Ages:	14 and up
Players:	1 - 4
Playing Time:	30 - 60 mins

 

 

It is said that Wiraqocha created the sun and the pre-Columbian tribes of the Andes. Under his leadership, those who will train the mighty Inca people came out of their caves to discover new horizons in order to subsist and grow in harmony with nature. They venerated Pachamama, Mother Earth, the basis of all living things, plants and minerals, on earth and under the earth.

In Tiwanaku, first announced as Pachamama, you lead your tribe into unknown territory in search of new lands to cultivate. Your goal: To explore regions and draw outlines to develop cultures according to the customs and legacies of Pachamama. If you honor Her by respecting the great principles of diversity and complementarity, Nature will reward you; otherwise, you will suffer his wrath. In this race, risk-taking, deduction, intuition, and a good sense of timing should allow you to get through.

To set up Tiwanaku, first choose a scenario disc based only on your desired length of a game, with a 5x5 grid being the smallest option and a 5x9 grid the largest. Place the terrain tiles (which come in four types) shown on the back of this disc on the indicated spaces of the game board, then cover them with the indicated crop tokens (which come in five types). Place the scenario disc into the Pachamama wheel — after ensuring that the windows on the wheel are closed — then turn the wheel face up. Each player takes 3-5 pawns depending on player count, and places a diversity stone of their color at the bottom of each terrain chart.

Each scenario disc indicates a unique arrangement of terrain tiles and crop tiles. Terrain tiles are in regions of 1-5 spaces, and a region of one color does not touch a region of the same color, even diagonally. Crop tokens have a value of 1-5, and each value has a different size/color (level 1 is brown, level 2 is green, etc.). A size 1 region will contain a value 1 crop token, a size 2 region will contain crop tokens of value 1 and 2, and only a size 5 region will contain crop tokens of each value. Two identical crop values can never be adjacent, even diagonally.

On a turn, take either an explore action or a divine action:

• To explore, move a pawn already on the game board or add a pawn to the game board. When you add a pawn, place it on a perimeter space. You can move this pawn or a pawn already on the board in an orthogonal direction. If you hit a space that contains an offering token, you may continue moving either straight or at a 90º angle; if you hit a pawn of the same color, you must continue moving either straight or at a 90º angle; if you hit a space that's empty or contains a terrain tile, you must stop. You cannot pass through a space that contains an opponent's pawn. (Instead of moving, you can remove one of your pawns from the game board, which ends your turn.)

If you stop on an empty space, you discover the terrain there. On the Pachamama wheel, align the coordinates of the space on the game board with the dials, then open the discovery window to see which color of terrain to add to this space. Then advance your diversity stone for this terrain type one space and score 1 point for each of your diversity stones at this same level.

• To divine, choose a pawn of yours on the game board on a terrain tile without a crop token, then name what value of crop you think belongs in that space based on the territory and crops already present nearby. Open the divine window for this space on the Pachamama wheel. If you're wrong, place the correct crop tile on this space, then lose points equal to the value of this crop. If you're correct, place the correct crop tile on this space, gain points equal to the value of this crop, gain an offering cube of this crop color (if you don't already have one), then if you wish, you can divine with another pawn of yours on a terrain tile.

At the end of an explore or divine action, you can hand in 1-5 offering cubes for 0-10 points. You can hold at most one offering of each color.

When the final terrain tile is placed on the game board, the end of the game is triggered. Starting with this player, each player in turn can take a single divine action or pass. If you pass, you take no further actions. If you divine, you gain points and an offering cube like normal, or you lose points and must pass. Keep taking turns around the table until everyone has passed, then make a final offering, then see who has the most points.