Inka Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Aim of the Game
• Playing Equipment
• Getting Ready to Play
• How to Play
  • Setting up the Temple Labyrinth
  • Making a Move
    • Phase 1: Removing Your Blocking Counter
    • Phase 2: Moving the Stepping Tiles
    • Phase 3: Moving a Playing Counter
    • Collecting Inca Statues
    • Special Moves: Secret Passages and Diamonds
    • Step 4: Placing a Blocking Counter
• End of the Game

Aim of the Game

In their search for the gold of the Incas all the treasure-seekers want to be the first to get their hands on the treasure and get out of the temple again.

The adventurers have to skilfully move diamond-shaped pieces of floor in order to be able to cross the dangerous holes in the temple. Some of them show walls which can be used to make it harder for opponents to reach the treasure.

The treasure-seekers also have to watch out for the snakes in the temple as they have to pay a valuable Action Point every time they pass one. They are therefore constantly on the look-out for snake-free routes.

Playing Equipment

• 1 board (6 pieces) – shows the ancient Inca temple from the inside. But most of the floor has been destroyed so it will not be easy to reach the middle.
• Players cannot go beyond the edge of the playing area.
• The board is divided up into triangular spaces: solid ground and holes.
• Starting space.
• Special spaces: "secret passages" and "diamonds".
• 13 stepping tiles – are placed on the board and moved around in order to bridge over the holes in the floor.
• 3 target tiles – are placed in the middle.
• 4 playing counters – players start from the starting spaces and use their counters to move to the centre of the temple and recover the Inca statues of their colour.
• 4 blocking counters – are used to block board spaces.
• 12 Inca statues – each player wants to recover their Inca statues as quickly as possible.
• 1 set of instructions

Note: the source prints "statutes" once in the component list and once in the End of the game note; "statues" is used here as the intended word.

Getting Ready to Play

The 6-piece board is put together and laid in the middle of the table.

The diamond-shaped target tiles are laid in the centre of the board, as shown in the diagram opposite.

The stepping tiles are shuffled and laid face-down ready for the game.

Each player chooses a colour and then takes the playing counter, the blocking counter and the Inca statues of this colour; the players then place the statues on the target-tile spaces of the same colour.

Note: with fewer than 4 players the rest of the playing equipment is removed from the game.

How to Play

Setting up the Temple Labyrinth

The youngest player begins. Play passes round in a clockwise direction. Each player chooses an empty starting space and puts their counter on it.

Then the 13 stepping tiles have to be placed on the board. Starting with the first player, each player takes their turn to take a stepping tile and put it face-up on the board. The following rules apply:

• A tile always has to cover 2 triangular board spaces.
• It does not matter whether these spaces show a hole or solid ground.
• Symbols can be covered.
• Players are not allowed to partially or completely cover other target or stepping tiles.
• Players are not allowed to place a stepping tile on top of another, not even partly.
• At the start of the game players are not allowed to place tiles so that another player's starting space is completely blocked by walls.
• The second stepping tile may not be laid so that a starting space is blocked.

Note: players can already start to try and lay or block paths to the centre of the board during this phase.

Making a Move

The player whose go it is now makes their move. A move is made up of four phases which are carried out one after the other. Players receive 3 action points (APs); that can be spread over the second and third phases of the move as they choose.

Phase 1: Removing Your Blocking Counter

If your blocking counter is on the board, it must now be removed and placed to one side. This does not cost you an action point.

Phase 2: Moving the Stepping Tiles

A stepping tile can be moved for 1 AP, i.e. it can be either moved in the direction of one of its edges or rotated around one of its corners.

The following rules apply:

• Tiles must not be moved onto or over other tiles, playing counters or blocking counters.
• Tiles with blocking counters on them cannot be moved.
• Players can move tiles which have playing counters on them (the playing counters move with them).
• A tile can be moved or rotated in one direction over as many spaces as the player wants. The movement or rotation only has to end if the tile meets an obstacle (edge of the board, blocking counter, another tile or playing counter).

A player can move a tile or tiles several times one after the other.

Note: each movement always costs 1 AP.

Figure caption: In this example, the stepping tile can be moved up to 2 spaces in one of the two directions shown by the arrows.

Figure caption: Ways in which the stepping tiles can be moved. 2 examples: There are 4 spaces which tile A can end up on if it is rotated around the corner marked in the picture above. There are 2 spaces which tile B can end up on if it is rotated around the corner marked in the picture above.

Figure caption: If rotating a stepping tile further would mean that it collided with an obstacle (another tile or a space which is blocked), the rotation must be stopped, even if the collision with the obstacle would only be minimal, as in the example shown above.

Note: target tiles are not stepping tiles and cannot be moved in the 2nd phase.

Phase 3: Moving a Playing Counter

The player whose turn it is can now move their playing counter over the board spaces and tiles. When doing this, players must follow the rules below:

• Players cannot move onto or over spaces showing a hole.
• Players cannot move through walls.
• Players cannot stop on spaces which already have a playing counter or blocking counter on them.
• Each time players pass over a snake it costs them 1 AP. This means that it does not cost players anything to move their playing counters, as long as they do not pass over a snake.

Figure caption: The playing counter can only move in one direction in this example. If it moves to the edge of the board it will cost 2 APs as it crosses 2 snakes on its way.

Collecting Inca Statues

If a player's playing counter reaches a target tile which has an Inca statue of the player's own colour on it, the player can collect the statue for 1 AP and lay it to one side.

Special Moves: Secret Passages and Diamonds

If a player lands on a space with a secret passage, they can move to any other unoccupied space with a secret passage at a cost of 1 AP.

If a player lands on a space with a "diamond" symbol, they can move any target tile at a cost of 1 AP. Players must follow the rules for moving tiles when doing this.

Figure captions: "secret passage" and "diamond" symbol.

Note: It is possible to have more than one playing counter on target tiles but blocking counters cannot be put on target tiles!

Step 4: Placing a Blocking Counter

After a player has used up their action points, they may now place their blocking counter on any unoccupied board space or on a stepping tile. This does not cost any action points.

Action points which are not used cannot be kept for later rounds; they are lost at the end of the player's go.

Note: blocking counters cannot be placed on target tiles.

End of the Game

If a player has collected all 3 Inca statues of their own colour, the player can set off with their playing counter to any exit.

The player who is first to have collected their three statues and reach one of the four exits has won.

Note: as soon as a player has collected all their Inca statues, the other players will obviously try to block the player's attempts to reach an exit…