Retell the incredible origin myth of the Inca in this dramatic mid-weight eurogame.
In the beginning, Viracocha the creator brought forth Inti, the sun god, and Mama Quilla, the moon god. From the union of these two gods sprang four sons and four daughters: the Ayar. These siblings were tasked with guiding the first clans and teaching them the skills needed to build a civilization. As they traveled the land in search of fertile ground, the Ayar one by one met their fates until only two remained to found Tawantinsuyu – the Inca Empire.
In Ayar: Children of the Sun, players take control of one of the first clans, journeying with the Ayar across the Andes. Follow their teaching and improve your skills at farming, pottery, weaving, and reed bundling. As well as advancing your own clan, you must influence the progress of the Ayar, ensuring the survival of those who reward your most developed skills. Seek the approval of Mama Quilla through long-term strategy, and please Inti with tactical play. Be careful not to earn the ire of one of these jealous gods because at the end of the game, whichever one favors you least will determine your final score.
The future of your clan – and the Inca civilization – is in your hands.
—description from the publisher
- Streamlined rules with strong depth for a medium-weight Euro
- Tight action-selection and blocking mechanics that fit thematically
- High player interaction for a Euro game
- Solid production and art direction (illustration and production noted in video)
- Two-player early game may push sun-point strategy and reduce variety
- Solo mode viability may need longer-term validation
- Potential dynamic shift in four-player games
- Mythic journey and founding a new home for the IR siblings
- Origin myth of the Inca Empire
- mythic, legend-inspired
- Conbon
- Conbon EV
- Sori
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action selection with step markers and blocking — Players place step markers on their boards and stand them up to block locations until moved, adding a personal puzzle layer.
- Competitive space for actions and resource gathering — Block competition and shared resource gathering creates meaningful player interaction.
- Dual-point scoring (sun and moon) with minimum scoring rule — Players aim to maximize sun and moon points, but final score is the lesser of the two.
- Persistent blocking of locations — Blockers stay active across rounds, shaping player options and forcing planning.
- Solo mode with a simple AI opponent — A solo opponent is available and designed to be easy to run.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I love the entire action selection mechanism on your playerboard. The way you place the step markers and stand them up to block locations until you move them off.
- This is a game where the other players really matter and affect your decision at every turn.
- I'm very impressed with the design.
- This is a mediumweight game with a strong depth to the complexity ratio.
- The rules were streamlined, especially compared to Sori before it.
- The solo opponent is also extremely easy to run.
- I’d like to try IR at three and four players.
References (from this video)
- Engaging sun/moon scoring with early Sun-point emphasis
- Solid solo-mode with predictable AI behavior based on rhyme tiles
- Temples and llamas add end-game strategic depth
- Clear visual feedback from the board and tokens
- Occasional setup inconsistencies and host mistakes in the video
- Rules can be dense; solo rules require careful reading
- AI behavior occasionally punishes players for suboptimal moves
- Resource management and ritual scoring via sun and moon cycles
- Origin myth of the Inca Empire; pre-Columbian Andes
- Myth-informed historical fantasy with procedural storytelling
- Conbon EV
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- end game bonuses — Llamas awarded for achieving certain conditions and converted to points.
- llama tokens as end-game bonuses — Llamas awarded for achieving certain conditions and converted to points.
- Set collection and scoring — Sun and moon point scoring via rhymed tiles and pottery/weaving sets.
- Solo vs AI opposition — Automated opponent uses rhyme-based decision making and hard-coded priorities.
- temple/board advancement — Completing temples grants bonuses and advances scoring track.
- tile/action row selection — Players choose actions using Tambos and IR lines, with power/action costs determined by available tiles.
- Track advancement — Completing temples grants bonuses and advances scoring track.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Getting sun points early is key to winning, and llamas amplify end-game scoring.
- Watching the AI chase pottery or weaving and react to rhyme tiles is entertaining.
- Sun points as early as possible—that's the strategy that seemed to work here.