Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Learn the rules to the board game Ziggurat quickly and concisely - This video has no distractions, just the rules.
Don't own the game? Buy it here:
amazon.com/dp/B0D51B13W5?maas=maas_adg_DDDF9D8622C340C887F65932F1B2BDBB_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas
boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/415197/ziggurat
RULES:
This is a cooperative legacy adventure game, meaning the game will permanently alter with changing rules as you play based on the decisions you make. Do not open anything, other than the starting material, until the game tells you to. The game takes place over 6 chapters, with a storybook that guides you through each one. If you win the chapter, then proceed to the next. If you lose, then try again.
Each chapter has a different objective, which will be revealed as you play. The first chapter’s objective is to get each hero safely to the top of the ziggurat. The board has 6 levels: the town level at the bottom, and then 5 for the ziggurat. There are chutes and ladders connecting the levels for heroes and fire spirits to traverse between levels.
If a rule mentions an “empty space”, that refers to any space that does not have a hero, token, or figure on it. The bottoms of ladders, the tops of chutes, spawn spaces, and pits are not considered empty spaces. Every other space is considered empty.
Whenever a new rule is added to the game, you either need to follow it immediately upon adding it, or just read it so you are aware of what will happen later. Honorifics are stickers that hero’s earn when they meet a goal and are placed onto their hero card.
Whenever setting up for a new chapter, follow the setup instruction and all rules on page 4 of the rulebook. Initially, set up includes: open the top panel of the current chapter in the storybook. Build the ziggurat so that the side with the green moss and vines are on the same side. Each player chooses a hero and takes its card, and placing the hero it on the home space in front of them, color doesn’t matter. Extra heroes remain in the box. Place 1 fire spirit token of each color on their matching illustrations on the board; put any leftovers to the side. Shuffle the deck and deal 1 card faceup to each player, the rest are placed facedown forming a draw deck. Introduce your hero’s name and any honorifics that hero has. Each chapter will tell you who goes first, give them the “current player” token.
The decided player goes first, then play proceeds clockwise. On your turn, follow 3 steps: play your card, resolving it from top to bottom so you move the indicated hero–which can be other players—and any fire spirits, the exact number of spaces indicated. You may not move a hero or fire spirit to the same space in the same move. If you are moving “all heroes”, you pick their order. If moving another player’s hero, that player decides where they will go.
Next, discard your card. Then draw a new card and place it faceup in front of you and pass the current player token to the next player.
As heroes move, they ignore other heroes, ladders, chutes, pits, and anything else, except for fire spirits, they instead move through them. Only the final space matters. If a hero lands on or moves through a fire spirit, or a fire spirit lands on or moves through them, the fire spirit burns them and everyone immediately loses the chapter. That hero then gets a singed sticker: which has no effect on the game, but rather a fun way to remember who got charred.
Where a hero or fire spirit ends their move can determine a special action. This action happens immediately before moving anything else. If multiple actions occur simultaneously, use the chart on page 8 to from top to bottom to resolve the first entry you find.
The actions for the heroes are:
• Pit: everyone loses the chapter.
• Chute: move down to the space at the bottom, never up.
• Ladder: move up to the space on top, never down.
• A space with another hero: push them to an adjacent space in either direction, then follow the directions on the new space for the hero.
• Reach the summit: your future turns still happen, with you helping the other player’s heroes move instead of your own; use cards that say to move “your hero” to move another player’s hero instead.
If your hero ends up in an infinite loop, then return them to their home space. The actions for the fire spirits are:
• Pit: it is removed from play for the rest of the game
• Chute: move it down to the space at the bottom, never up.
• Ladder: move up to the space on top, never down.
• Another fire spirit: stack them on top, they can share spaces.
• The summit: everyone loses the chapter.
When all the hero’s reach the top of the ziggurat, then the chapter ends and they win.
At the end of a chapter, follow the steps on page 10, which are: open the ziggurat and remove its levels. Remove any pieces and parts inside. Discard all your cards and return everything to the game box. If you won, open the bottom panel in the storybook chapter...
Learn the rules to the board game Ziggurat quickly and concisely - This video has no distractions, just the rules.
Don't own the game? Buy it here:
amazon.com/dp/B0D51B13W5?maas=maas_adg_DDDF9D8622C340C887F65932F1B2BDBB_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas
boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/415197/ziggurat
RULES:
This is a cooperative legacy adventure game, meaning the game will permanently alter with changing rules as you play based on the decisions you make. Do not open anything, other than the starting material, until the game tells you to. The game takes place over 6 chapters, with a storybook that guides you through each one. If you win the chapter, then proceed to the next. If you lose, then try again.
Each chapter has a different objective, which will be revealed as you play. The first chapter’s objective is to get each hero safely to the top of the ziggurat. The board has 6 levels: the town level at the bottom, and then 5 for the ziggurat. There are chutes and ladders connecting the levels for heroes and fire spirits to traverse between levels.
If a rule mentions an “empty space”, that refers to any space that does not have a hero, token, or figure on it. The bottoms of ladders, the tops of chutes, spawn spaces, and pits are not considered empty spaces. Every other space is considered empty.
Whenever a new rule is added to the game, you either need to follow it immediately upon adding it, or just read it so you are aware of what will happen later. Honorifics are stickers that hero’s earn when they meet a goal and are placed onto their hero card.
Whenever setting up for a new chapter, follow the setup instruction and all rules on page 4 of the rulebook. Initially, set up includes: open the top panel of the current chapter in the storybook. Build the ziggurat so that the side with the green moss and vines are on the same side. Each player chooses a hero and takes its card, and placing the hero it on the home space in front of them, color doesn’t matter. Extra heroes remain in the box. Place 1 fire spirit token of each color on their matching illustrations on the board; put any leftovers to the side. Shuffle the deck and deal 1 card faceup to each player, the rest are placed facedown forming a draw deck. Introduce your hero’s name and any honorifics that hero has. Each chapter will tell you who goes first, give them the “current player” token.
The decided player goes first, then play proceeds clockwise. On your turn, follow 3 steps: play your card, resolving it from top to bottom so you move the indicated hero–which can be other players—and any fire spirits, the exact number of spaces indicated. You may not move a hero or fire spirit to the same space in the same move. If you are moving “all heroes”, you pick their order. If moving another player’s hero, that player decides where they will go.
Next, discard your card. Then draw a new card and place it faceup in front of you and pass the current player token to the next player.
As heroes move, they ignore other heroes, ladders, chutes, pits, and anything else, except for fire spirits, they instead move through them. Only the final space matters. If a hero lands on or moves through a fire spirit, or a fire spirit lands on or moves through them, the fire spirit burns them and everyone immediately loses the chapter. That hero then gets a singed sticker: which has no effect on the game, but rather a fun way to remember who got charred.
Where a hero or fire spirit ends their move can determine a special action. This action happens immediately before moving anything else. If multiple actions occur simultaneously, use the chart on page 8 to from top to bottom to resolve the first entry you find.
The actions for the heroes are:
• Pit: everyone loses the chapter.
• Chute: move down to the space at the bottom, never up.
• Ladder: move up to the space on top, never down.
• A space with another hero: push them to an adjacent space in either direction, then follow the directions on the new space for the hero.
• Reach the summit: your future turns still happen, with you helping the other player’s heroes move instead of your own; use cards that say to move “your hero” to move another player’s hero instead.
If your hero ends up in an infinite loop, then return them to their home space. The actions for the fire spirits are:
• Pit: it is removed from play for the rest of the game
• Chute: move it down to the space at the bottom, never up.
• Ladder: move up to the space on top, never down.
• Another fire spirit: stack them on top, they can share spaces.
• The summit: everyone loses the chapter.
When all the hero’s reach the top of the ziggurat, then the chapter ends and they win.
At the end of a chapter, follow the steps on page 10, which are: open the ziggurat and remove its levels. Remove any pieces and parts inside. Discard all your cards and return everything to the game box. If you won, open the bottom panel in the storybook chapter...
