Overview

Aztec (also known as The Aztec Market) is a partnership game for 2-4 players in which each player controls four buyers who have traveled to the market of Tlatelolco to buy commodities from local vendors, trying to match the capricious tastes of the king. With four players it is played as a partnership game (partners sit across from each other). With two or three players, it is a competitive individual game.

Components

• 15 Market tiles: 4 vendors (black, blue, red, green), 4 crowds, 2 porters, 2 governors, 1 ambassador, 1 messenger, 1 king (multicolor)
• 16 Buyer tiles (brown, 4 per player)
• 1 Bag for commodities
• 80 Commodity tokens: 20 each in black, blue, red, green
• 16 Coins (grey)
• 1 Start player marker (yellow)

Setup

1. Starting with any player and continuing clockwise, each player places one market tile at a time into a 4x4 grid arrangement with one hole (empty space). This creates the market.
2. Each player places their 4 buyer tiles on their side of the table, one in each column of the market.
3. Place all coins in a supply accessible to all players. Each player takes 1 coin and places it on one of their buyer tiles.
4. Put all commodity tokens in the bag. Without looking, remove 4 commodities and set them aside unseen. (For shorter games, remove more, always a multiple of 4.)

Turn Structure

On your turn, choose one of two options: Pass or Play.

Pass

Execute the following steps in order:

1. Replenish Commodities: Draw 4 random commodity tokens from the bag. Place each on the vendor tile of the matching color. (Skip if bag is empty.)
2. Move the Market: Move 2 market tiles. To move a tile, take any tile from the market and place it in the hole. (This creates a new hole where the tile was.)
3. Obtain Money: Take 1 coin from the supply and place it on one of your buyer tiles. A buyer can only hold 1 coin. (Skip if all 4 buyers already have coins.)
4. Utilize the King: If any vendor tiles in the same row or column as the king have commodity tokens, you may move 1 such token onto the king’s tile. Crowds do not block this transfer.

Play

Take the following actions in any order and quantity:

1. Move the Market (optional): Spend coins from your buyers to move market tiles (1 coin per tile moved). Return spent coins to the supply. The messenger tile can be moved for free any number of times.
2. Buy Commodities (mandatory): Use one or more buyers with coins to purchase from vendors. Conditions:
   • The buyer must have a coin.
   • The buyer must be in the same column as the vendor.
   • The buyer must be empty or already holding tokens of the same color.
   • No crowd tiles may be between the buyer and the vendor.
   • Take all tokens from the vendor and place on the buyer, returning 1 coin per purchase.

Actions

• Move market tiles: Slide any tile into the empty space (costs 1 coin during Play; free twice during Pass).
• Buy commodities: Buyer in same column as vendor, with coin, no crowds blocking; take all vendor tokens.
• Utilize the king: During Pass, transfer 1 commodity from a vendor in the king’s row/column to the king.

Special tile effects during purchase:

• Porter (between buyer and vendor): Returns 1 purchased commodity to the vendor.
• Governor (between buyer and vendor): Places 1 purchased commodity on the king’s tile.
• Ambassador (between buyer and vendor): The buyer keeps their coin (no coin spent).
• Crowd (between buyer and vendor): Blocks the purchase entirely.
• Messenger: Can be moved for free during Play.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends when the player to the right of the start player finishes their turn and there are no commodity tokens remaining in the supply (bag).

Scoring (4-player partnership): For each color of commodity, the partner with more tokens of that color multiplies their count by the number of that color on the king’s tile. Only the partner with more of each color scores for that color. If the king has none of a commodity, no one scores for that color.

The partnership with the highest total wins. Tiebreakers: most coins, then most commodity tokens.

Scoring (2-3 players): Same formula but individual scores; highest total wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• King has no tokens of a color: No player scores any points for that commodity color, regardless of how many they collected.
• Only the higher partner scores: In a 4-player game, if both partners have tokens of the same color, only the one with more scores. If tied, only one partner scores (the one who had them first).
• Removing commodities at start: Always remove a multiple of 4 from the bag. For no randomness, remove equal numbers of each color.
• Crowd tiles: Block purchases but do NOT block the king’s ability to take commodities.
• Market grid: The market is always a 4x4 grid with exactly 1 hole. Tiles slide into the hole, creating a new hole.

Player Reference

Tile	Effect
Vendor (4 colors)	Holds commodity tokens of matching color; source for purchases
Crowd	Blocks purchases between buyer and vendor
Porter	Returns 1 purchased commodity to vendor
Governor	Sends 1 purchased commodity to king
Ambassador	Buyer keeps coin on purchase
Messenger	Can be moved for free during Play
King	Collects commodities; determines scoring multiplier

Turn options: Pass (replenish, move market, get coin, king) OR Play (spend coins to move market, buy commodities)

Scoring formula: (your tokens of color X) x (king’s tokens of color X) for each color