Maya Madness
Maya Madness Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
69 cards:
- 7 positive 1, 7 negative 1
- 7 positive 2, 7 negative 2
- 4 positive 3, 4 negative 3
- 4 positive 4, 4 negative 4
- 3 positive 5, 3 negative 5
- 7 Zero cards
- 4 Wild cards
- 3 Skip cards
- 3 Reverse cards
- 2 Temple of Zero cards
20 secret number tokens (two sets 1–10)
4 number lines
Object
Be the first player to uncover five secret number tokens.
Setup
Give each player a number line. These will help you keep track of the count after each turn and figure out which cards to play next.
Shuffle the deck of cards thoroughly, then deal five cards to each player. You may look at the cards in your hand. Stack the rest of the cards face down in the middle of the playing area to form a draw pile. Turn over the top
[The printed rules sentence ends here, with the text cut off at the edge of the page. It is transcribed as printed.]
Note: If it's a Wild card, the dealer chooses the starting count. If it's a Skip or Reverse card, the starting count is zero.
Turn all of the secret number tokens face down and mix them up. Each player draws one token to start. Look at it, but keep it face down in front of you. That's your starting secret target number. Put the rest of the face down tokens within reach of all players.
Game Play Overview
The player to the left of the dealer goes first and play continues clockwise. On your turn, play a card from your hand to the discard pile, adding or subtracting to change the count. Announce the total out loud, then draw a new card from the draw pile. If you can make the count equal to your secret number, turn your token face up and then draw another token to get a new secret number.
Number Cards
Number cards range from 5 to –5, including zero. (The symbol under each number is its Maya equivalent.)
When you play a number card to the discard pile, make sure to announce the new count out loud.
Power Cards
There are four special cards that you may play in place of a number card. Power cards are played to the discard pile just like a number card.
Card Actions:
- Wild – Can be substituted for any number card value, positive or negative, 1 to 5 (–5, –4, –3, –2, –1, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5).
- Skip – Skip the next player's turn. The count remains the same. Be sure to announce the count out loud when you play it.
- Reverse – The order of play is reversed AND positive/negative is reversed. For example, if the count is currently 6 and a Reverse card is played, the count changes to –6. Or if the count is –1 and a Reverse card is played, the count changes to 1.
- Temple of Zero – Brings the count to 0. For example, if the count is currently 7 and you play a Temple card, it returns the count to 0. Or if the count is currently –2 and you play a Temple card, it returns the count to 0. As a bonus, when you play the Temple card, you get to play another card from your hand right away. (Be sure to draw two cards from the draw pile at the end of your turn.)
Note: In a two-player game, if you play a Skip card, just play another card afterward. If you play a Reverse card, it only switches the positive/negative count.
Uncovering Tokens
If you are able to make the count equal to the number on your secret token on your turn, you win the token. Play an appropriate card to the discard pile, announce the new count and turn your token number-side up in front of you. Then draw a new token from the face down pile.
Notes:
- You may peek at the number on your secret token at any time during the game.
- You can only win your token on your turn! It doesn't count if another player makes the count equal to your secret number on his turn.
Winning the Game
The first player to uncover five secret number tokens wins.
Example of Play
In a two-player game, let's say your secret number is 6 and the starting count is 1. You have the cards to the right in your hand. [Card images not reproduced.] You want to make sure you play the highest positive number in your hand to bring the count as close to 6 as possible. So play the 4 card, which makes the count 5 (1 + 4 = 5). Announce "5."
Pick another card from the draw pile and put it into your hand.
Next, your opponent plays a 3 card, which makes the count 8 (5 + 3 = 8). On your turn, play the –2 card to bring the count to 6 (8 – 2 = 6). Announce "6," then turn over your secret number token to reveal the 6. Pick a new secret number from the face down tokens, and draw another card to bring your hand back up to five cards.
Tips and Strategies
- Remember, every time you play a card, be sure to pick up another one from the draw pile to bring your hand back up to five cards.
- Make sure you announce the new count out loud after each of your turns, to help all players remember it.
- If the draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile to start a new draw pile (Be sure to remember the current count!)
- Use your number line to visualize which cards will help you make the count match your secret number on your turn.
- If the player before you brings the count to your secret number, and you have a 0 card in your hand, play it to make the count stay the same so that it matches your secret number on your own turn. (In a two-player game, you could also use the Skip card for this.)
For Advanced Play
Try to "pick-off" your opponents' tokens by guessing their secret numbers! Pay attention to what cards your opponents play. If you think you know someone's secret number, you may guess it out loud instead of playing a card from your hand on your turn. If you guess correctly, you win your opponent's token and add it to your collection. But if you're wrong, your opponent wins your secret token and adds it to her collection. You may only make one guess per token. Whoever loses should draw a new token from the face down pile.
Note: In this version, when you win your own tokens during a normal turn, reveal them briefly so that all players can see the number but then turn them back face down and place them off to your side. That way everyone must use their memories to determine what tokens are still left in play.
Using the Number Line
The number line can help you see where certain cards will bring the count next. For example, if the count is at 4 and you play a 5 card, the count would then be 9 (4 + 5 spaces to the right = 9).
[Number line diagram not reproduced.]
Another example: Let's say the count is at 3 and you play a –5 card. The count would then be –2 (3 – 5 spaces to the left = –2).
[Number line diagram not reproduced.]
About the Maya
The Maya were one of the most prominent civilizations of ancient America. They originated around 2600BCE but thrived between 250 and 900CE in areas that are now Mexico and Central America (Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras). An innovative and sophisticated people, the Maya were responsible for many scientific advances including complex astronomical observations and the development of a highly accurate calendar system. They were also skilled artisans, creating ornately beautiful stone carvings and erecting monumental temple-pyramids, palaces and observatories all without the aid of metal tools.
Among their many achievements, the Maya are noted for developing a system of mathematics that was at once sophisticated, yet user-friendly. This system permeated all aspects of Maya life – from simple arithmetic used in trade and commerce to complex calculations used in astronomy and calendrical formulations. There are several interesting points to note about Maya mathematics:
- The Maya counting system used only three symbols: a dot representing a value of one, a bar representing five, and a shell representing zero.
[Symbol diagram not reproduced: One, Five, Zero.]
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The Maya were one of the first civilizations to understand the concept of zero and use it in a mathematical system. Because of its special role, they gave zero a unique symbol–the shell.
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The Maya revered some numbers as sacred, in particular zero, as well as the number five, which represented the number of digits on a hand or foot. Another sacred number was 52, not because of the number of cards in a standard playing card deck, but because it represented the number of years in a "bundle," a unit of time measurement similar in concept to a century.
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Unlike our modern number system, which is based on ten digits (0-9), the Maya used a vigesimal number system which is based on 20. This means that instead of the 1, 10, 100, 1,000 and 10,000 places of our mathematical system, the Maya used 1, 20, 400, 8,000 and 160,000. Here's how their basic number system looked:
[Numeral chart not reproduced: 0 to 19 in Maya symbols.]
Any number higher than the number 19 was represented by a stack, or column, of symbols that added up to that number. The bottom row of the column was used for numbers 1 through 19, and the row on top of that was used for units of 20 (the number shown x 20). The next up was units of 400 (the number shown x 400, or 20 x 20), the one above that for units of 8,000 (the number shown x 8,000, or 20 x 20 x 20), and so on into the millions. For example, the number 38 looks like this: [diagram: 20's and 1's]. The number 403 looks like this: [diagram: 400's, 20's and 1's]. And the number 3,416 looks like this: [diagram: 400's, 20's and 1's].
It was very easy to add and subtract using their number system. Here's a simple addition equation: [diagram: 20's and 1's columns for 247 + 63 = 310].
About the Illustrations
All of the card illustrations have been rendered in the spirit of traditional Maya art, using elements of their vivid color palate. Each of the characters on the number cards is based on actual Maya visages found on carvings, pottery and murals. Each power card highlights a symbol that was important to the Maya and frequently appeared in their art: the jaguar on the Wild card, a serpent on the Reverse card, a quetzal bird on the Skip card, and an ancient pyramid-temple on the Temple of Zero card. The backs of the secret number tokens are based on a bowl ca. 600 to 900CE featuring the Maya Rain God, "Tlaloc."