Mayan Curse Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Objective
• Rounds & Turns
  • Step 1: Draw
  • Step 2: Turns
  • Sliding Slabs
  • Moving
  • Transitions
  • Discovering Stelae
  • Using Your Backpack
  • Step 2c: Discarding Sacred Stones
  • Step 3: Boulders
  • Sealing the Entrance
  • Step 4: End Round
• Reaching the Temple & Returning
  • Leaving the Passage
  • Sliding Temple Slabs
  • Moving on the Temple
  • Reaching the Top
  • Making It Back
• End of the Game
• Solo Mode
  • Difficulty Level
  • Gameplay
  • Solo Scenarios

Components

• 1 Temple Board
• 6 Circular Temple Slab Tiles
• 2 River Boards
• 3 Transition Boards
• 16 Passage Slab Tiles
• 6 Camera Tokens
• 6 Adventurer Meeples
• 20 Sacred Stones (16 single, 4 dual)
• 60 Stelae Tokens (25 brown, 23 gray, 12 beige)
• 1 Sacred Purse (bag)
• 6 Backpack Cards
• 3 Boulder Cubes
• 6 Boulder Trigger Tokens
• First Player Token

Setup

1. BOARDS: Connect the 3 transition boards, 2 river boards, and temple board as shown, so the entrance and temple are at opposite ends of the play area.

2. TEMPLE: Stack the 6 temple slabs on the temple board, from largest to smallest. Rotate them such that the black dots are aligned with each other, and 3 of the paths line up with the connected transition board (it does not matter which 3).

3. PASSAGE: Cover the 2 river boards with passage slabs as instructed below. Lay out the slabs in rows, with their symbols face up, and the small dot or dot-marker at one end on the right of the passage (looking from the entrance).

   • a. Place the slab with 1 dot in the first row of the first river (next to the entrance), and the slab with 2 dots in the second row.
   • b. Shuffle the remaining 14 passage slabs. Finish covering the first river board with 5 random slabs, then cover the second board with 9 random slabs.

4. STELAE IN PASSAGE: There are 3 types of stelae that can be discovered along the passage to the temple. Brown stelae are found near the entrance, gray stelae are found deeper in, and beige stelae are found near the temple.

   First, flip all stelae so their knowledge values are face down and mix them up. Then use the table below to place the correct number of stelae for your player count along the passage. Each time you place a stela, randomly choose 1 of the correct type and place it on the indicated space, looking at its knowledge value. If you are told to place 1 stela per slab, alternate placing them in the leftmost and rightmost shaded spaces as you go down the passage (it doesn't matter if the first stela is left or right). If you are told to place 2 stelae per slab, place them in the leftmost and rightmost shaded spaces.

Objective

Explore the secret passage to the ancient temple, collect the most knowledge, and escape before you're trapped forever!

Each round, you'll draw 3 magical sacred stones from the bag, then slide the ancient stone floor to try and create a safe path of the matching symbols. The longer the path you make, the further you can move toward the temple.

As you traverse deeper, you'll discover stelae (Mayan monuments, singular "stela") that increase your knowledge (which is what you need to win). But the greatest secret waits for you at the very top of the temple, that is, if you can reach it and get back to the entrance in time. If all 3 of the temple's boulders reach the entrance before you return, you'll be sealed inside forever, and none of your knowledge will matter!

"The Spirits will guide the Chosen One on the correct path. All others will not be so fortunate."

Rounds & Turns

The game is made up of rounds. Each round has the following 3 steps.

1. DRAW: Each player draws 3 sacred stones from the sacred purse.
2. TURNS: In turn order, each player takes 1 turn to do the following, in order:
   • a. Slide up to 3 slabs.
   • b. Move using their 3 sacred stones.
   • c. Discard all their sacred stones.
3. BOULDERS: Check whether any boulders are released.
4. END ROUND: Pass the first player token clockwise and start the next round.

Step 1: Draw

At the start of each round, each player draws a new hand of 3 sacred stones from the sacred purse. You may look at your stones but should keep them secret from other players until you play them.

Step 2: Turns

Each player takes 1 turn per round, starting with the first player and going clockwise. You must take the 3 steps of your turn in order (as detailed below). You may also flip your backpack card once per game to use 1 of the 4 items listed on it. (Pg. 7)

Sliding Slabs

At the start of your turn, you may slide 1 or more slabs up to 3 spaces total, in either direction. You can use all 3 slides on 1 slab, or split them up over different slabs. You don't need to use all 3 slides if you don't want to.

You can only slide a slab you currently occupy or plan to move onto in the next step of your turn. You can not slide a slab if you can not reach it.

Example: Red slides their slab 1 space left and another slab 2 spaces right to line up the dog symbols in front of themselves.

IMPORTANT NOTES: SLIDING

• THE RIVER: No slab can ever slide further than 3 spaces off the board in either direction. If sliding a slab any further would expose the river in the middle of a board, you may not continue sliding in that direction.
• OTHER ADVENTURERS: You can slide a slab with another adventurer on it, as long as you are also on it or plan to move onto it.
• COMMITTING TO A SLIDE: Once you've started a legal slide, you must finish it and count it as 1 of your 3 slides. You may not change your mind once you've started moving a slab.
• FINISH SLIDING BEFORE MOVING: You must use all of your slides before you start moving your adventurer. Once you start moving, you can not use any more slides.

Moving

Once you've finished sliding, you can use your 3 sacred stones to move your adventurer. Each stone allows you to move in a straight line through any number of spaces that have the matching symbol.

You can use your 3 stones in any order. You can also use any 2 stones together as a wild (allowing you to move along a path of any 1 symbol). You don't have to use all your stones, but you must discard all of them at the end of your turn, including ones you have not used.

IMPORTANT NOTES: MOVEMENT

• NO DIAGONALS: You can move straight forward, back, or sideways, but never diagonally.
• DUAL SYMBOLS: There are 4 sacred stones with 2 symbols (one on each side). Whenever you use one of these, you may choose which of its 2 symbols you use.
• OTHER ADVENTURERS: You can move through or end on spaces occupied by other adventurers.
• DON'T FALL OFF: The spaces on the river board underneath the slabs are impassable.
• BOULDERS: As part of a move, you may jump over a boulder with a symbol on top that matches your sacred stone. The trigger-token symbol is wild, and you may jump over it during any move (Pg. 8). However, you may not end your turn on top of a boulder.

Transitions

The 3 transition boards are made up of spaces without symbols. At any time during your Move step, you can freely move through any number of blank spaces on a transition board, without using any sacred stones.

However, once you enter a transition board, you must use a new sacred stone to move into the next space with a symbol (even if it is the same as the one you just left). You can not use a single stone to both enter and leave a transition board.

Discovering Stelae

Whenever you enter a space with a stela during your move, remove it from the board and keep it in front of you. You may look at the bottom of the stela at any time to see how much knowledge you've gained, but keep it secret from other players (face down in front of you) until the end of the game.

Whenever you discover a gray or beige stela, remove 1 trigger token from the leftmost boulder that still has tokens on it. If there are no tokens left on a boulder, it will be released at the end of the round! (Pg. 8)

Each type of stela has a range of possible knowledge values:

• Brown: 1-4 knowledge
• Gray: 2-5 knowledge
• Beige: 3-6 knowledge

Using Your Backpack

Your backpack contains 4 useful items you can use during any turn you take. However, you can only use one of them each game! When you do, flip your backpack card over to show you can not use it again.

If you do not use your backpack, you score an extra 2 knowledge at the end of the game.

• MACHETE: Use 1 sacred stone as a wild (instead of 2).
• MAP: Before you slide, jump to any space on the slab you're standing on. The Map may not be used in the temple.
• COMPASS: Before you slide, move to any adjacent space (including diagonal spaces). The Compass may not be used in the temple.
• ELIXIR: Make 1 extra slide this turn (4 total).

Step 2c: Discarding Sacred Stones

At the end of your turn, you must discard all 3 of your sacred stones, whether or not you used them. Return them directly to the sacred purse. Make sure to shake up the bag before players draw again.

Step 3: Boulders

After each player has taken a turn, each boulder that has no trigger tokens left on top of it tumbles towards the entrance. Tumble each boulder one at a time, in order from closest to furthest from the entrance. If multiple boulders are the same distance from the entrance, trigger them from left to right.

Each time you tumble a boulder, look at the symbol on top of it, then find the closest space with the matching symbol that is between the boulder and the entrance (if multiple symbols are closest, choose the one closer to the entrance). Tumble the boulder to that space, traveling first in a straight line towards the entrance, then left or right as needed.

NOTE: One trigger token is removed each time a gray or beige stela is discovered (Pg. 7). All remaining trigger tokens are removed when someone reaches the temple transition board (Pg. 11).

Examples: (1) Players tumble the boulders at the end of the round. One boulder is already in the passage, so it tumbles first. Although there is a matching symbol 2 spaces away, it must tumble to a symbol that is between it and the entrance. (2) Next, one of the boulders is released from the central board. Although there is a matching symbol on the far right of the first slab, the symbol on the second slab is closer (fewer spaces away). (3) The final boulder still has trigger tokens left, so it doesn't tumble (yet!).

Sealing the Entrance

When a boulder tumbles, if it is closer to the edge of the entrance transition board than it is to its closest matching symbol, it instead tumbles directly onto the transition board, then continues tumbling to any space marked with a trigger-token symbol at the edge of the board. It remains there for the rest of the game.

Whenever a boulder reaches the entrance this way, reset the first 7 slabs of the passage (on the 1st river board) so they are flush with the entrance board.

Once all 3 boulders have blocked the marked entrance spaces, the entrance is sealed and the game ends immediately! (Pg. 11)

Example: This boulder is 5 spaces from the nearest matching symbol, but only 3 spaces from the entrance board. It will tumble to the entrance board, then continue until it blocks the entrance.

IMPORTANT NOTES: BOULDERS

• WILD SYMBOL: If the trigger-token symbol is on top of a boulder, it tumbles to the closest space on the next slab and stops. Most of the time it will only tumble 1 space (a), but if there is no slab immediately in front of it, it may need to travel sideways first (b). While moving your adventurer, you may treat the trigger-token symbol as any symbol (Pg. 5).
• ADVENTURERS: If a boulder enters a space with an adventurer, they swap spaces with the boulder.
• STELAE: If a boulder enters a space with a stela, it is crushed and removed from the game without revealing the value on the bottom.
• OBSTACLES: If a boulder's path is blocked by an empty space or another boulder while it is moving towards the entrance, the boulder will tumble sideways to get around the obstacle. However, if it is blocked while moving sideways along a slab, it will stop (since it would have to move away from the entrance while moving around the obstacle, which it can never do).

Step 4: End Round

Once all boulders have finished tumbling, pass the first player token to the next player clockwise and start a new round by drawing sacred stones.

Reaching the Temple & Returning

At the end of the passage lies your final challenge, ascending the temple. But remember, you must get back before the passage is sealed, or you'll be trapped forever!

Leaving the Passage

The temple transition board at the end of the passage works like other transition boards (Pg. 6), except that the first time a player reaches it, they must immediately remove all trigger tokens left on the boulders. This releases all remaining boulders at the end of the round! (Pg. 8)

Sliding Temple Slabs

During the Slide Slabs step of your turn, you may rotate temple slabs instead of sliding passage slabs, as long as you can reach them during your Move step. Unlike passage slabs, when you rotate a temple slab, all slabs on top of it also rotate!

Temple slabs can be rotated in either direction. Once you start rotating a temple slab, you must continue rotating it until it lines up with the slab below it (this counts as a single slide). You can use your slides on both passage and temple slabs in the same turn. All other rules for sliding apply to temple slabs.

Example: Red is on the 2nd layer of the temple. They use their 3 slides to rotate the 3rd layer 1 space clockwise, then rotate the 4th layer 2 spaces counterclockwise.

Moving on the Temple

You can move up the temple the same way you move down the passage. However, spaces on the same temple layer are not adjacent to each other, so you can not move between them; once you're on the temple, you can only move straight up or down. When you enter a space with a stela, you discover it as you would on a slab (Pg. 7).

Reaching the Top

If you reach the top of the temple, claim the camera token (to represent taking a picture of the secret city!). This will be worth 15 knowledge at the end of the game. Then replace it with another camera token that was set aside, if there are any remaining. (Each player can only claim 1 camera.)

The blank space at the top of the temple works the same as a transition board (Pg. 6); once you've reached the top, you must use a new sacred stone to start moving back down.

Making It Back

Whether or not you reach the top of the temple, you must make it back to the entrance before it is sealed by all 3 boulders, otherwise your newfound knowledge is all for nothing!

You can turn around and start heading back at any point during the game. Moving towards the entrance is the same as moving towards the temple (and you can still learn from stelae on the way). Once you reach the entrance board, remove your adventurer from the board. Your turn is skipped for the rest of the game.

End of the Game

The game ends when all players have returned to the entrance or all 3 entrance spaces are sealed by boulders.

Each player who escaped reveals the knowledge on their stelae and counts up their total. They add +15 knowledge if they have a camera token and +2 knowledge if they haven't used their backpack. The player with the most knowledge wins!

If the passage was sealed, anyone who did not escape doesn't get to count their knowledge and can not win. If no one makes it back, the temple wins!

If there is a tie for most knowledge, the tied player who discovered the most stelae wins. If there's still a tie, victory is shared.

Solo Mode

When playing solo, you have to earn enough knowledge to return as the top authority on the ancient city.

Difficulty Level

Before setting up the game, choose a difficulty level from the table below. This determines how much knowledge you need to escape with in order to win the game. In order to win the game, you must collect at least the required amount of knowledge and escape!

We recommend you start on "normal," then move on to a higher difficulty once you're ready for a greater challenge, or down to "easy" if you find it too challenging.

Difficulty	Knowledge needed
Easy	20 knowledge
Normal	25 knowledge
Adventurer	28 knowledge
Thrill Seeker	30+ knowledge (must include camera)

Gameplay

Once you've chosen a difficulty, set up the game for 1 player, following the rules starting on (Pg. 2). Play through the game as normal, with the following 2 exceptions:

• SLIDING: Since you have no other adventurers to contend with, you may move any slabs with your 3 slides (they do not have to be slabs you intend to move onto).
• BOULDERS: During setup, place 2 trigger tokens on the leftmost boulder and 1 trigger token each on the center and rightmost boulders. When you collect gray or beige stelae, do not remove trigger tokens. Instead, remove 1 trigger token at the end of each turn. Any boulders with no trigger tokens at the end of a turn begin tumbling.

Solo Scenarios

If you are looking for even more of a challenge, you can try to beat these 12 scenarios in order:

1. Escape with 22+ knowledge and at least one beige stela
2. Escape with 25+ knowledge without using your backpack
3. Escape with 30+ knowledge
4. Escape with 25+ knowledge before 2 boulders reach the entrance
5. Escape with a camera but NO stelae
6. Escape with 30+ knowledge without using your backpack
7. Escape with 20+ knowledge before any boulder reaches the entrance
8. Escape with 28+ knowledge but NO camera
9. Escape with all brown stelae in the passage (excluding those on the temple) and 28+ knowledge
10. Escape with all gray and beige stelae in the passage (may exclude ones on temple)
11. Escape with 35+ knowledge
12. Escape with all beige stelae and the camera