- BGG rank
- BGG #135
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Tigris & Euphrates
- 2–4 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 1997
- BGG rank
- BGG #18,014
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Balam
2006
Rules assistance for Balam
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.6/5
Rules assistant for Balam
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Balam is a board game released in 2006 for 2–4 players, 90 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Patrice Vernet and its main mechanics are Tile Placement.
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About the game
The boards represents various sites of a thick forest of Yucatan, in 8th century, on which the players, who play as competing kings, are building cities. The goods produced in these cities by Maya people must permanently be distributed between taxes - which allow growth - and sacrifices - which allows to increase power. At the end of the game, the most prestigious king becomes the first emperor of Yucatan. Game components : 33 Site tiles (the tiles, once juxtaposed, constitute the game board) 1 board score track tile 72 Katun cards (Katun is a 20 years-long period. While players are drawing the cards, Katuns will follow one another, sometimes positive, and sometimes catastrophic.) 4 individual King cards (They allow to store the pyramids and the goods of the king and they remind rules) 52 large pyramids in 4 colors (indicating which player owns the site) 64 small pyramids matching the large pyramids (indicating which player has the commercial control of the site) 99 building tiles double sided, of 4 types (8 different buildings : villages/garrisons, palace/temples, market/storage, grounds of pelote/observatories) 82 good tokens of 6 types (30 yellow corn, 10 brown cocoa, 8 blue shell, 8 green jade, 16 black obsidian, 10 red prisoner) ("village" buildings produce goods and wars bring back prisoners) 4 6-sided dice (used to solve conflicts).
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- (Web published)
- Neuroludic
Questions and answers
Balam supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Balam is 90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Balam for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Balam has a complexity rating of 3.6 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Balam belongs to these categories: Fighting, Territory Building, and Ancient. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Balam are: Patrice Vernet. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Balam as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.