From the publisher’s rulebook

Who goes first in Iwari?

ThunderGryph English retail rules, ©2022

Whoever traveled most recently takes the first turn.

Read the publisher’s rulebook

Rule details

Give that player the Totem Connection Scoring Marker, which also serves as the first-player token. Turns proceed clockwise.

An optional setup rule for later games starts the initial hand draft with the last player. It does not change who takes the first gameplay turn.

With two players, each person also plays for a shared third tribe after their own action; this does not replace the starting-player criterion.

If there’s a tie

The cited starting-player instruction does not specify a tie-break. We don’t infer one.

Source & edition

  • Iwari — ThunderGryph Games rulesThunderGryph Games · Setup step 5 and optional initial hand draft; Gameplay; two-player additional rules; credits; PDF pages 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 · Checked 2026-09-23

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