash) from your tile rack to the game board.
Note: If a player does not have any tiles on their tile rack they cannot choose this action and must perform action B: Expand a city.
- A tile must always be placed adjacent to another tile (temple or plantation tile). It doesn't matter who owns that tile and/or which crop is depicted on it.
- Tiles can only be played on empty spaces on the game board.
- Plantation tiles may not be placed on temple spaces. When a player places a plantation tile adjacent to an empty temple space, a temple tile is immediately placed on that temple space with a temple on top of it.
- Tiles played in the same turn must be placed in a continuous group.
The player then scores points for the crops on the group of tiles they just played. If these tiles expand an existing group of tiles with the same crop that belong to the same player, the player instead scores points for all of the crops in this expanded group. Each crop is worth 1 point. Move the score marker of the player this number of spaces forward on the score track.
Important! Players do not refill the tiles on their tile rack at the end of their turn.
Example: Red plays 2 tiles with a total of 3 corn on them and scores 3 points. Red doesn't score for the corn belonging to Black.
Example: Red plays 2 tiles with corn on them. In doing so they expand an existing group of their own corn. They score 5 points.
Example: The plantation tile is placed adjacent to a temple space. A temple tile is immediately placed on that temple space with a temple on top of it.
Example: It is not allowed to place tiles in such a way in one turn, because in doing so it would create or expand two groups.
B. Expand a city
Place 1 tile from your tile rack face down on the game board to expand a city. Then take 3 tiles from your personal supply and place them on your tile rack.
Important! If a player has no tiles on their tile rack when performing this action, then they have to place a tile from their personal supply (without looking at it) face down on the game board. Then they only take 2 tiles from their personal supply.
- The tile must be placed on an empty space adjacent to a temple tile or an empty space adjacent to a face-down tile.
- All face down tiles and the temple tile together in a group form a city. Two cities can never be connected with each other. So, a city can never contain two temples.
- It is not allowed to place a face-down tile adjacent to an empty temple space.
Important! A player can never have more than 7 tiles on their tile rack. If a player has 6 tiles on their rack after placing a face-down tile to expand a city, they only take 1 tile. If a player has 5 tiles remaining, they only take 2 tiles.
Example: It is not possible to place a face down tile on these spaces, because either this space is not adjacent to a face down tile of a temple group (A), it connects two cities with each other (B) or is adjacent to an empty temple space (C).
Note: The temples are used to clearly indicate the cities on the game board, they serve no other function.
Scoring a City
When a city can no longer be expanded and is completely surrounded by any combination of plantation tiles, the edge of the game board and border tiles, it is immediately scored.
The total number of tiles in this city (face-down plantation tiles plus the temple tile) determines how many points are scored for this city.
- 1 tile: 0 points
- 2 tiles: 1st place: 6 points; 2nd place: 3 points
- 3 tiles: 1st place: 12 points; 2nd place: 6 points
- 4 tiles: 1st place: 20 points; 2nd place: 10 points
- 5 (or more) tiles: 1st place: 30 points; 2nd place: 15 points
The player with the most crops (regardless of type) on tiles directly adjacent to this city scores the points for first place. The player with the second most crops scores points for second place.
In case of a tie for first place, the points for first and second place are added together and divided between all the tied players (rounded up). Points for second place are not awarded.
Example: This city cannot be expanded further. This city has a size of 3 tiles. The red player has the most crops surrounding this city (5) and scores 12 points. The blue player is in second place with 4 crops and scores 6 points.
End of the Game
The game ends immediately at the end of the turn where a player places their last tile and they have no more tiles on their tile rack and no more tiles in their personal supply. Any city which is not completely surrounded is not scored.
The player with the most points wins the game.
In case of a tie for most points the tied player with the most tiles left on their tile rack and personal supply is the winner. If still tied, then the player who has played the least turns is the winner.
Variant: A New Beginning
During setup place the first temple tile on a temple space of your choice within the playing area.
The other rules of the game remain unchanged.
Variant: Two Cities
During setup place temple tiles on two temple spaces. Choose any two of the following four marked temple spaces: Tikal, Palenque, Uxmal and Coba.
The other rules of the game remain unchanged.