Tikal FAQ
67 questions players ask · Updated Nov 11, 2026 · Full rulebook
Preparation
Playing the Game
- Can a volcano be placed so that it cuts off an empty corner of the board?
- Can a volcano count as the stone path that makes a new terrain hexagon legal?
- Does a volcano need a stone path leading into it, like other terrain hexagons?
- Can blank edges make a spot impossible to place a terrain hexagon on?
- Does a new terrain hexagon need stones on both hexagons to connect a path?
- Can a tile with a stone on one side be placed against a blank edge of an existing tile?
- Must the drawn terrain hexagon be placed before spending action points on that turn?
The Expedition Members
- Does the expedition leader count as three members, or as one?
- Can one member keep moving and uncovering or recovering again in the same turn?
- Can a player place a worker from supply straight into any of his camps, and what does it cost?
- Can a player place expedition members before establishing a camp of his own?
- Can a member cross an edge when stones are on only one side, and what does it cost?
- Can a member stop partway across a path and finish the move on a later turn?
- Does moving a member between your camps, or between the base camp and your camp, cost 1 AP?
- Can you move an expedition member from anywhere on the board straight back to a base camp?
Uncover Temple Levels
- Do you need two expedition members to uncover two levels of one temple in a turn?
- How many expedition members does it take to uncover a temple level, and is there a limit per turn?
- Can one worker uncover a level, move to another temple, and uncover there in the same turn?
- Can expedition members stay on a temple and uncover more levels in a later turn?
- Do you need a majority in a temple hexagon to uncover its levels, or only to place a guard?
- What happens when the temple tiles for the next level are all used up?
- When a temple is uncovered further, is the previous level returned to the supply?
Recover Treasure
- How many treasures can one hexagon give in a turn, and can one member take two from it?
- Can two workers take two treasures from a hexagon now and the other two on a later turn?
- Are recovered treasures kept secret, and how long do you keep them?
- Can you enter a treasure hexagon where another player's member already stands, and recover a treasure there?
Exchange Treasure
Establish a Camp
- Can a camp be moved or relocated after it has been placed?
- Can a player establish a camp on a hexagon where another player already has a camp?
- Is there a secret path between base camps that explorers can use or be placed on?
- Does a player need an expedition member on the hexagon to establish a camp there?
- Where can a player establish a camp?
Place a Temple Guard
- After uncovering temple levels, can you move all your members off the temple and still place a guard?
- Can a single expedition member place a temple guard?
- Can a player place a temple guard during a scoring round turn?
- Can a player move workers onto a temple and place a guard on it in the same turn?
- Can you draw a temple hexagon and place a guard on it in the same turn?
- Can you place a temple guard if you only tie the strongest other player at a temple?
- How many temple guards can a player place in a game?
- Which piece becomes the temple guard, and what happens to your other figures on that hexagon?
- Can you upgrade a temple, move out all but one of your members, and still claim the temple with a guard?
- Can other players score a temple after someone has placed a guard on it?
Scoring Round
- Is the scoring round simultaneous, and can the same temple or treasure score for more than one player?
- Do scoring-round points add to the score from earlier scoring rounds?
- Do temples and treasures score again in every later scoring round?
- Do you score a temple when you first move onto it, or only during a scoring round?
- For scoring or guarding, does majority mean beating each other player individually, or beating all rivals combined?
- How many points does a set of treasures score in each scoring round?
- If another player later takes over a temple that was already scored, does the earlier scorer lose those points?
- When a volcano is drawn, in what order do the scoring turns happen?
- Is a temple's score multiplied by the number of explorers standing on it?
- With volcano scoring rounds, does every player get the same number of turns, so the first player gets no extra turn?
Game End
Auction Version
- Can a player bid for the last remaining hexagon in the auction?
- In the auction, what happens if every player passes on a hexagon?
- In the auction, who bids first in each new round?
- In the auction variant, are the 20 starting points a one-time capital, and do the leftover points become starting victory points?
- In the auction variant, in what order do players take the final scoring turns, and how are ties broken?
- In the auction, can a player who has passed bid again, and when does bidding end?
- In the auction version, is the setup and tile order the same as the basic game?
- In the auction version, what happens when someone wins the volcano hexagon at auction?
- What are the turn indicators used for?