How to Play Tikal

Introduction

Tikal is a strategy board game for 2-4 players. It was designed by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling and published by Ravensburger in 1999. The game is set in the jungles of Central America, where players compete to explore the jungle, collect resources, and build temples.

Let’s begin with some basics setting up the game and then we’ll go over the rules.

1. Set Up the Board:

• Place the Temple in the center of the board, and arrange the Game Board tiles around it, forming a circular area.
• Each player chooses a color and takes the corresponding set of Workers and Caravans.
• Arrange the Resource tiles face down in separate piles, placing them in the four corners of the board.
• Place the Treasure tiles and Actions tiles face down near the Temple.
• Set up the Difficulty piles by placing the corresponding number of tiles from each Resource pile face up on top of the tiles in the Temple area.

2. Game Objective:

• The goal of Tikal is to score the most victory points by exploring the jungle, collecting resources, trading, and constructing temples.

3. Gameplay Overview:

• On your turn, you can take one of three actions:
  • Explore: Place one of your Workers on an empty space on the game board and take the corresponding Resource tile.
  • Trade: Use your Caravans to trade resources for Treasure tiles or Actions tiles.
  • Build: Pay the required resources to build a temple on a space where you have a Worker.

4. Scoring:

• Each Resource tile you collect grants you victory points equal to the number shown on the tile.
• Treasure tiles grant you victory points according to their value.
• You can score additional victory points by constructing temples and completing Aktionen tiles.

5. End of the Game:

• The game ends when any of the following conditions are met:

  • All the Resource tiles have been collected.
  • All the Temple spaces are occupied.
  • All the Difficulty piles have been exhausted.

• Players calculate their final scores by adding up the victory points gained from Resource tiles, Treasure tiles, temples, and Actions tiles.

• The player with the highest score wins the game.

How to Play Tikal for Beginners:

• Start Simple: For your first few games, focus on exploring the jungle and collecting resources. This will help you build up your economy and gain a steady flow of victory points.
• Prioritize Trading: Trading is a powerful tool in Tikal. Use your Caravans to trade resources for Treasure tiles or Actions tiles that can provide you with valuable bonuses.
• Plan Your Temple Building Carefully: Temples can be expensive to build, so plan your construction carefully. Make sure you have the resources you need to complete a temple before you start building it.