Sunda to Sahul

About this board game

Sunda to Sahul is a lightweight strategy game for 1–4 players, with games taking about 45 minutes and a set of challenging solo puzzles. Its theme follows the migration of people through the Indonesian archipelago into New Guinea and Australia.

The game uses 136 laser-cut wooden, jigsaw-like tiles that can be arranged in many different ways to create a new archipelago each time. Play begins with one tile in a cleared central space, while the remaining tiles form a face-up pool. Players choose tiles and join them to the growing islands.

Your clan or totem is represented by a supply of tokens. The main objective is to claim nodes—points where the corners of several tiles meet. Whoever places the final tile at a node may claim it for their clan. When an island is completed, every token on that island doubles in value, creating an incentive to cooperate while still competing for the best rewards.

• Race game: all players work simultaneously, with games lasting around 30–45 minutes.
• Turns-based game: players act in sequence, with games lasting around 60–90 minutes.
• Solo puzzles: use the tile system for a number of one-player challenges.

Once the basic game is familiar, optional rules can introduce fresh water rights, tribes, challenges, and resources. These additions can encourage more cooperation or create greater conflict, and players can mix and match them to suit their preferred style.

Sunda to Sahul ends when one player has used all of their tokens, no more tiles can be placed, or the players agree to finish. Its changing island layouts and flexible rules offer a different balance of planning, negotiation, and competition from one game to the next.