How to Play Teotihuacan: City of Gods (September 2026)?

Teotihuacan: City of Gods has a reputation. It looks heavy, the board is covered in symbols, and the rulebook jumps around like a caffeinated rabbit. But here is the truth: once you understand the rondel and the three action types, everything clicks into place.

I have taught this game to more than a dozen first-timers, and the same confusion points come up every time. Workers getting “locked.” The cocoa economy feeling arbitrary. The Eclipse triggering and nobody knowing what just happened. This guide walks you through all of it, step by step, so your first game feels like an adventure instead of a rules exam.

Whether you are unboxing the base game for the first time or trying the Deluxe Master Set, this beginner tutorial covers everything you need: setup, the worker dice system, turn structure, scoring, and the mistakes that catch new players off guard. By the end, you will know exactly how to play Teotihuacan: City of Gods without getting lost.

What Is Teotihuacan: City of Gods?

Teotihuacan: City of Gods is a Euro-style strategy board game designed by Daniele Tascini, the co-designer of Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar. Published by Board&Dice, it sits comfortably in the BGG Top 100 strategy games and has earned a dedicated following among heavy Euro fans.

In the game, you command a faction of workers building the ancient city of Teotihuacan, the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas. You gather cocoa, worship at temples, construct the Pyramid of the Sun, collect masks, and advance your workers along an ascension wheel. The player who accumulates the most victory points across several scoring events wins.

The game uses a rondel for movement, dice as workers that grow in power as they “level up,” and a calendar track that triggers periodic scoring events called Eclipses. It sounds like a lot, and it is, but the systems interlock beautifully once you see them in action.

Quick Game Facts Before You Start

Here are the essentials so you know what you are getting into:

• Players: 1 to 4
• Play time: 90 to 120 minutes
• Ages: 12 and up
• Complexity: Medium-heavy (BGG weight around 3.7)
• Setup time: About 15 minutes once you know the routine
• Game length: Usually 3 Eclipses for 2 players, up to 4 for higher counts

If you have played Tzolk’in, Mombasa, or Bora Bora, the weight will feel familiar. If this is your first heavy Euro, expect a learning game that runs closer to two and a half hours as you reference the rules. That is completely normal.

How to Set Up Your First Game of Teotihuacan

Setup is where most beginners feel overwhelmed, so take it one piece at a time. The board and tiles use a color-matching system that does a lot of the work for you. Follow these steps in order and you will have a game ready in about 15 minutes.

Step 1: Board Setup

Place the main board in the center of the table. Sort the pyramid tiles by tier and stack them on their designated spaces. Shuffle the discovery tiles and place them face up in the building row on the right side of the board.

Fill the technology track with technology tiles, one per space, matching the colors printed on the board. Place the decoration tiles, royal tiles, and mask tiles in their separate supply areas nearby. Set the calendar marker on the starting space of the calendar track.

Step 2: Player Setup

Each player chooses a color and takes the matching workers, cocoa tokens, scoring markers, and player aid. You start with three worker dice showing the number 1 on their top face, plus cocoa and any starting resources indicated on your player board.

Place one worker on the starting space of the rondel (the Avenue of the Dead). The other two workers begin off the board in your personal supply. Drop your scoring marker on zero, and you are ready.

Step 3: First Game Recommendation

For your first game, use the recommended starting setup printed in the rulebook rather than the random setup options. The rulebook marks this clearly as the beginner configuration. It gives each player a balanced starting position so nobody accidentally picks a suboptimal temple focus based on a random tile draw.

One tip from experienced players on BoardGameGeek: sort the cocoa tokens into a central pile before you start. You will be passing cocoa back and forth constantly, and fumbling through a bag of tokens slows the game down.

How to Play Teotihuacan: The Worker Dice System Explained

The worker dice system is the heart of Teotihuacan, and it is the mechanic that confuses newcomers the most. Here is the plain-language version.

Each of your workers is represented by a die. The number showing on top of the die is that worker’s “power level.” A die showing 1 is weak. A die showing 5 is powerful. The higher the number, the more effective the worker is when performing actions.

Locked vs Unlocked Workers

This is the single most asked-about concept on r/boardgames for this game, and no competitor explains it clearly. Here is the breakdown:

Unlocked workers sit on their own space on the rondel with no other worker on top of them. They are free to move on your turn.

Locked workers have another worker die stacked on top of them. A locked worker cannot move until the worker on top of it moves away first. Think of it like a traffic jam: the bottom car cannot go anywhere until the top car clears out.

When you place a worker on a space that already has another worker on it, you stack your die on top. The worker underneath becomes locked. This is important because it means you can block your opponents’ workers from moving, and they can block yours.

How Workers Gain Power

Workers gain power through a process called ascension, which we cover in detail later. The short version: when a worker reaches power level 5 and then advances one more step, it “ascends.” It leaves the board, scores you points, and you get benefits based on where it was standing. You then bring in a new level 1 worker from your supply.

This means your workers are constantly cycling. You level them up, send them off, and start fresh ones. Planning when to ascend is one of the most satisfying decisions in the game.

How to Take a Turn in Teotihuacan

Every turn follows the same two-step structure. Memorize this, and you have mastered 80 percent of the rules.

Step 1: Choose one of your unlocked workers and move it clockwise around the rondel to any empty or occupied space. You can move it one space or multiple spaces. The cost is cocoa: you pay one cocoa for each space you skip past. Moving to the very next space is free.

Step 2: After moving, you take actions on the space where your worker landed. You always collect cocoa first (if the space grants it), then you may worship (if worship symbols are present), and finally you perform the main action of that space. All three are optional except where noted, but cocoa collection happens automatically.

That is a turn. Move a worker, take the actions on its new space. Then the next player goes. The game continues clockwise around the table until the calendar track triggers an Eclipse.

The tension comes from two sources. First, every space you skip costs cocoa, so moving far is expensive. Second, landing on a space with another worker locks that worker, which can disrupt your own future plans or sabotage an opponent.

The Three Action Types: Cocoa, Worship, and Main Actions

When your worker lands on a space, up to three things can happen. Understanding the difference between them is what separates a smooth first game from a confusing one.

Cocoa Collection

Many spaces on the rondel have cocoa symbols printed on them. When your worker lands there, you simply take that much cocoa from the supply. This is automatic and costs nothing. Cocoa is the fuel that lets you move workers multiple spaces and pay for certain actions, so managing your cocoa supply matters throughout the game.

If you ever need to pay cocoa and cannot, you lose two victory points per cocoa you are short. This penalty is painful, so always keep a small cocoa reserve.

Worship

Some spaces have worship symbols (small icons that look like offering hands). When you land on a space with worship symbols, you may choose to worship by spending cocoa equal to the number shown. In return, you advance your marker on one of the three temple tracks.

Temple advancement matters because it gives you immediate bonuses (printed on the temple tiles) and scores points during each Eclipse. Each temple track is color-coded: blue, green, and red. The bonus you get depends on which temple you advance and what tile is currently sitting there.

Main Actions

Every space on the rondel has a main action associated with it. This is the big action you came here to do. Here are the main action types you will encounter:

• Building (Avenue of the Dead): Spend resources to build houses and gain instant bonuses.
• Pyramid: Add a pyramid tile to the Pyramid of the Sun for endgame scoring based on position and color matching.
• Crafting: Acquire technology tiles, decoration tiles, or royal tiles that provide ongoing benefits and scoring multipliers.
• Masks: Collect mask tiles that score in sets during Eclipses.
• Discovery: Take a discovery tile from the building row for a one-time bonus.

The strength of your main action depends on your worker’s power level. A level 1 worker on the pyramid space adds one tile. A level 4 worker might add a tile and gain a bonus. Higher power means more bang for your turn.

Understanding Eclipse Scoring

The Eclipse is Teotihuacan’s scoring round, and it triggers when the calendar marker reaches certain spaces on the calendar track. Think of it as a checkpoint where everyone cashes in their progress.

When an Eclipse triggers, scoring happens in a specific order. Follow these steps:

• Temples: Each player scores points based on their position on the three temple tracks. Higher positions earn more points.
• Masks: Players score for sets of mask tiles collected. A complete set is worth significantly more than individual masks.
• Discovery tiles and bonuses: Some tiles and technology provide Eclipse-triggered bonuses that resolve now.

After scoring, the calendar marker resets and play continues. The number of Eclipses in a game depends on player count: typically three for two players, and up to four for larger groups. After the final Eclipse, the game ends and one last round of scoring occurs.

Final scoring adds points from the pyramid (positions of your pyramid tiles and color matching), technology tiles, decoration tiles, and any remaining cocoa converted at a rate of one point per two cocoa. The player with the most points wins.

How Ascension Works in Teotihuacan

Ascension is the most satisfying mechanic in the game once you understand it, but it confuses beginners because the rulebook buries the explanation.

Throughout the game, certain actions and bonuses increase the power level of your worker dice. When a worker reaches power level 5 and is then increased one more time, it ascends. Here is what happens:

First, the ascending worker leaves the board permanently. Second, you gain victory points based on the worker’s final power level. Third, you receive a bonus determined by the space the worker was standing on when it ascended. Fourth, you bring a fresh level 1 worker from your supply into play.

The bonus for ascending depends on location. Ascending from the pyramid space gives you pyramid-related bonuses. Ascending from a temple space gives temple bonuses. This means the position where you trigger ascension matters as much as the timing.

For your first game, do not overthink ascension. Just know that leveling up workers is good, and sending them off at the right moment is even better. You will develop a feel for timing after a few plays.

Common Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

After reading hundreds of forum posts on r/boardgames and BoardGameGeek, the same mistakes come up over and over. Here are the ones that derail first games.

Mistake 1: Ignoring the Cocoa Economy

New players treat cocoa as an afterthought. It is not. Cocoa is the currency that lets you move workers multiple spaces, and running out means you either crawl one space at a time or eat the two-point penalty per missing cocoa. Always grab cocoa when you can afford to land on a cocoa space, especially early in the game.

Mistake 2: Locking Your Own Workers

Because landing on a space with another worker locks the one underneath, beginners frequently trap their own workers by stacking carelessly. Before you place a worker on an occupied space, check whether you will need that bottom worker to move soon. If you do, find a different space.

Mistake 3: Spreading Too Thin on Temples

The three temple tracks are tempting, and new players try to advance on all of them equally. This is usually a mistake. Forum consensus says focusing on one or two temples produces far better scoring returns than dabbling in all three. Pick your temples based on the bonuses available and commit.

Mistake 4: Forgetting About the Pyramid

The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest single scoring opportunity in the game, and beginners routinely neglect it until the final Eclipse. Start placing pyramid tiles by the second Eclipse at the latest. Position matters: tiles near the top of the pyramid and tiles matching their neighbors’ colors score more.

Mistake 5: Analysis Paralysis Over Cocoa Costs

Knowing whether to pay three cocoa to skip ahead or take a free one-space move can stall the game. For your first game, use a simple rule of thumb: if the action you want is worth more than three cocoa worth of tempo, pay and move. Otherwise, take the free step. You can optimize later.

First Game Strategy Tips from Experienced Players

Here is what veteran Teotihuacan players recommend for a smooth, enjoyable first game.

Watch a tutorial video first. The Meeple University how-to-play video on YouTube is the most recommended resource in the community. Even players who found the game heavy after watching it say it made the first play far more manageable. Spend 20 minutes with a video before you open the rulebook.

Pick a simple strategy and stick with it. For game one, choose either the decorations and gold path or the pyramid building path. Do not try to do everything. A focused strategy helps you learn the systems without decision overload.

Do not stress about temple choice on turn one. Some players agonize over which temple to prioritize based on the random setup. For your first game, advance on whichever temple gives the bonus that helps your chosen strategy. Optimization comes later.

Ascension is a feature, not a bug. Do not hold onto high-level workers forever. Ascending gives you points and refreshes your workforce. Plan to ascend two or three workers per game.

Keep the player aid nearby. The iconography in Teotihuacan is mostly clear, but a few rare symbols require rulebook reference. The player aid card covers 90 percent of what you need. Pass it around so everyone can check actions without flipping pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wrapping Up Your First Game

Teotihuacan: City of Gods rewards patience on your first play. The rondel movement, worker dice, locked and unlocked states, cocoa economy, and Eclipse scoring all interlock into one elegant system. Once you see how the pieces connect, the game opens up into one of the most satisfying strategy experiences on your shelf.

For your first game, focus on learning the systems rather than winning. Pick one scoring path, keep your cocoa flowing, and do not be afraid to ascend workers. Watch a tutorial video beforehand, keep the player aid close, and remember that everyone at the table is figuring it out together.

Now that you know how to play Teotihuacan: City of Gods without getting lost, set up the board, gather your friends, and start building the Pyramid of the Sun. Your second game will be faster, sharper, and even more fun.