
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,788
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Blackwood
- 2–4 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2017

2017
Rules assistance for IKAN
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.
IKAN is a board game released in 2017 for 2–4 players and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Philippe Tapimoket and its main mechanics are Memory, Modular Board, and Cooperative Game.
In IKAN, players can each choose to be one of the different character in the game: The Master of Shadows, Ikan, the Skeleton or Yaga the Jaguar. Each character has a different purpose: on one side of the screen, the Master of Shadows builds the 5x5 tile labyrinth; on the other side the rest of the players must navigate blindly through the labyrinth by loudly announcing their move to the Master of Shadows, who in turn moves the different Wooden Characters. To complete his quest, the player impersonating Ikan must find the Magic Spear and the Key to defeat the Stone Serpent, take the Golden Idol, and then exit the labyrinth to win the game. The Master of Shadows is joined by the Skeleton in a 3 player game. In a 4 player game, the Master of Shadows and the Skeleton remain in the same team while Ikan is helped by his faithful friend Yaga the Jaguar.
IKAN 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 catalogue lists IKAN 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.
IKAN has a complexity rating of 1.7 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.
IKAN belongs to these categories: Adventure and Maze. Its main mechanics are Memory, Modular Board, and Cooperative Game. 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 IKAN are: Philippe Tapimoket. 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 IKAN 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.