Maya
Maya Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 40 worker cards, 5 sets in different colors, with the values 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and -3
- 3 tiles representing the quarries for 3, 4 or 5 players (some of them printed on both sides)
- 7 oval markers with green backs for Special Properties
- 4 oval markers with blue backs. These are used in the variation of the game for advanced players
- 4 pyramid boards showing 5 different pyramids (some of them printed on both sides)
- 140 pyramid blocks, 28 for each color
- 76 gold coins: 6 x 20, 10 x 10, 20 x 5, 20 x 2 and 20 x 1
Before playing, carefully remove the tiles, markers, etc. from their frames.
Preparation
Depending on the number of players, place a tile and 4 pyramids in the middle of the table. The number of horizontal lines on the tile denotes the number of players. If playing with 5 players, a large and a small tile are put together as one tile (small tile on the left).
Depending on the number of players, place 4 pyramids in a row above the quarries:
- 3 players: The pyramids used are Chichen Itza, Copan, Uxmal and Palenque.
- 4 players: The pyramids used are Tikal, Copan, Uxmal and Palenque.
- 5 players: The pyramids used are Tikal, Chichen Itza, Copan and Uxmal.
Place the corresponding oval markers above each quarry. Return unused markers to the box.
Each player chooses a color and takes 8 worker cards and 2 pyramid blocks in that color. Place all other blocks of the chosen color next to the playing area as a pool. Place all of the gold – the bank – next to the playing area.
The players choose a starting player. Starting with the starting player, each player, in clockwise order, places one block in the bottom level of a pyramid of his choice. Next each player places a second block in a pyramid, making sure that no two blocks of the same color are in the same pyramid.
Layout note: make sure there is enough room left below the quarries to place the worker cards.
Playing and Winning the Game
MAYA is played in three rounds. Each round consists of three phases:
- Quarrying
- Building pyramids
- Scoring
In phase 1, the pyramid blocks are quarried and transported using the worker cards. In phase 2, the blocks are used to build the pyramids. The score for each pyramid is determined in phase 3 and the players are rewarded with gold accordingly.
After three rounds the player with the most gold wins.
Phase 1 – Quarrying
Using the workers
To receive pyramid blocks, the players have to use their worker cards for quarrying. There are two types of card: "low" values (3, 4, 4, 5) and "high" values (6, 7, 8, -3). Here "-3" counts as a high value too. High value cards are recognizable from the back (6 – 8).
Starting with the starting player and continuing in clockwise order, each player puts one card face down below a quarry of his choice. The first card placed below any quarry must always be a "low" card. All subsequent cards may be high or low. However, the number of worker cards at each quarry is limited and the maximum number is shown on the tile. Once that number has been reached no more cards may be placed at this quarry. To indicate this, place the last card slightly apart.
Instead of playing cards, a player may pass at any time. For the remainder of this phase he will not place any more cards and will keep his remaining cards face down on the table in front of him. Once every player has passed no more worker cards may be placed.
Important! Worker cards are also needed for the transport of the quarry blocks, so some must be kept in reserve. For details see "Transport".
Diagram note: each quarry tile shows, from top to bottom: the Special Properties marker, the number of blocks to be won, the maximum number of worker cards, and a mark showing that the first card has to be a "low" one. The card reaching the maximum number is placed slightly apart.
Distribution of blocks
Once all players have passed, the score for each quarry is determined and the resulting pyramid blocks distributed. Starting with the right hand quarry, one player turns all the cards placed there face up without changing the order of the cards.
For each player the points on his cards are added. The player with the most points receives the highest number of blocks from this quarry as well as the Special Property marker above it. This marker may be used immediately or kept for later use in this round. A list of all Special Properties can be found at the end of the rules.
The player with the second highest score receives the next lower number of blocks and so on. If there is a tie, the player who first placed a card below the quarry wins. After the scores for a quarry have been determined the cards are left face up.
If one of the worker cards in a quarry shows a "-3", the owner of this card can take 3 points off the score of another player of his choice in this quarry. In the case of more than one "-3" card, the owners have to state from whose score the points are to be deducted, starting with the starting player. If a player has no points left because of such deductions, he will not receive any blocks from this quarry.
Examples for the distribution of pyramid blocks:
- In this case, fewer cards than permitted were placed, which does not affect the scoring. Blue has a score of 11 points, which gives him 4 blocks and the Special Property marker. Red comes in second with 6 points and receives 3 blocks. The remaining block for third place is not awarded.
- Green decides to deduct the 3 points off Purple's score reducing it to 4. Green wins with 5 points giving him 4 blocks and the Special Property marker, as he was also the first one to place a card. Blue, also with a score of 5, comes in second and receives 2 blocks. Purple comes third because of Green's deduction and receives no blocks.
- Blue was first in the starting order and decides to deduct 3 points off Red's score leaving him with just one point. Yellow decides against Red, too, who now has a negative score. Yellow with a score of 7 points receives 4 blocks and the Special Property marker. Blue comes in second with 5 points and collects 2 blocks. Red receives nothing because of his negative score.
Transport
After all the blocks and Special Property markers have been distributed, the players have to prove that they can transport the blocks they have collected to the pyramid sites. For each point on his remaining worker cards a player may transport one of his acquired blocks. If a player has acquired more blocks than the sum of points on his remaining worker cards, the surplus blocks are returned to the pool. If a player has fewer blocks than points on worker cards, he may transport all of them. The remaining points have no effect. Any leftover "-3" cards are ignored. One of the Special Property markers can increase the number of blocks that may be transported.
Example: Blue has acquired 9 blocks. As he has only 7 workers left for transport, he has to return 2 blocks to the supply.
Only now are the worker cards returned to the players. Each player announces the number of his blocks and then keeps them concealed.
Phase 2 – Building pyramids
Starting with the starting player and continuing in clockwise order, all players place their blocks according to the following rules:
- Each player in turn places one block at a time in a pyramid of his choice.
- A player may only place a block in a higher level if all levels below of all pyramids have been filled.
- A player may only place a block in a higher level of a pyramid if he has placed at least one block in each lower level of that pyramid.
Additionally there are the following options:
The double move allows a player to place two blocks at one time. To do this he first has to "pay" by returning one block to the pool. He may then place two blocks according to the building rules. He may place the blocks in two different pyramids. For the double move a total of three blocks are needed.
Passing is rarely useful but possible. To pass, a player must "pay" a block to the pool and may not place a block in a pyramid.
By clever playing, it is possible to win a "bonus block" from the pool. If by placing his block, a player completes a level of a pyramid and if that player has a simple majority of blocks in that level, he immediately receives a block in his color from the pool, which he places in the next level of that pyramid. If there are already blocks in that level from previous rounds (regardless of color) no bonus block is awarded. There is no bonus block for the majority in the top level, either.
If a player does not have any blocks left, he has to announce this when it is his turn to play. The other players continue to play until all blocks have been placed.
If a player has blocks but cannot place them according to the rules he has to pass and pay one block into the pool. As this is an involuntary pass, however, he receives 1 gold coin from the bank.
Examples for 3 pyramids and 5 players
After the first level in all pyramids had been filled, the players were allowed to place blocks in the second level. When the second level of Palenque had been filled, Purple had the sole majority and received a bonus block from the pool which he immediately placed in the third level.
It is Blue's turn. Blue cannot place his block in Uxmal as he did not have a block in the first level. The third level of Palenque is not an option, either, as the second levels of the other pyramids are not completed yet. Therefore, Blue has to place his block in Copan. The blue block completes the second level of Copan and Red, who has the majority, receives a bonus block from the pool, which he places in the third level of Copan.
Next, it is Green's turn and his chance for a bonus block in Uxmal. To achieve this, Green buys a double move by paying a block into the pool. He places the two blocks both in the second level in Uxmal and receives a bonus block from the pool which he places immediately in the third level of Uxmal.
Phase 3 – Scoring
Gold payment
Next to each level of a pyramid 2 numbers are shown. The player with the most blocks in that level receives the higher value in gold coins; the player with the second most blocks receives the lower value.
If there is a tie, all players involved receive the same value in gold. It is therefore possible that gold is paid more than once for the most and the second most blocks.
Levels that have not been completed are scored, too.
Examples of payment
- All four players have the most blocks in that level and each receives the sum of 3 in gold coins. There is no payment for second place.
- Although the level has not been completed, Red has the majority and receives 4 gold coins. No gold is paid for second place.
- Green has 3 blocks and therefore the majority. He receives 3 gold coins. Blue and Red have the second most blocks and each receives 1 gold coin.
- Blue and Yellow have the most blocks and each receives 3 gold coins. Green, Red and Purple tie in second place and therefore receive 1 gold coin each.
Removal of stones
After scoring is been completed, the pyramids are subject to a certain level of erosion. In all levels of all pyramids every player who has received gold for his blocks, has to remove one of those blocks and return it to the pool.
If by doing this a player loses his only block in that level, he has to remove all his blocks from higher levels in that pyramid.
An extreme example of erosion
Purple, Blue and Yellow have each received 3 gold coins for the majority in the first level. Probably by accident Red has the second most blocks and receives 1 gold coin (A). As every player has received gold coins, every player, too, has to remove one of his blocks from the first level. Red therefore loses his only block (B). In consequence, Red also has to remove all his blocks from all higher levels (C). Important: Blocks are only removed after scoring has been completed for all levels of the pyramid.
A new round
At the beginning of a new round, every player once again owns his 8 worker cards and the gold coins he has won. Nobody is allowed to own any pyramid blocks. The player who has the Special Property marker "First Player" retains it and will choose the starting player for the next round. Place all other Special Property markers once again above the quarries.
Game End
The game finishes after scoring has been completed in the third round. Removal of blocks is not necessary. The player with the most gold coins is the winner. If there is a tie, the player with the fewest blocks in the pool wins.
Variation for Advanced Players
Unless otherwise stated the basic rules apply.
At the beginning, each player receives 10 gold coins.
At the beginning of each round, before phase 1 (quarry), the Special Property markers with the blue backs are auctioned. The number of auctioned markers is always 1 lower than the number of players. If necessary the 4 markers are shuffled and 1 or 2 removed and returned to the box. The remaining markers are auctioned.
In the auction all players bid at the same time. For this purpose each player conceals a number of gold coins in his hand, then all players show their bids at the same time. The player with the highest offer has first choice of the Special Property markers, the second highest bidder goes next and so on. In case of a tie, the players concerned – starting with the starting player – may choose in clockwise order. The player with the lowest bid receives no Special Property marker and is given back the gold he offered. Players who don't bid, don't receive any Special Property markers either. The Special Property markers won may be used once in the current round.
The next round starts once again with an auction. In the case of fewer than 5 players, the markers are shuffled again.
The four blue-backed Special Property markers are:
- The player receives 4 extra points for transporting blocks to the pyramids.
- The player has a joker. For this he may choose any Special Property marker of the basic game with the exception of the "First Player" marker and use it according to the rules.
- The player receives one additional block from the pool. This block does not cost any points to be transported to the pyramids.
- At the end of phase 1 (quarry) the player may use 2 additional points after all players have passed. To do this, he places the marker in a quarry of his choice next to the concealed column of cards. These 2 points are added to the worker cards he played there. The marker may also be placed in a quarry in which the player has no worker cards.
Special Property
Each quarry has been assigned a Special Property. Whoever has played the highest number of points in worker cards in a quarry, takes the Special Property marker. Depending on the Property this is played immediately or once during the current round. After the marker has been played, it is returned to its quarry.
The seven green-backed Special Property markers are:
- The player places this Special Property marker immediately in one of the other quarries that still has concealed worker cards. In this quarry the player is then protected against all "-3" cards so his score may not be reduced.
- The player may remove one of his blocks in any pyramid at once and place it in the first level of the same or another pyramid.
- The player may take one of his blocks from the pool at once and place it in the lowest level of any pyramid. No worker card is needed for transport.
- The player has to appoint a new starting player at once (he may also choose himself). The new starting player places the marker in front of himself so it is visible. He remains starting player until a new starting player is appointed in the next round in the same way.
- The player receives 2 extra points for transporting blocks to the pyramids. If, for example, the player has acquired 9 blocks but only kept 7 worker points, he may nevertheless transport all his blocks.
- The player may "pass" once during the building phase without having to pay a block to the pool.
- The player may make a double move once during the building phase without having to pay a block to the pool.