
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,895
- BGG rating
- 6.2
Clacks: A Discworld Board Game
- 1–4 players
- 45–30 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2015

2012
Rules assistance for Codinca
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Codinca is a board game released in 2012 for 2–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Leonard Boyd and David Brashaw and its main mechanics are Tile Placement.
Deep within the rain forests of the Yucatan, rival teams of treasure hunters have recently discovered the lost city of Codinca. In the center of the once great citadel stands a stone temple. Local legends tell of great treasures that lie buried beneath the temple, but despite many weeks of searching no doorway has been found. On the top of the temple stands a square stone altar. A small totem stands in the center of this, surrounded by a pattern of sixteen carved tiles. Examining them closely you discover an intricate series of mechanisms which allow the tiles to switch places and turn over, which reveals that each tile has a stone side and a gold side. Carvings on each side of the pillar indicate that a sequence of four key patterns must be made with the tiles to open the temple. Can you be the first to unlock the secrets of Codinca? In Codinca, each player has control of a set of four matching symbol tiles: Air, Water, Earth or Fire. Players take turns attempting to move their tiles into a series of four specific key patterns indicated on the key discs drawn at the beginning of the game; those patterns are a block of four, a line of four, four corners (can be four corners of any nine tiles as well as outside corners) and a diagonal line of four. On each turn a player must either switch and flip one of their own tiles with any adjacent tile, or switch one of their tiles with any adjacent tile and switch the same or another of their tiles with any adjacent tiles or flip two tiles, one of which must be one of their own tiles. In addition, players are allocated three Spirit Card that gives them the bonus move choice of Line Push or Rotate Four. This allows players to disguise their planned moves. On the back of the Spirt Card is a Trap Pattern. This can be used to change a set display of tiles from gold to stone and visa versa to match the pattern on the Trap Pattern. Players can match their required patterns in any order, and the first player to match all patterns wins.
Codinca 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 Codinca is 30 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 Codinca for ages 8 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.
Codinca has a complexity rating of 1.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light 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.
Codinca belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy. 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 Codinca are: Leonard Boyd and David Brashaw. 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 Codinca 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.