- BGG rating
- 6.9
Rules assistance for Iwari: Metal Totem
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 45 min
- 14+
Rules assistant for Iwari: Metal Totem
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Iwari: Metal Totem is an expansion for Iwari released in 2020 for 2–5 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Michael Schacht and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Area Majority / Influence, and Network and Route Building.
About the game
The Metal Totem Pawn can be used instead of the wooden Totem Connection Scoring Marker, or it can be used as a small expansion. Set-up: • Place the Metal Totem Pawn on top of the connection number “1”. Gameplay: • When a player places a Totem in a territory adjacent to the connection with the Metal Totem Pawn, the player is allowed to perform either of the two following actions, at the end of their turn: A. Immediately score the connection with the Metal Totem Pawn for all involved players, even if the scoring doesn’t generate points to any player. Then, move to the next connection number in ascending order. If the Metal Totem Pawn is on the highest connection number and it needs to be moved, it has to be removed from the board. B. Do nothing
Designers
Publishers
- ThunderGryph Games
Questions and answers
Iwari: Metal Totem supports 2–5 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 Iwari: Metal Totem is 45 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 Iwari: Metal Totem for ages 14 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.
Iwari: Metal Totem belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Abstract Strategy, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Area Majority / Influence, and Network and Route Building. 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 Iwari: Metal Totem are: Michael Schacht. 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 Iwari: Metal Totem as an expansion for Iwari. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Iwari to use it. Check that your edition of Iwari is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.