Description

"That night, the earth shook. The ruins of an unknown civilization appeared but the earth's crust continued to tear apart, causing natural disasters all over the planet. Strange seismic impulses seemed to come from a temple within these unexplored ruins."

Equipment
Maztec comes with 28 "game turn" pieces, 38 “gem” pieces and 4 "temple" pieces:
The four "temple” pieces represent 4 parts of the entrance to the temple.
The "gem" pieces are of two different colors. The front shows a red or green gem with 3 or 4 symbols. The back shows a gray gem and two continuous pattern lines.
Each "game turn" piece is numbered from 1 to 28 on the back. The front reveals 1 symbol on the decor background of the temple.

Overview and purpose of the game
Welcome Adventurers! As an expert archaeologist of ancient civilizations, you have been commissioned by governments around the world to solve the temple enigma of this strange civilization.
After a trying journey, you approach these ruins. A camp has been set up. A strange temple with an entrance marked by two red crystals invites you to enter. Carefully, you enter this temple and feel terrible tremors around you. But you're brave and courageous, and you decide to continue as planned.
As you explore the place, you discover new symbols. You also gather strange green and red gems surrounded by these symbols. These symbols appear to be clues that allow these stones to be placed in the right locations within this temple, by uniting them. After placing back a crystal, the tremors seem to be less important.
But the earth is shaking again. That’s right. These crystals must be placed back as quickly as possible within the temple in order to permanently stop the seismic waves coming from this temple!
You'll investigate why this is all happening once the challenge is faced, the problem solved.
Only the sharpest minds can solve the enigma behind these stones. It is now your turn... But time is running out... And if you can solve the enigma of thsi temple, you can finally declaim: MAZTEC!

Elements of the game
“Game turn” pieces: On the back, the number of the turn of play, and on the front, an element of the temple with a mysterious symbol.
Temple: the starting point for exploration. This temple is to be assembled at the beginning of the game, already shows you 2 symbols. It is made of 4 pieces.
“Gem” pieces: On the back is a gray gem. Beneath this gem are drawn 2 lines of patterns. On the front is a red or green gem framed by 3 or 4 symbols on the front. These symbols allow you to form combinations by juxtaposing them. But the combination is only successful if confirmed by the perfect combination of patterns on the back of these pieces. The "gem" pieces also have a small "spiral" symbol (a sort of deception maker) located at the top left of each piece allowing you to always put them in the right way.

Setting up
It is necessary to assemble the entrance to the 4-room temple in the first place. You then have to form 3 stacks of parts: A stack of "game turn" parts, sorted from 1 to 28. Number 1 is visible at the top of the stack. And 2 stacks of "gem" pieces must be formed: a stack per gem color, gray gem on a visible blue background. At the beginning of the game, you have to reveal 2 gems below each "gem" stack.

Each player also picks 2 "gem" pieces in the stacks: 1 red gem and 1 green gem per player that he places with the front visible before him.
Solo mode: The one player 2 red gems and 2 green gems that he places in front of him.

Course of the game
The last player player to feel an earthquake begins.
Game turn:
The first player will pick a "game turn" piece and add it to the temple. It bears the number "1" on it. This begins the exploration and reveals a new symbol. At the beginning of each round, each player will pick a "game turn" piece.
Possible moves during a player's turn:
- select 1 gem piece from the 4 visible ones and draw one of the same color to replace it. If there are no more gems to draw, replenish the pickaxes with discarded gems if there are any.
- discard the 2 pieces of the pile of green or red gems and replace them with 2 others, then select 1 of the 2.
With the selected gem, you can:
- place it on the temple by combining it,
- add it to a gem or to a combination of gems from an opponent (except in a solo game)
- add it to one of its gems to create a combination.
If no placement is possible, the player places the piece in front of him.
If a placement is successful, the player may try again to place or combine the pieces in his possession as long as his placement attempts succeed, at an opponent’s (except in a solo game) or on his/her pieces.
Last possible move: the player can try to place a combination of his/her gems on the temple. It is then the next player’s turn (or the next turn in a solo game).

Bonus move:
At any time, the player can secretly (without revealing it to other players) return his/her gems to observe lines that can help him assemble the pieces.

End of the game and goal

”If not all of the gems are placed in the temple before 28 turns... The end is near.”
Competitive mode: If all the gems have been placed, it is the first player who no longer has any gem to place who wins the game.
Collaborative mode: If all the gems have been placed, your team wins the game.
Solo mode: If all the gems have been placed before 28 turns, you win the game.

If all the gems have not been placed, after 28 turns, the first player who no longer has any gems, or any more combination of gems in front of him, or who has the least, wins the game.
Must-know: a combination of gem not assembled in the temple counts as a single gem.
However, humanity will only be saved if all gems are correctly placed before the 28 turns.