Totem (1995) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1. Goal
• 2. Materials
  • 2.1 The Board
  • 2.2 Totem Pole Assembly
  • 2.3 Spells
  • 2.4 Villagers
  • 2.5 Tschukka Birds
  • 2.6 The "+3" Markers
  • 2.7 Boxes
• 3. Start
• 4. Course of a Round
  • 4.1 Phase 1: The Village
  • 4.2 Phase 2: Magic
  • 4.3 Phase 3: Births
  • 4.4 Phase 4: Distribution of the Catch
  • 4.5 Phase 5: Feast
  • 4.6 Phase 6: Illness
  • 4.7 Phase 7: Generation Changes
  • 4.8 Phase 8: Totem Construction
• 5. Game End
• 6. Special Rules for 2 or 3 Players
• 7. Variations
  • Variation "village"
  • Variation "spells" -A-
  • Variation "spells" -B-
  • Variation "feast" -A-
  • Variation "feast" -B-
  • Variation "totem construction" -A-
  • Variation "totem construction" -B-

1. Goal

In this game about family generations you have one goal:

Your family should become the biggest and most reputable in the village and your totem pole must be the first to have all six parts.

2. Materials

2.1 The Board

The board is placed in the middle of the table. It shows the village in which up to four families (players) live. Each family inhabits three cottages of one color. You will also notice an enclosure for the Tschukka birds and places to erect the totem poles before the cottages of each family.

2.2 Totem Pole Assembly

First, you must put the totem pieces together. They are made up of a wing and a head. After you have carefully punched the parts out of the cardboard, you fold the head together, so that both halves of the beak touch. A drop of glue will hold this together. Then you put the wing into both slits of the totem head (remember: the beak top should show underneath!). Place two little drops of glue here to hold it better. Your first piece of the totem pole is now ready. The rest are assembled in the same way. Please pay attention to the thrifty application of the glue, because that's all that holds a head and a wing together. The spare totem parts are a cache and naturally should not be put together.

Each totem piece is in one of four colors (red, green, blue and yellow). Each player will be represented by a single color. Make sure that the wing and head colors match when constructing the totem pieces.

Each player receives the six totem pieces in their color at the start. Place the first level of your totem pole in the space before your three cottages.

2.3 Spells

Each family has access to the same ten spells. The individual spells are as follows:

• "girls": only girls will be born in this cottage during the next round of births. (This cancels out one or more "boys" spells in a cottage.)
• "boys": only boys will be born in this cottage during the next round of births. (This cancels out one or more "girls" spells in a cottage.)
• "twins": two children per woman will be born in this cottage during the next round of births. (This cancels out one or more "infertility" spells in a cottage.)
• "infertility": no children will be born in this cottage during the next round of births. (This cancels out one or more "twins" spells in a cottage.)
• "abundance": during the distribution of the catch the boys and men in this cottage count double. (This cancels out one or more "lack" spells in a cottage.)
• "lack": during the distribution of the catch the boys and men in this cottage do not count at all. (This cancels out one or more "abundance" spells in a cottage.)
• "illness": universes dwellers [sic] of this cottage die.
• "big cure": all inhabitants of this cottage are protected from illness.
• "little cure": all inhabitants of this cottage, except for the children, are protected from illness.
• "youth": one person in this cottage will NOT become one step older this round.

2.4 Villagers

The markers for the villagers are placed where all can reach them.

There are four kinds of markers:

The children: one side shows the picture of a little girl, the other shows a little boy. The women: one side shows a young woman, the other shows a mature woman. The young woman's marker has two jags along the edge, the mature woman has three. The men: one side shows a young man, the other a mature man. The marker of the young man has two jags along the edge, the mature man three. The elderly: one side shows the grandmother, the other shows the grandfather.

2.5 Tschukka Birds

The Tschukka birds are the main diet of each family. One bird can satisfy the hunger of five people, no matter how young or old. Furthermore, the birds may be sacrificed so that the family may cast an additional spell.

2.6 The "+3" Markers

If you run short of villager markers in the course of the game, you may use the "+3" markers to replace any group of three similar villagers.

An example: there are four young men in a cottage. Take three away and replace them with a "+3" marker and place the fourth "young man" on top of that. The top marker indicates which sort of person the "+3" has replaced.

Therefore, there must always be at least four similar people in a cottage before these markers can be used.

2.7 Boxes

The four parts boxes are used to store the game materials. While playing, they can be used to store the spell chits for each player.

3. Start

Each player receives:

• 2 young women
• 2 young men
• 1 mature woman
• 1 mature man
• 1 old person
• 6 Tschukka birds
• 1 totem piece in his color
• 1 set of ten spells in his color
• 1 box (with the remaining 5 totem pieces)

The birds are put on the board in each player's bird pen. Place the first totem piece in front of the cottages of the correct family. Choose a start player. The start player begins each phase of a round. At the end of each round the start player's function shifts to their left neighbor. A turn is made up of different phases. Each phase must be completed, beginning with the start player and continue around the table until all players have had their turn, before moving on to the next phase.

4. Course of a Round

4.1 Phase 1: The Village

The players distribute their family between the three cottages. New family members are also distributed at this time.

Each cottage can hold a maximum of six villagers. If a player has more than 18 members in his family, they must discard the surplus family members. The player may choose which family members to retire.

If a player has lost their entire family, they may start anew at this time. They are given:

• 1 young woman
• 1 young man
• 1 mature woman
• 1 mature man
• 1 old person
• 5 Tschukka birds
• 1 totem piece

4.2 Phase 2: Magic

Each family may cast one spell in a round for each:

• totem piece that they possess, and
• bird that they sacrifice (discard)

In turn, each player decides which spells they will cast this round. The spell markers corresponding to these spells are placed face down in front of the player. Any sacrificed Tschukka birds are removed at this time (if the player wants to cast more spells than they have totem pieces).

Beginning with the start player, each one in turn places a spell face down on any (their own or foreign) cottage of their choosing, until all of the players have placed all of their spells. All spell effects are limited to a single cottage and have no effect outside of a cottage. The spells should be uncovered by their owner during the correct game phase (e.g. the spell "twins" is uncovered in Phase 3: Births).

The originator of a spell may decide, however, not to uncover a spell. At the end of the round, however, all spells are removed from the board and returned to the reserve, uncovered or not.

4.3 Phase 3: Births

In this phase, each woman brings a child into the world, if there is at least one man in the same cottage. Young and mature women receive children. The men must also be either young or mature.

The markers for the children of a cottage are taken, shaken and thrown on the table. The top side decides the sex of the offspring.

In this phase following spell to the use could reach [sic]:

• "girls": The sex of the offspring is not decided by chance, but all children become girls.
• "boys": The sex of the offspring is not decided by chance, but all children become boys.
• "twins": Each woman receives two children.
• "infertility": The women receive no children.

If the spells "girls" and "boys" are both cast on the same cottage in the same phase then they cancel each other out, no matter how many such spells of one or the other sort were cast. The same is true for the spells "twins" and "infertility."

An example of the use of these spells on a cottage:

The spells "girls," "boy" [sic] and "twins" are uncovered in a cottage with five women and a young man. Ten children, whose sex is randomly decided, are born because the spells "girls" and "boy" [sic] cancel each other out.

It is important to maintain a balance between men and women. If at any time it becomes impossible for a family to multiply, because there are not more women or men of childbearing age, then all of the remaining markers are removed from the board. In the next round the player will continue anew as described under Phase 1.

4.4 Phase 4: Distribution of the Catch

Now the village catch is divided between the families. The catch is always made up of 13 Tschukka birds because if the hunters catch more today then there will be fewer tomorrow.

Each family may claim one Tschukka bird for every five hunters (round up!). Boys, young men and mature men are all hunters. The start player claims their birds first. Then each player clockwise around the table claims their birds until either all have claimed their birds or the birds have run out.

The following spells may be cast during this phase:

• "abundance": all hunters in this cottage count doubly during the distribution of the catch.
• "lack": no hunters from this cottage are counted during the distribution of the catch.

If both spells ("abundance" and "lack") are cast on one cottage they cancel each other out, no matter how many of one sort or the other was cast.

An example: A player has in his 3 cottages (5 + 5 + 1 =) 11 hunters. They will receive three birds during the distribution of the catch.

4.5 Phase 5: Feast

After the hunt, the villagers must eat. Each bird will feed five family members. The players put the "eaten" birds back into the general reserve. This also includes the partially eaten birds. One doesn't keep "half" Tschukka birds in the pen.

If a player does not have enough Tschukka birds to feed their entire family, one family member for each missing bird goes off to that big bird paradise (these markers are removed from the board). The concerned player decides which family members must go. Elderly family members may not be chosen, however.

An example: A player has at this time 21 people in their three cottages but only 3 Tschukka birds in the pen. The player must remove two people from the board because two more birds would be needed to feed the whole family.

A maximum of 5 birds are allowed in each pen at the end of Phase 5!

4.6 Phase 6: Illness

The following spells may be cast during this phase:

• "illness": everyone in this cottage dies.
• "big cure": everyone in this cottage is protected from illness.
• "little cure": everyone in this cottage, except the children, are protected from illness.

The markers of any diseased villagers are removed from the board and returned to the general reserve.

4.7 Phase 7: Generation Changes

Each person on the board becomes one step older and steps into the next generation. The elderly go to the big bird paradise. The mature adults become elderly. Young adults become mature adults and the children become young adults.

The markers of the children are taken off the board. Replace each girl marker with a young woman and each boy with a young man.

The markers for the young women and men are only turned over. They show the next generation of the person on the reverse.

The markers for mature women and men are exchanged with the markers for the elderly.

Only one spell may be cast in this phase:

• "youth": One person in this cottage does not age one step. The concerned player chooses which marker will not age.

4.8 Phase 8: Totem Construction

Now hold a little census. All family members of each player are counted. The largest family and the second largest family are allowed to add a new totem piece to their totem pole.

If several families have the same number of family members, proceed as follows:

• if there are exactly two players with the largest family then only they receive a new totem piece.
• if there is a single player with the largest family and several players with the second largest family then the first receives a new totem piece and the others receive as solace an additional Tschukka bird.
• if there are three or four players with the largest family then no players receive totem pieces but the three or four players receive as solace a Tschukka bird out of the general reserve.

Comment: Look out for the grandparents! They are the "memory" of each family and preserve the traditions. If at any time a player has no more "elderly" markers, the concerned player must immediately dismantle a totem piece.

Such a player may not claim a totem piece during this round even if their family is the largest (but they may claim a Tschukka bird, if they are awarded one because of a tie). The ranking of the families by size is not affected by this, however. Each player always has at least one totem piece, however, that they must never dismantle, even if there are no more old folks in their family.

5. Game End

The first player to assemble a six-piece totem pole wins. If two families build six-piece totems in the same round then the largest family wins. If they are still tied then the family with the most birds in their pen wins. If they are still tied then there is no winner.

6. Special Rules for 2 or 3 Players

With three players follow the rules of the basic game except for the following:

• Only distribute 10 Tschukka birds in Phase 4.
• Only the family with the most people receives a totem piece in Phase 8. If there is a tie all of the players with the biggest family receive a totem piece.

For two players use all of the rules from the basic game. Each player plays two families, however.

7. Variations

These variations can be combined or used separately. The following variations only describe rules which change from the basic game. All other rules from the basic game still apply.

Variation "village"

In the event that a player must remove his family from the board, he receives in the next possible Phase 1 only the following markers:

• 1 young woman
• 1 mature woman
• 1 young man
• 1 mature man
• 3 Tschukka birds

Variation "spells" -A-

Beginning with the start player each player in turn places a spell face down into a cottage of his choice. If you have no more spells to place, you must pass. Once a player has passed they may place no further spells in this round. The other players continue to place more spells until everyone passes. But each player may still only place one spell per totem piece and one per sacrificed bird.

Variation "spells" -B-

For this variation you will need a pencil and eraser per player. All players write down simultaneously which spells in which cottages they want to cast. You may note this using a diagram as shown in the rules. This represents the cottages of the villagers on the board. The cottages of each family are through their color obviously identified so that when the spells are subsequently put on the board no misunderstandings can occur.

You may photocopy the illustration beside these instructions [in the original rule book]!

Variation "feast" -A-

If a player cannot feed his entire family (see Phase 5) the other players will select which family members are removed from the board. He, therefore, no longer decides which of his family members are carried off to that big bird paradise.

Beginning with the start player each player (except the concerned player) in turn removes one family member until the correct number have been removed. In this variation the elderly may also be removed.

Variation "feast" -B-

In this variation we also introduce a different possibility for deciding which villagers must be removed due to starvation. This variation requires paper and pencil. Beginning with the start player, each player chooses which marker should be removed and notes this on their paper.

The players then simultaneously reveal which persons they want to remove. Then the corresponding markers are removed from the board.

The "elderly" may also be removed in this variation.

Variation "totem construction" -A-

If at any time a family has no "elderly" members then they have lost the overall family story. They must dismantle the complete totem pole. They may not retain even the bottom totem piece.

Variation "totem construction" -B-

If there is a tie for largest family then proceed as follows:

• if there are exactly two players with the biggest family then only these receive a totem piece.
• if there is one player with the biggest family and several players with the second largest family then all tied players receive a totem piece.
• if there are three or four players with the biggest family then all tied players receive a totem piece.