Tzolkin: The Mayan Calendar — Czech Games Edition — Review

Publisher: Czech Games Edition

Designer: Simone Luciani, Daniele Tascini

Artist: Milan Vavroň

Game Type: Worker Placement

Initial Year of Release: 2012

Age Range: 13+

Expected Playtime: 90 Minutes

Number of Players: 2–4 Players

Tzolk’in at its core is a worker placement game… but dig a little deeper and you’ll see it’s a game where you have to think multiple turns in the future, place workers strategically, and take them back at exactly the right time to maximize every turn… when the dial does a full rotation the game ends.

“Tzolkin: The Mayan Calendar presents a new game mechanism: dynamic worker placement. Players representing different Mayan tribes place their workers on giant connected gears, and as the gears rotate, they take the workers to different action spots.

During a turn, players can either (a) place one or more workers on the lowest visible spot of the gears or (b) pick up one or more workers. When placing workers, they must pay corn, which is used as a currency in the game. When they pick up a worker, they perform certain actions depending on the position of the worker. Actions located “later” on the gears are more valuable, so it’s wise to let the time work for you — but players cannot skip their turn; if they have all their workers on the gears, they have to pick some up.

The game ends after one full revolution of the central Tzolkin gear. There are many paths to victory. Pleasing the gods by placing crystal skulls in deep caves or building many temples are just two of those many paths…”

Quote from Boardgamegeek (I couldn’t have explained it better myself)

I have to say that Tzolk’in in one of the most intimidating I have ever seen taken straight out of a box. It has moving cogs, worship tracks, tech tracks, and settlement development buildings all spread across this dominating board that must be assembled before you even start to consider sitting down to play.

But please don’t let my (or your first impressions) put you off, this game is well worth the effort and not as complicated as it seems.

The component quality for this game is excellent. Considering it has all the moving parts of the time cogs it goes together fantastically well and is beautifully detailed. I have seen some fantastic custom paint jobs for Tzolk’in that take it to another level but the base version does me just fine.

The workers (little wooden cylinders) are simple but effective and the card board tokens and buildings are all of decent stock. In general, I love the quality of Tzolk’in but one caveat I would say is that if this was created now, rather than 2012, I think the components may have been designed very differently… minis may have been considered… more 3D building options… etc etc etc. But that’s just me thinking out loud.

Tzolk’in really nails the Mayan art style and colour pallet. The artwork is simple in comparison to some of the games developed of late (don’t shoot me Milan Vavroň, I still love it) but every inch of the board is themed to perfection. There’s so much to see throughout the board its fun spotting the little details.

If you want to test your ability to think several moves in advance, like a rotating game of chess, then this is the game for you. Trying to develop a strategy while watching what your opponents are doing to ensure they don’t steal your idea is exhilarating. Every turn you wonder if your plan will come to fruition or if you’re going to be pipped to the post.

I also love the endgame scoring mechanic, final scoring isn’t calculated until the final turn of the wheel and up to that point its pretty much impossible to guess the winner. This leaves everyone on the edge of their seats right up until the last second.

I think the age range is exactly where it needs to be for Tzolk’in. It certainly isn’t a text based game but the strategy and forward thinking required to get through a game is more than like way to much for younger board game fans… by all means try if you happen to have a young genius in the house but otherwise stick to the 13+… that would be my humble recommendation. 😊

Tzolk’in stands up there as being one my favorite worker placement games of all time. It brings something so different to the table that it sets itself aside from the rest of the genre and stands alone as the “let’s play that game with the cogs and where you have to predict the future” game.

Don’t get me wrong, games like Lords of Waterdeep, Stone Age and Yedo all have their own little “things” but Tzolk’in’s “thing” certainly makes an impression.

For any fans of worker placement games or even someone who is looking for a challenging but fun experience then Tzolk’in is absolutely worth a try. I hope you enjoy it.