Tabu: The Game of Aztecs
Tabu: The Game of Aztecs Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
The box contains: a board representing the pyramid of sacrifices, with taboo areas on the corners and stairs along the sides; 36 pieces of four different colours (one per player) with the symbols of the Vergins, the Priests and the Foot-soldiers printed on them. A square network is printed on the map, in order to calculate movements.
The Aim of the Game
Players have to lead their Vergins pieces to the central square of the pyramid, where the sacrificial altar is. The first player reaching the altar is the winner.
The Pieces of the Game
Each player owns one piece of the Vergin, 3 pieces of the Priests and 5 pieces of the Foot-soldiers. These pieces are all different from one another, both for their way of moving and for their functions. Let us examine them one by one:
Virgins
They have to be lead to the sacrificial altar. They move by one or two squares on a straight line, horizontally, vertically or diagonally. They cannot eat other pieces; if one of them is eaten, the player owning her would be eliminated. They climb the pyramid starting directly from the taboo areas of their same colour.
Priests
Their task is to help the Virgins to climb the pyramid, by occupying taboo areas the Virgins will have to cross. They can move up to 7 squares on a straight line, horizontally, vertically or diagonally; they can eat or be eaten by other pieces. The only means they have got to climb the pyramid are the stairs of their same colour.
Foot-soldiers
They have no particular functions. They can move up to 5 squares on a straight line, horizontally, vertically or diagonally; like the Priests, they can eat or be eaten by other pieces. Also for them, the only means for climbing the pyramid are the stairs of their same colour.
How to Play
Players' turns of movement are assigned by agreement or by lot. Then, the players place their pieces on the farther taboo areas, on the corresponding squares. After this, the real game starts. At each turn, the player must move only one piece; he can neither make it go over nor place it on other pieces of his.
As already seen, apart from Virgins pieces, all the pieces are allowed to climb the pyramid only through the stairs of their same colour, with no limitations in movement. Taboo areas can be gone over only by pieces of the same colour; consequently, a piece placed on one of such areas cannot be eaten by other pieces. The action of eating a piece is carried out as in the game of chess, leading one's piece to the square occupied by the opponent one wants to eliminate.
Eating other pieces is never compulsory. The altar square can never be gone over.
How Virgins Can Reach the Altar
As already seen, for reaching the altar Virgins must not use the stairs, but they climb the pyramid directly from the corners where taboo areas are. However, they can enter a taboo area only if at least one Priest of their same colour is occupying it; after the Virgin gets into the taboo area, the Priest may even leave it. As for the highest taboo area, formed by only one square, the Virgin will be superimposed on the Priest occupying it.