The strategy hints below only describe one of the main strategy lines in the game. Check the strategy forum on BoardGameGeek for a more accurate description of how you might approach the game.

Corn

Seeing as you are liable to lose 3 points per unfed worker, make sure to have sufficient corn. Many buildings provide some of this.

During the whole game you need corn, many-many corn. There are only two realistic ways to gather significant number of corn: 1) advance the last level of resource extraction technology, use last Yaxchilan action and from time to time go to the market to exchange gold and stone for corn; 2) advance the last level of agriculture technology and use Palenque circle.

The first way is more effective, on the 5th Yaxchilan you can get the equivalent of 16 corn and only 12 corn on the 5th Palenque action. You can see, 16 is greater than 12 :-)

If someone is dominating the Palenque gear, tell them it's a corny strategy.

The typical game schedule

1st quarter:

• get 1-2 additional workers;
• advance resource extraction technology for the last level;
• go 1-2 times to the 5th Yaxchilan;
• it's not a problem if you beg few times;
• it's better not to feed your workers and save your resources in gold and stones, but you should be prepared to go to the market at the beginning of the 2nd quarter.

2nd quarter:

• get 1 additional worker;
• go to the 5th Yaxchilan as many times as possible;
• you should have MANY resources at the end of the quarter;
• usually there is no any reason to build building from the first half.

3rd quarter:

• advance architecture techonology for the last level;
• get the 6th worker if you have only 5 yet;
• 4th Tikal and 5th Yaxchilan become your most important places, build as many buildings and monuments as possible;
• it's good idea to build feed buildings now.

4th quarter:

• continue building and monuments building;
• advance theology technology for the 2nd or 3rd level;
• at the middle of the quarter put 3-4 workers to Chichen Itza;
• other workers find skulls and build last building/monuments.

You should get 120-140 points by this tactic.