How to Play

Tikal

2-4 players 90-90 min 7.3 Board Game Geek Rating

Players lead expedition teams through Central American rainforests, gradually revealing jungle terrain while discovering ancient temples and valuable artifacts. Teams compete to excavate temple sites and collect treasures, earning points by controlling temples and securing artifacts. This exploration-based strategy game rewards tactical positioning and resource management as adventurers uncover archaeological wonders.

Published 1999

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Place the game board in the center of the table, representing the unexplored jungle of Tikal

Four starting hexagons are already revealed

the starting camp, two temple hexagons, and a clearing

Sort the hexagonal tiles into piles by letter (A through G), shuffle each pile, then stack them face-down in alphabetical order (A on top, G on bottom) to form a single draw pile

Shuffle the round treasure tokens and place them in 2 face-down piles next to the board

Sort temple levels by number (1-10) into 9 separate piles in ascending order next to the board

Each player takes all pieces of one color

1 expedition leader, 18 explorers, 2 base camps, and 1 scoring cube

Place your scoring cube on position 0 of the scoring track

Each player takes a reference card (purple side for basic game, yellow side for advanced rules)

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Phase A:

Draw the top hexagon from the pile, flip it face-up, and place it on an empty space adjacent to an already-placed hexagon; it must be reachable via a path (stone slabs connecting hexagon edges)

Phase B:

Spend your 10 Action Points (PA) on any combination of these actions:

Unused Action Points are lost

Volcanoes

cannot be crossed; they trigger a scoring round when drawn (one each in B, D, and F tile sets)

Ruins:

When placed, draw treasure tokens equal to idol symbols (2-4) and stack face-down on the hexagon

Leader counts as 3 explorers for temple control purposes