Balam

Balam Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components

33 site tiles and 1 large score-track tile. The tiles, placed side by side, make up the playing surface.
72 Katun cards. A Katun is a period of 20 years. As the deck is drawn, the Katuns follow one another, sometimes favourable and sometimes catastrophic.
4 king sheets. They store each king's pyramids and riches and recall some rule points.
52 large pyramids in 4 colours and 64 small pyramids to match. The large pyramids show who holds a site. The small pyramids show who holds the commercial control of a site.
99 double-sided building tiles of 4 types (8 different buildings: villages/garrisons, palaces/temples, markets/reserves, ball courts/observatories). The buildings fill the sites, which then become cities.
82 riches tokens of 6 types (30 yellow maize, 10 brown cacao, 8 blue shell, 8 green jade, 16 black obsidian, 10 red prisoner). Village buildings produce riches, and wars bring in prisoners.
4 six-sided dice. They are used to resolve conflicts.

Setup

Building the board

Site tiles are placed in a rectangle, either at random or according to the taste of the player who knows the rules, or by a player chosen at random.

By default, make a rectangle of 5 tiles by 6, setting aside the 3 tiles that have a red cross at their centre, and making sure the 4 "sea" tiles are placed in the corners.

Place the score track beside the board. You may choose whether or not to integrate it into the landscape.

With experience, you can build different boards of varying dimensions, using the other tiles and making different shapes. (See http://www.neuroludic.com/balam/variantes.html)

Building the card deck

Set aside the 5 "ball game" cards (blue background).

Set aside the 10 "prosperous Katun" cards (yellow background).

Set aside the "Eclipse" card (black background).

Shuffle the remaining cards carefully, then make 6 piles of roughly equal size.

Interleave the 5 ball games between these 6 piles, rebuilding a single pile.

Place the prosperous Katun cards, shuffled together, on top of this deck.

Finally, place the Eclipse card roughly in the middle of the deck.

Setting up the other elements

Each player takes a set of pyramids and a king sheet.

Each king takes 6 maize tokens (yellow), which he places on his personal sheet.

Each king places one large and one small pyramid on space 0 of the score track. They must be stacked on top of one another, with the large ones underneath. The large pyramids represent the tens of the score, and the small ones the units. The track therefore allows total scores from 1 to 99.

The riches tokens are placed near the board, as are the building tiles and the 4 dice.

Choosing the length of the game and the first player

The players must decide the length of the game, which depends on the draw of the ball games.

By default (about 10 rounds):

With 2 players, the game ends at the second ball game.
With 3 players, it ends at the third.
With 4 players, it ends at the fourth.

... but you may choose to shorten it (2 ball games minimum) or lengthen it (up to the fifth ball game) as you see fit.

The first player is the player to the left of the one who placed the site tiles.

Round Structure

A - Start of the round

NJ = number of players.

At the start of each round, (NJ+1) Katun cards are placed beside the board, face down.

Then the players may optionally practise divination. See 1 - DIVINATION.

The first player of the turn is the player seated to the left of the last person to have played.

B - Turns (clockwise)

On his turn, a player must choose an action:

Either pay 1 riches of his choice, then:
- Either Build. See 2 - CONSTRUCTIONS.
- Or Attack. See 3 - WARS.
- Or Pass his turn.
Or turn over a Katun card. See 4 - KATUN.

If the player has turned over the last of the Katun cards placed beside the board, the round ends immediately. Proceed to C.

Otherwise, turns continue. Proceed to B.

C - End of the round

The following procedures must be carried out one after the other, simultaneously by all players:

Production. See 5 - PRODUCTION.
Distribution (Transport / Equipment / Storage / Taxes / Ceremony). See 6 - DISTRIBUTION.

Clemency of Chaak, the god of rain: as long as the Eclipse card has not been drawn, each player gains 2 maize tokens at this precise moment.

If the number of ball games determined at the start of the game has been reached, the game ends at the end of this round. See 7 - END OF GAME.

Otherwise, a new round begins. Proceed to A.

1 - DIVINATION

Each player counts the number of observatories he possesses.

The player who holds the most may secretly look at NJ Katun cards (NJ = number of players), and the second player in this count may look at one.

In a tie between 2 players, they may look at only one card.

In a tie between 3 or 4 players, nobody looks at any card.

In a tie for second place between 2 or 3 players, they may look at no card.

Note: this way of resolving ties is the same for ball games.

2 - CONSTRUCTIONS

The king pays using his personal riches, those placed on his king sheet. Riches present on the playing surface (in reserves or garrisons) cannot be used for this.

A king may build on a site that belongs to him, or on a site that belongs to no one. He may build several buildings on the same site at once, but he may not build on several sites in the same turn.

When a new site is acquired, a large pyramid token must be placed at its centre, so that it is known to whom it belongs.

The king may equip and/or modify the site as he sees fit, within the sole limit of his means. For this he has 2 to 4 spaces (varying according to the site).

When modifying, it is possible to remove buildings free of charge and instantly, for example in order to build other buildings in their places. On the other hand, it is not permitted to move a building, even within the same site.

The palace and the temple each use 2 adjacent spaces; the other buildings use only one.

The 4 base buildings may be paid for with any type of riches, but the 4 other buildings require particular riches.

The village: each village produces 1 riches at the end of each round. See 5 - PRODUCTION. Cost: 1 riches of choice.
The palace: each palace allows the collection of 2 riches at the end of each round. See 6 - DISTRIBUTION - Taxes. Cost: 2 riches of choice.
The temple: each temple allows the sacrifice of 2 riches at the end of each round. See 6 - DISTRIBUTION - Ceremonies. Cost: 2 riches of choice.
The garrison: it allows the city to attack and defend. See 3 - WARS. Note: a garrison equipped with obsidian is more effective. See 6 - DISTRIBUTION - Equipment. Cost: 1 riches of choice.
The reserve / prison: it can store 1 riches of any type, to avoid losing it between 2 rounds. See 6 - DISTRIBUTION - Storage. Moreover, these reserves, once full, can be useful to the Mayas in case of catastrophe. See 4 - KATUN. Cost: 1 maize (yellow).
The market: it allows the king to gain influence over adjacent sites. When a market is built, one small pyramid of its colour is placed on the site, as well as on each neighbouring site (at the end of the paths), whether friendly, hostile or neutral. These small pyramids make it possible to control the circulation of goods. See 6 - DISTRIBUTION - Transport. If the player no longer has enough small pyramids, he cannot build a market. When a market is lost, the corresponding small pyramids must be removed. Cost: 1 cacao (brown).
The observatory: it allows secret consultation of the upcoming Katun cards during divinations. See 1 - DIVINATION. Cost: 1 jade (green).
The ball court: it allows the king to win ball games, which are triggered automatically. See 4 - KATUN. Cost: 1 shell (blue).

3 - WARS

The king may launch one and only one attack, from a single city containing at least one garrison, against a neighbouring enemy city (that is, at the end of the paths, whatever their length).

He decides how many garrisons he wishes to use in this assault. Of course, he cannot commit more garrisons than his city has. If some of these garrisons contain obsidian, the player may choose whether or not to put it into play. All obsidian used is instantly lost, whatever the outcome of the combat.

The defender, too, must choose whether or not to use the obsidian equipping the garrisons of his attacked city, as well as those of the garrisons of his neighbouring cities. If he decides to use it, his defence score will be better, but all obsidian used will be lost, whatever the outcome of the combat.

The attacker rolls the corresponding number of dice: 1 die per garrison.

Each die can show 0 to 3 success points, or 1 failure (skull).

The attacker loses 1 garrison of his choice for each "failure" result, in all cases. If that garrison contained a riches, it is lost too. His opponent does not receive a prisoner for this failure.

The attacker calculates his attack potential: Number of success points obtained + number of obsidian spent.

The defender calculates his defence potential: Number of garrisons in his city and in each friendly city directly adjacent + number of obsidian spent.

One then makes this simple subtraction: (attack potential) - (defence potential) = Number of buildings lost by the defender.

If this number is negative or zero, nothing happens.

Otherwise, the attacker chooses the building(s) to destroy.

ATTENTION: temples and palaces require 2 success points to be destroyed.

The chosen building(s), together with the riches placed on them (reserves or garrisons), and any small pyramids associated with them (market controls), are discarded.

For each of these buildings (small or large), the attacker wins a red riches (a prisoner), which he places on one of his garrisons (1 prisoner maximum per garrison). If the attacker makes more prisoners than he can accommodate in the city that attacked, he loses the excess prisoners.

These prisoners must, at the end of the round, be transferred to a temple, a reserve, or a palace.

Example

The purple player attacks the grey one from his territory on the seashore.

He has 2 garrisons + 1 obsidian. Grey has 3 garrisons + 1 obsidian.

Purple decides to use his obsidian. The defender decides to keep his obsidian.

The attacker rolls 2 dice, and gets a 3 and a skull. Attack: 3 + 1 = 4 Defence: 3 Difference: 1

He loses one garrison (and one obsidian) but destroys 1 building belonging to his enemy (a garrison or a village), and therefore wins 1 prisoner.

DEVASTATED CITY

If a city loses its last building, it belongs to no one. The attacker may then, if he wishes, take possession of the site, by building one or more buildings on it immediately after the assault (without having to pay the start-of-turn tax again).

4 - KATUN

It is risky to turn over a card, because a large part of them consist of catastrophes of all kinds.

When he wishes, or if he has no other choice, the king turns over one of the cards placed at the start of the round, and applies its effects, positive or negative.

CATASTROPHES

The Mayas may defend against catastrophes, provided that some riches have been left to them in their reserves (maize or prisoners).

The riches used to ward off catastrophes must come compulsorily from the Mayas' reserves (or garrisons). They may never come from the king's chests.

In the case of a catastrophe, if the player does not possess the building mentioned on the card, his Mayas do not pay the penalty.

The cards are presented below in the following format: Card number - Card type (number of cards of this type)

POSITIVE EVENTS (34 yellow or green cards)

0 - Prosperous Katun (10): the king gains one of the riches or prestige points mentioned, of his choice.
1 - Favourable Katun (14): the king gains the riches mentioned.
2 - Exceptional Katun (2): the king gains 2 maize.
3 - Expedition return (2): the king gains one riches of his choice.
4 - Cacao festival (1): each king gains one cacao.
5 - Princely marriage (2): the king takes one riches of his choice from another king (as a dowry).
6 - Cult of the sacred cenotes (3): the Mayas of the king may bring a single riches to each cenote (water hole), for an exceptional sacrifice, which will bring 2 times more prestige than in a temple. The king may not use his own resources, and his Mayas must bring the riches while respecting the rules of transport. (See 6 - DISTRIBUTION - Transport)

NEUTRAL EVENTS (6 blue or black cards)

7 - Ball game (5): the player who, at that precise moment, possesses more ball courts than the others wins the game, together with a number of prestige points equal to the number of cities he possesses. Any ties receive only half this value, rounded down. If more than 2 players are tied, no one scores points.

In this count, a second player may win half the points he would have won as first.

In a tie for second place between 2 or 3 players, they win no points.
8 - Eclipse (1): the eclipse announces the end of a prosperous period. As soon as a player draws it, the end-of-round bonus (Clemency of Chaak) is never applied again. This card concerns all players.

NEGATIVE EVENTS (32 red cards)

9 - Drought (6): pay 1 maize, or lose 2 villages.
10 - Insurrection (4): pay 1 maize, or lose 1 palace.
11 - Earthquake (4): pay 1 prisoner, or lose 1 temple.
12 - Pochteca competition (4): pay 1 prisoner, or lose 2 markets.
13 - Toltec raid (4): pay 1 prisoner, or lose 2 garrisons.
14 - Decadence (4): pay 1 prisoner, or lose 1 ball court and 1 observatory.
15 - Volcanic eruptions (3): pay 2 prisoners, or lose all his cities directly adjacent to volcanoes. The cities affected are only those of the player who drew the card.
16 - Tidal wave (3): pay 2 prisoners, or lose all his cities on the seashore.

5 - PRODUCTION

Each village present in the forest produces a riches of the colour of the city's production.

A token is then placed on each village.

Note: if there are not enough tokens left, the turn order must still be respected.

There are 5 types of production: yellow (maize), brown (cacao), blue (shells), green (jade) and black (obsidian).

Note: prisoners (red) are not produced. They are captured. See 3 - WARS.

6 - DISTRIBUTION

The transport, equipment, storage, ceremony and taxes phases may be played simultaneously, by all players.

TRANSPORT

Each riches may be moved, in order to be exploited or put into reserve. It may go to a temple, for a ceremony, to a palace for taxes, to a garrison to increase its strength, or finally to a reserve/prison.

Riches that have not been exploited or stored by the end of the round will be lost.

Riches (as well as prisoners) may be moved over any distance, and it is not necessary to own all the sites through which the riches pass.

ATTENTION: nevertheless, these riches may not pass through cities (friendly, enemy or available) on which there are more enemy small pyramids than personal small pyramids.

In a tie on an occupied site, the owner of the site keeps full control of it (so a good cannot be transported through an enemy city that contains no small pyramid).

In a tie on an available site, the players concerned may all use this site.

Riches produced in a city commercially controlled by an enemy may therefore only be exploited in that same city. Likewise, no riches may enter a city so controlled.

EQUIPMENT OF GARRISONS

It is possible to move 1 obsidian (maximum) onto each garrison, in order to increase its strength. This obsidian may be spent during combat. See 3 - WARS.

ATTENTION: each garrison may hold only one obsidian or one prisoner, but it may keep from one turn to the next only the obsidian.

STORAGE

Each reserve may hold only one riches of any type.

These reserves may perhaps be useful to the Mayas, to avoid some catastrophes. See 4 - KATUN.

Maize and prisoners are particularly useful for avoiding these catastrophes, but other goods may be stored, to avoid losing them from one round to the next, or with a view to being sacrificed in the cenotes. See 4 - KATUN.

In all cases, they may be moved again in the following round.

CEREMONY

Each temple may sacrifice 1 or 2 riches. The temple cannot store anything, so there is no point in moving more than 2 riches onto a single temple.

ATTENTION: the king may under no circumstances use his own riches (those present on his king sheet) for the sacrifice. In fact, he may never give any to the Mayas.

The king then scores prestige points according to the riches sacrificed in his temples:

1 maize: 1 point
1 cacao / 1 obsidian / 1 shell / 1 jade: 2 points
1 prisoner: 3 points

The sacrificed riches are discarded.

TAXES

Each palace may collect 1 or 2 riches. The palace cannot store anything, so there is no point in moving more than 2 riches onto a single palace.

Note: prisoners may be taken as taxes. They may be used to build the 4 base buildings.

The riches collected are placed in front of each king, who may then use them to play.

LOSSES

Finally, to end the round, all riches remaining on the playing surface that have not been stored in a reserve/prison are discarded, with the exception of the obsidian on the garrisons. Resources and prisoners that could not reach a reserve/prison are lost.

EXAMPLE

The purple player produces: 3 blue - 1 green - 2 yellow.

He had 1 red in 1 reserve.

Grey produces: 2 brown - 1 black - 1 yellow.

He had 1 black in 1 garrison and 1 red in another garrison.

The jade of purple is blocked by grey's market; it cannot leave its production site. By luck, it can be put in reserve.

For the same reason, his shells cannot reach the temple, but they can reach the palace.

Purple therefore collects 2 shells, and sacrifices 2 maize (2 points). He loses one shell, which he cannot exploit.

Grey, for his part, collects 1 cacao and 1 maize, equips a garrison, and sacrifices 1 prisoner and 1 cacao (5 points).

7 - END OF GAME

The game ends at the end of the round during which the last ball game took place. See Setup.

Source note: the printed cross-reference reads "PRÉPARATION". No heading of that exact name is printed; the setup sections are the intended target.

RICHES BONUS

Players now convert their personal riches into prestige points (1/2 point per riches, rounded down), which they add to their score.

The player with the most prestige points wins the game.