Introduction
Patolli is an unique racing game in that the goal is not to cross the finish line, but rather to take all items from the opponent. Players will roll dice, called the Patolli, to indicate how many spaces they'll be able to move one of their pieces. Results may allow you to take an item from your opponent or force you to give one away. Also Macuilxochitl, the Boy of Flowers, is always hungry for offerings.
Preparation
Each player receives six gambling items and six pieces, which are either red or blue. One of these pieces is placed in the starting space* (marked in the board by his color's arrow), and the rest is put on his color's corner. Players then decide who goes first.
Game Turn
In his turn, a player must roll the five patolli (that is, the dice). Each patolli has only two possible results - either blank or with a bean mark – and the player must then consult the table to see what the results mean.
| count of marks | result |
|---|---|
 | The player may move one piece one space or, if he still has pieces in his corner, he may put one of them at the starting space, indicated by an arrow. |
 | Move one piece two spaces |
 | Move one piece three spaces |
 | Move one piece four spaces |
 | Move one piece ten spaces |
 | No movement. The player must offer one of his terms to Macuilxochitl, placing it in the area indicated on the board |
Moving the pieces
Pieces move clockwise through the board, as indicated by the arrows, around a central X. Some moves need some extra attention, though.
Usually, you cannot move to a space occupied by another piece, either yours or your opponent's. There is an exception, though: if an opponent piece is on one of the four spaces in the center of the board, you can move to the same space and capture it. This means his piece will leave the board back to his corner and the opponent will have to give you one of his items.
- If one of your pieces lands on one of the triangle spaces you will have to give one of your items to Macuilxochitl as an offering, placing it on the designated area on the board.
- If one of your pieces land on one of the blue spaces on the tips of the X, it is your turn again.
- If one of your pieces land on a space marked by an X of your color – which is your goal – this piece leaves the game and your opponent will have to offer you one item. Your pieces may not go beyond this space, however, and you must roll the exact result to lead a piece there.
- If you do not have a legal move after rolling the patolli, you pass on your turn. This might happen if you do not have any pieces on the field, or if all your movements would lead you to occupied spaces or beyond the goal, for example.
Winning the game
When one of the players is left without any item, the other wins.
It is possible for a player to reach the goal with all six pieces while his opponent still has some of his items. In this case the game restarts with each player keeping the items they currently have. Also, the items offered to Macuilxochitl are given to the player who finished the race.
*This edition contains one change to the traditional rule: the Aztecs would start the game with all six pieces out of the board. They believed that the luck one had when playing the game was due to the favor of the gods and other mystical interferences so that quickly entering the board with your pieces would reflect your efforts, sacrifices and devotions. Today such view would be anachronistic, and this rule makes the game more random and less pleasant. But if you do want to try the game as they did it, don't let us stop you. Do as you like and have fun!