A personal anecdote: This was MY gateway game. Back in the late '00's, a weekend of Catan at a relative's caused me to search out modern board games. The theme for Tikal was so cool, so I ended up getting it for Christmas. And I was hooked. It is the most shelf-worn game I own because of how often I took it places while in grad school, on the off chance someone might want to play. It was, aside from a couple of small classic games in tins from when I worked at a toy store, the only one I owned for many years; as a grad student, I couldn't afford anything else, and really didn't care. It had both looks (compared to others of that era, the art and graphic design still looks good), and so much decision space, tied with a rich exploration theme. Newer games have eclipsed it for my ordinary usage, and it isn't as exciting to think about playing; indeed, I haven't played it in a few years. But it has given me so much joy that it is likely one of the last I will ever part with.
Still one of my favorite looking games. The caveats you mentioned were pretty consistent across reviews and impressions, and so I never made the final purchase.
I have the original Tikal and the new Mexica. I like both but I think Tikal is the one to get if you can't get both. We use poker chips to help people to keep track of what they can do with their actions, that helps to make the game go faster.
I highly recommend Mexica from the same designers and SuperMeeple/Iello. It’s much faster playing, with only 6AP per turn and the ability to save leftover AP for the next turn. Mexica works very well with kids too.
A personal anecdote: This was MY gateway game. Back in the late '00's, a weekend of Catan at a relative's caused me to search out modern board games. The theme for Tikal was so cool, so I ended up getting it for Christmas. And I was hooked. It is the most shelf-worn game I own because of how often I took it places while in grad school, on the off chance someone might want to play. It was, aside from a couple of small classic games in tins from when I worked at a toy store, the only one I owned for many years; as a grad student, I couldn't afford anything else, and really didn't care.
It had both looks (compared to others of that era, the art and graphic design still looks good), and so much decision space, tied with a rich exploration theme. Newer games have eclipsed it for my ordinary usage, and it isn't as exciting to think about playing; indeed, I haven't played it in a few years. But it has given me so much joy that it is likely one of the last I will ever part with.
Still one of my favorite looking games. The caveats you mentioned were pretty consistent across reviews and impressions, and so I never made the final purchase.
Thanks! I have mine unplayed (bought the old version used) on my shelf. Will have to try it soonish 🙂
I have the original Tikal and the new Mexica. I like both but I think Tikal is the one to get if you can't get both.
We use poker chips to help people to keep track of what they can do with their actions, that helps to make the game go faster.
I highly recommend Mexica from the same designers and SuperMeeple/Iello. It’s much faster playing, with only 6AP per turn and the ability to save leftover AP for the next turn. Mexica works very well with kids too.
Those look like mini-meeples 👶🏻