2016 · Economic

Vanuatu (Second Edition)

Players take the role of island residents trying to develop their fortunes over eight rounds by managing resources, tourists, cargo and local currency. Each turn the archipelago grows and players secretly program five action tokens onto shared action spaces, then resolve actions where they hold the majority; order and timing matter because some actions depend on prior steps (for example, fish must be caught before they can be sold). A pool of unique helpers grants turn-by-turn bonuses, and currency converts to prosperity points automatically when it reaches a threshold. An included expansion introduces rising sea levels and cooperative/competitive decisions to protect islands by building dikes, adding a layer of tension to the area control and programming gameplay.

groupPlayers

2–5 best 4

schedulePlaying time

60–90 min

cakeAge

12+

psychologyComplexity

3.3 / 5