Shards of the Jaguar

To set up the game, first assemble the game board by connecting the four map tiles. For 2 or 3 players, ensure the first map tile on the left doesn't have two walls on its left edge. Insert the Heart Wall between the third and fourth map tiles. Place the Temple Board above the game board. Randomly place the four damaging trap boards below the game board, followed by the Secret Door and Flood trap boards. Each player chooses a character, takes their character board and pawn, and places their Health token on the starting Health value (15 for 2 players, 18 for 3, 22 for 4). The Curse token is placed on 5. Players receive starting amulets based on their character and player count (e.g., 4 players get an additional green amulet, 3 players get a yellow amulet). Place a Level Up token on the Curse bonus space of each character board. Place player Glory tokens on the first space of the Glory track (2nd space for 3 players). Place the Jaguar pawn on the first space of the Turn track. Place player Trap Activator tokens on the Order track in random order. Place 4 different colored crystals on the Bonus Crystal Dome. Randomly select 3 Objective tokens and place them on the 3 Objective Domes. Place 4 Jaguar Heart Shards on the designated spaces of the Jaguar area (3 for 2-3 players). Place 1 yellow crystal on the first Jaguar area space and 1 purple crystal on the second. Place 1 green and 1 blue crystal on the 16th space of the Glory track. Fill the map tiles with crystals according to the player count (e.g., for 4 players, the first three map tiles get 8 purple, 6 yellow, 7 blue, and 9 green crystals, while the fourth map tile gets 4 of each color). Place 1 random crystal on each small circular pedestal. Place 1 map tile (face-up) on each large pedestal of the first three map tiles (for 4 players). Place 1 small ritual token (face-up) on each rhombus space of the second and third map tiles. Place 1 large ritual token (face-up) on each rhombus space of the fourth map tile. Place 1 amulet chest (face-down) on each square symbol space. Players take their colored pawns and 1 Curse token. Form common piles for remaining amulets and crystals. Players choose their starting entrance space on the first map tile in reverse player order.

The objective of Shards of the Jaguar is for players, as tribal members, to successfully navigate a sacred temple, perform rituals, collect Jaguar shards, and escape before the eighth round ends. By doing so, they accumulate glory points, with the player having the most glory points at the end of the game being declared the winner. The game also features cooperative and solo modes with specific objectives.

Each round consists of four phases: the Refresh Phase, Trap Setting Phase, Action Phase, and Trap Activation Phase. In the Refresh Phase (skipped in the first round), the turn order for trap setting is determined. In the Trap Setting Phase, players place traps on the board. In the Action Phase, players spend action points (4 for rounds 1-6, 5 for rounds 7-8) to perform various actions: moving to an adjacent space (1 action point), healing (1-4 action points for 1-12 health points), picking up items (1 action point), performing rituals (1 action point plus crystal costs), or running (move up to 7 or 8 spaces if only moving). Players cannot cross walls. The Trap Activation Phase involves activating traps set by players, with effects like damage or curses. The Jaguar pawn advances one space on the Turn track at the end of each round. The game ends after 8 rounds, or if all players have escaped or been eliminated.

At the end of the game, players calculate their glory points. Each purple crystal is worth 3 points. Jaguar shards are worth 30 points. Yellow crystals are worth 8 points. Blue crystals are worth 1 point, but the player with the most blue crystals gets 30 points (18 for 2 players), and the second most gets 12 points (0 for 2 players). Green crystals are worth the square of their quantity (e.g., 3 green crystals are 9 points). Players also score points based on their remaining health (e.g., 13 health is 16 points). Curse tokens deduct points (e.g., 4 curses deduct 6 points). Glory points are awarded for the position on the Glory track. Objective tokens provide additional scoring opportunities. Rituals are worth 10 points each. The player with the highest total glory points wins.

The game concludes at the end of the 8th round. If all players have successfully escaped the temple, or if all players have been eliminated (reduced to 0 health and unable to heal), the game also ends. Players then proceed to the scoring phase to determine the winner based on accumulated glory points. If there's a tie, the player with the most Jaguar shards wins; if still tied, the player with the most crystals wins.