Episode 259: Cuzco

Designed by Stephen Feld and published by Queen Games. Its a re-imagining of Bora Bora.

In Cuzco the players are runners delivering messages around the Inca Empire. The game is played over 6 rounds.

In phase one, you are rolling dice and taking actions based on those rolls. To be able to place your die and select an action your pip value cannot exceed or be equal to any die already there. So for example if I had a 3 die, and there was another 2 there, I could not place my die there. Now there are all kinds of things in the game that will allow you to break that rule. There are a bunch of actions in this game, I’ll give you a gist of what they are. Note that the player count can have an effect on these choices.
Movement: There is a village board where your messenger can move around on. there are two different type of paths. Each path is marked by a dice face that you need to have or exceed to cross. Once crossed, you place your marker there and gain the feather denoted. Your marker opens up spaces on your mask board that you can utilize later. If your marker is on top of a particular village you also score some point end game. The feather is also used in various different ways in the game.

Studying or Farming: Going here will let you get a study or farm tile that you can put in your mask board, provided you have room to put it there (i.e. have moved your marker). More on these tiles later.

Exchange: it is an all purpose action, to simplify it. It gives you a way to collect various needed resources that you will use in the game and can help you get god cards. God cards are cards that help you break the game rules and are extremely useful. This action will also help you move up the knowledge track. At the end of the round the knowledge track gives you points and determines first player.

Temple: This action you are placing a priest on the temple. This will give you some resources, possibly a god card, and is scored at the end of each round.

Headdress: Lets you utilize those feather you have been collecting. Depending on their placement, will unlock some big points, also resources and/or god cards.

In Phase two you are activating one study and one farm tiles for some resources, bonus actions, knowledge, or points depending on what your tiles are.

Phase three, you are getting points, adjusting player order, buying goods (for points), and completing mission tiles. Oh yeah, there are mission tiles that have a plethora of different objectives you need to fulfill for points.

At the end of the game, if you specialized (i.e. get all the feather, complete all mission tiles, filled your mask board with farm/study tiles, visited 10 villages, etc.) you get points.