Bora Bora

Bora Bora

The exciting strategy game of Gods, goods and greatness

Game Idea

Stake your fortunes in the mysterious island world of Bora Bora. Journey across islands, building huts where the resilient men and women of your tribes can settle, discovering fishing grounds and collecting shells. Send priests to the temples, and gather offerings to curry favor with the Gods.

In Bora Bora, players use dice to perform a variety of actions using careful insight and tactical planning. The player who best watches how the game develops and uses the most effective strategy will prevail.

The winner is the player with the most victory points at the end of the game.

Summary: Players build huts and populate them with men and women, who help them during the game. They also send priests to the temple to influence the Gods. Play progresses by adding dice to perform actions. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game is the winner.

Game Components

(Before playing for the first time, carefully remove the cardboard components from their frames)

• 6 cardboard frames containing:
  • 18 offerings
  • 36 shells
  • 12 fish tiles
  • 36 woman tiles
  • 36 man tiles
  • 60 task tiles (+ 2 replacements)
  • 24 jewelry tiles
  • 7 action tiles
  • 10 God tiles
  • 24 building tiles
  • 4 turn order tiles
• 1 game board
• 30 building materials (10 each of sand, stone and wood)
• 60 God cards (12 per color)
• In each player color:
  • 12 huts
  • 4 priests
  • 2 markers
  • 3 dice
  • 1 player board

If you are reading these rules for the first time, we recommend ignoring the bold text in the right-hand column of each page. These bolded texts summarize the rules to help players quickly recall details during subsequent games.

Board and Common Components Setup

Place the game board in the middle of the table. It shows:

• 5 islands with a total of 12 regions (3 each of mountain, beach, forest and plains)
• Each region has one building space
• Regions are connected by either land paths or water paths
• “Fishing” action space
• Scoring track (0-100)
• Status track
• Temple
• Jewelry tile display
• Task tile display
• Man and Woman tile display
• Summary of a game round

1. Common Supply: Place the building materials, shells, and offerings in a common supply next to the game board, easily accessible to all players.
2. Action Tiles: Place action tiles – depending on player count – face up next to the game board:
   • 2 players (5 tiles): Helper, Temple, Build, Man / Woman (together), Land / Water Path (together).
   • 3 players (6 tiles): Helper, Temple, Build, Man, Woman, Land / Water Path (together).
   • 4 players (7 tiles): Helper, Temple, Build, Man, Woman, Land Path, Water Path.
3. Fish Tiles: Randomly place the 12 fish tiles face up onto the spaces intended for them adjacent to the 12 regions, so that one tile is next to each region.
4. Man and Woman Tiles: Separately shuffle the man and woman tiles (36 of each), and place them face down in two separate supply piles next to the game board. Draw 6 from each pile and place them face up onto the orange and turquoise spaces in the bottom right hand corner of the game board.
5. Task Tiles: Separate the 7 light green and the 53 dark green task tiles, and shuffle each pile:
   • Give each player one randomly-drawn light green (crane) tile and two randomly-drawn dark green (parrot) tiles. Players will place these tiles later in any order they choose face up onto the three spaces intended for them in the lower right hand corner of their player boards.
   • Remove the remaining light green tiles from the game.
   • Place the remaining dark green tiles in a supply pile next to the game board.
   • Draw additional dark green tiles equal to player count plus two (i.e. 4 to 6 tiles: 4 tiles for 2 players, 5 for 3, 6 for 4 players) and place them face up onto the corresponding spaces on the game board.
6. Jewelry Tiles: Shuffle the 24 jewelry tiles and then randomly place them face up onto the 6 x 4 jewelry tile display spaces intended for them on the game board.

Player Setup & Preparation

7. God Tiles: Place 6 of the 10 God tiles in a pile on the corresponding temple space on the game board.
8. God Cards: Shuffle the God cards and place them in a pile face down next to the game board. Draw and reveal the top five cards, placing them next to the pile.
9. Player Components: Give each player:
   • 1 player board in their color;
   • 12 huts in the same color, placed on the 12 corresponding hut spaces on their player board (note: place 2 huts on the 12th space, bottom right);
   • 6 building tiles in the same color, placed dice-side up on the 6 corresponding spaces on their player board;
   • 1 God tile, placed on the corresponding space on their player board;
   • 3 dice in the same color, placed next to their player board;
   • 4 priests in the same color, placed next to their player board;
   • 2 God cards drawn from the pile, and added to their hand (hidden from the other players);
   • 2 offerings from the supply, placed next to their player board;
   • 1 turn order tile (randomly drawn), placed next to their player board.

   When playing with fewer than four players, return all unused game components (huts, priests, building tiles, dice, as well as unused turn order and God tiles) to the game box.

10. Tracks Setup:
    • The player who drew the #1 turn order tile places one of their markers on the victory point starting space on the scoring track (marked “0/100”), and the other marker on the status track below the 0 space.
    • The second player places their first marker on the 1 victory point space on the scoring track and their second marker underneath the start player’s on the status track.
    • The remaining players follow in turn (first markers on the 2 / 3 victory point space, and second markers underneath the previous player’s on the status track).
11. Initial Hut Placement: In reverse turn order, each player:
    • Places one of their huts on an empty building space on one of the four regions next to a 1-fish tile on the central game board;
    • Receives from the general supply the resource corresponding to the one indicated on their region, i.e. either a building material (sand, wood or stone), or an offering tile;
    • Immediately either places the building material on a free, matching ceremony space on their player board, or places the offering tile next to their board.

    Continue in reverse turn order to the next player, and so on. Ignore the fish tiles of those regions for now.

Game Structure (for 4 players)

The game lasts six rounds, with each round consisting of three consecutive phases – A, B and C (see summary on the bottom left corner of the game board).

Phase A: Roll and place dice, carry out actions

Players simultaneously roll all three of their dice. The first player chooses one of his dice and places it on the action tile of his choice and immediately carries out the corresponding action. The next player then does the same, placing one die and carrying out the corresponding action. Play continues, in turn order, until all players have placed their three dice.

Important! When placing a die on an action tile, you can only place a die showing a value that is lower than the lowest value currently on that action tile (regardless of color). (Exception: Blue God, see page 10)

Example: A 5 and a 3 are currently on an action tile. You could place a 1 or 2 there but not a 3, 4, 5 or 6.

The Individual Action Tiles

“Expand” Action (via land path or water path)

Expanding means settling a region adjacent to one in which you already have a hut. You can expand via an adjacent land path (brown arrow) or water path (blue arrow). The number showing on your die indicates the highest-value land or water path along which you can expand (lower numbers are always allowed). You are not allowed to expand diagonally.

For example, you could use a 5 or 6 to expand via water path from the central island’s mountain region to the south island’s plains. You could also use a 4, 5 or 6 to expand to the east island’s beach. Via a land path, you could use a 4, 5 or 6 to expand to the plains to the north, or a 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 to expand to the beach to the west. You could not expand to the forest regions of either island, as these are only diagonally adjacent to your region!

• To expand, take a new hut from your player board (you may choose any hut, but it is better to save the 12th space until the end of the game) and place it on the building space of the new region. You now have a free space on your player board that you can later fill with a man or woman tile.
• Additionally, from the new region you may take either the building material (adding it to your ceremony space) or the offering tile (placing it next to your player board).
• Finally, you must decide now and only now whether or not you want to score victory points for the fish tile adjacent to the new region (using a Red God card). Fish tiles can only be scored once per player per region, and only during expansion.
• If there is already a hut on your new region’s building space, move it off to the side, but make sure it stays in the same region.

Important! Each player can have no more than one hut per region!

“Woman” Action

Each woman tile on the game board is placed upon one of six numbered positions. Take one woman tile from any position that is less than or equal to the value of the die that you had placed upon the woman action tile.

So if, for example, you had placed a 4-die on the woman action tile, you can take one woman tile from the board in any of the places numbered 1-4, but not in places 5 or 6.

Place the tile onto a free space on your player board (i.e. one of the 12 spaces along the right hand side of your player board not currently covered with a hut or a tile), such that the tile covers the green checkmark at the top of the space but leaves the status / shell at the bottom of the space visible. If you don’t have a free space, then you cannot choose this action.

Note: Placing the new tile doesn’t do anything further – that is, you can’t carry out the action shown on the right or left hand side of the tile yet!

“Man” Action

Carry this action out in the same manner as the woman tile (see above).

“Helper” Action

Trade for various items. The die result indicates how many items you can trade for. The trade value is shown in the upper left hand corner of each player board:

• Tattooing (man tiles) – 1 die point: For each die point used, shift one not yet tattooed man on your player board down, i.e. so that the green checkmark on that space becomes visible while the status / shell area is covered. The man is now tattooed and may not be tattooed again for the rest of the game. Move your status marker one space to the right along the status track for each status symbol displayed on the left side of the man tile. If you land on an occupied space on the status track, place your marker on top of the pile. You may spend additional die points to tattoo additional men but are not obligated to do so.
• Collecting Shells (woman tiles) – 1 die point: Carry this out in the same manner as tattooing: For each die point used, shift one woman tile down and take the number of shells from the general supply that corresponds to the number of shells displayed on the left side of the woman tile. Place the shells next to your player board so that all players can see them.
• Victory points – 1 die point per 1 VP: Move one space forward along the victory point track for each die point you are trading in.
• Offerings – 2 die points per 1 offering: Take one offering from the supply for every two die points you trade in. Place the offerings next to your player board so that all players can see them.
• God cards – 2 die points: Take one God card and add it to your hand for every two die points you are trading in. You can take either the top card of the draw pile or one of the five face up cards. If you take one of the face up cards, immediately replace it with the top card from the draw pile.
• Building materials – 2 die points: Take one building material of your choice from the supply and place it on a matching ceremony space for every two die points you are trading in. Should you not have an open matching space, then place it next to your player board instead. The supply of building materials, offerings, and shells is unlimited.
• Move hut – 2 die points: Move one of the huts on your player board to the last, 12th space (bottom right, with a slightly lighter border) of your player board for every two die points you are trading in. You can have as many huts as you want on the 12th space. Each movement allows you to make space for additional man and woman tiles without having to use the “Expand” action first. Note: you cannot move huts that have already been placed onto the game board.

Example: Anna uses two of the five die points she has available for the tattooing “Helper” action, and shifts two of her man tiles down. A total of 5 status symbols are on those two man tiles, so she moves her status marker from 0 to the first space below the 4 on the status track. She uses an additional die point to shift one of her woman tiles down in exchange for 3 shells from the general supply. She plans on using the final two points for an offering.

Example of different “Helper” actions: Ben has placed a 6-value die onto the “Helper” action tile. He takes one wood (-2), tattoos one man (-1) and collects some shells with a woman (-1). He moves his scoring marker ahead 2 spaces along the victory point track for his final two die points. Or: Ben could have also chosen to draw 1 God card (-2), 1 offering (-2) and 1 building material of his choice (-2).

“Temple” Action

Take a priest from your supply and add him to the temple on the game board. The die result indicates the highest-value space you can place your priest onto (lower values are always allowed). Should a priest already be located on this space, shift him one space in the direction of the arrows. This can in turn shift additional priests, until either an empty space is filled or the last priest in the row drops off the end and is returned to the supply of his owner.

Each newly-placed priest immediately awards a one-time Fire Bonus. Additionally, all priests in the temple are worth victory points at the end of a round (Phase C).

“Build” Action

Build one of your as-yet unbuilt building tiles. The die result indicates the highest-value tile you can build (lower values are always allowed). Remove building materials from two horizontally or vertically adjacent ceremony spaces on your player board, returning them to the general supply. Then place the chosen building tile (die side down) onto the two spaces. Depending on the current round, you score either 10, 7 or 4 points for this (shown above the jewelry tile spaces). You also receive the one-time Fire Bonus.

If you don’t have two adjacent building materials in your ceremony space, then you cannot choose this action. Building materials or building tiles, once placed onto a ceremony space, cannot be moved again.

Should you build so that you have individual spaces left at the end of the game, then you will not be able to fully complete the ceremony spaces.

The Fire Bonus

When you receive this bonus (either by adding a priest to the temple or by placing building tiles on ceremony spaces), you immediately choose:

• Either a God card or an offering, and
• Either move ahead one space on the status track or take one shell.

Example: Cleo places a priest. For her Fire Bonus, she immediately takes a God card (instead of an offering) and a shell (instead of a status step). She is not allowed to take two offerings, nor is she allowed to take an offering and a God card.

“Fishing” Action

Score 2 victory points for any die (regardless of its number) placed in the “fishing” action space in the upper left hand corner of the game board.

Important! When using the “fishing” action, the rule that new dice must be of lower value than those already placed is not in effect. In other words, you can place any die here and score 2 victory points.

Phase B: Use man and woman actions

In turn order, players may use one of their man and one of their woman tiles; the order of usage is up to each player individually.

The available actions depend on the symbols indicated on the right hand sides of the tiles. If you have multiple identical women, then you can use these tiles together for a more powerful single action (but you may not use them to carry out multiple separate actions). The same goes for the men – but never for men and women together!

The individual locations of your man and woman tiles on your player board doesn’t matter, nor does whether or not they have been shifted down. Using them doesn’t change them; they are neither shifted nor discarded.

The Individual Woman (and Man) Actions

• Land Path: Expand just as if you had placed a die of value 2 onto the “land path” action tile. (If you have two such tiles, path of value ≤ 4; if you have all three, any land path.)
• Water Path: Expand in the same way as described above, only via a water path.
• Woman: Take a woman tile from the game board as if you had placed a die of value 3 onto the “woman” action tile. (If two such tiles, value ≤ 6. Note: the third tile has no effect!)
• Man: Take a man tile in the same way as described above.
• Build: Build one of your building tiles as if you had placed a die of value 3 on the “build” action tile. (If two such tiles, value ≤ 6. Note: the third tile has no effect!)

• Building materials: Take 1 building material of your choice from the supply and place it onto a matching ceremony space on your player board. (Or take 2 or even 3 building materials. Note: they can be different types.)
• Move hut: Move 1 of your huts onto the 12th space of your player board. (Or move 2 or even 3 of your huts.)
• Victory points: Move your scoring marker 2 spaces forward on the scoring track. (Or 4 or even 6 spaces forward.)
• God card: Take 1 God card into your hand. (Or take 2 or even 3 God cards.)
• Offering: Take 1 offering from the supply. (Or take 2 or even 3 offerings.)
• Status: Move your status marker 1 step forward on the status track. (Or move forward 2 or even 3 spaces.)
• Shell: Take 1 shell from the supply. (Or take 2 or even 3 shells.)

Phase C: Assess the right half of the game board

Always deal with the status track first, followed by the temple, then the jewelry tiles, and finally the task tiles.

1. Status track: Each player scores the number of victory points that corresponds to the space his status marker is below (between 0 and 15 points). Then, return all players’ status markers to the 0 space, making sure that the player who was the furthest back is on the bottom and the player who was the furthest ahead is on top. Finally, reassign the turn order tiles: the player on top of the pile is the start player and gets the “#1” tile, etc.
2. Temple: Players score victory points for the priests they have in the temple:
   • Rounds 1 & 2: 1 victory point per priest;
   • Rounds 3 & 4: 2 victory points per priest;
   • Rounds 5 & 6: 3 victory points per priest.

   Then, the player with the most priests in the temple receives the top God tile, adding it to his player board. In the case of a tie, the God tile goes to the player among those who tied whose priest is furthest to the left. Should there not be any priest in the temple, the corresponding God tile is removed from the game.

3. Jewelry tiles: In the new turn order, players may choose to buy one jewelry tile from the current round’s column, paying for it by returning as many shells to the supply as indicated on the chosen tile. Place jewelry tiles face down on the appropriate spot on your player board; you will score the victory points for them at the end of the game. If you can’t or don’t want to buy a jewelry tile, then your turn is skipped. Any leftover jewelry tiles from the current round are discarded.
4. Task tiles: In the new turn order, players one at a time complete one of their three task tiles:
   • If the player can complete the task without help, he scores 6 VPs.
   • If the player requires the help of the Yellow God to complete it, he scores 4 VPs.
   • After the task is completed, the player places the tile face down on the space with the checkmark on his player board.
   • If the player can’t complete any of his three tasks, he must choose one task tile to surrender and return it to the game box (scores 0 VPs).

   Finally, in turn order, each player chooses a new task tile from the game board and adds it to the newly freed space on his player board (this is also required during round 6).

End of Round and New Round Prep

Prepare for the next round by:

• Returning to the game box the two task tiles that were not chosen, and any remaining man or woman tiles.
• Adding six new man and six new woman tiles to the board, along with new task tiles (player count plus 2). (Do this at the beginning of round 6 as well.)
• Each player takes their three dice back from the action tiles. The next round can now begin.

Using God Cards

To play any God card, you must also give up an offering. If you don’t have an offering then you can’t play a God card. Place used God cards face up onto a discard pile and used offerings back into the general supply. If the draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new draw pile.

Important! You may play two God cards of the same color, paying only one offering, for the ability to choose any God action you desire.

• Blue God (Phase A only): You can add a die to an action tile even if its value is the same as or greater than the lowest die value on that tile. Note: You must use one Blue God card per die.
• White God (Phase A only): You can add a die to an action tile as if its value was 6. Do not change the die’s value to 6, it remains as it was!
• Red God (Phases A or B): You may only play a Red God when expanding, i.e. when placing a hut onto a new region’s building space. The Red God allows you to score the fish tile adjacent to the new region (scoring that many VPs). The fish tile remains in place for other players. Note: Players can play no more than one Red God per region (score each fish tile at most once).
• Green God (Phase B only): You can do one of the following:
  • Either: Double the effect of the man or woman type you are currently using. If using multiple identical tiles, double the total amount.
  • Or: Activate a second, different, man or woman type.

  For clarity: You can play at most one Green God in Phase B.

• Yellow God (Phase C only): Replace exactly one of a task tile’s requirements. (e.g. if the task requires 3 wood, you need only 2; if huts in 9 regions are required, you need only 8). Using a Yellow God means you only score 4 victory points for that tile (instead of 6). At the end of the game, you may use one Yellow God per tile (up to three total cards, paying one offering for each).
• God tile: God tiles can be used in place of any God card of your choice. When used, return the God tile to the game box. You do not need to give up an offering to use a God tile.

Completing Tasks

In general, all tasks indicate a minimum requirement – not an exact number. Thus, you can always have more of what is required, but not less. Note: You never need to give anything up when completing task tiles. You only need to show that you have them.

Important! God cards required by task tiles cannot be replaced by God tiles or by using two identical God cards!

A task tile is considered “complete” when you:

• … have a man and a woman tile on your player board.
• … have a woman tile on your player board and a priest in the temple. (Similar: A man tile and a priest, or three priests in the temple.)
• … have a woman tile and a jewelry tile on your player board. (Similar: A man tile and turn order tile #1.)
• … have a hut in any three regions. (Similar: Huts in any nine regions, or at least one hut on all five islands.)
• … can show three identically-colored God cards. (Similar: Two God cards of a specific color, or four different God cards.)
• … have three different man tiles on your player board. (Similar: Three different woman tiles, or three different jewelry tiles.)
• … have any four man tiles on your player board. (Similar: Any four woman tiles, any four jewelry tiles, or any four built building tiles.)
• … have two “Necklace” jewelry tiles. (Similar: Two God tiles, four offerings, or five shells.)
• … have three stone building materials on your ceremony spaces or next to your player board. (Similar: Any five building materials.)
• … have a hut in each of the three mountain regions (do not need to be on the regions’ building spaces). (Total of 8: 1 per region type and 1 per fish tile type.)
• … have four huts on the 12th space of your player board.
• … have any three man tiles shifted down on your player board. (Similar: Any three woman tiles shifted down, or any five person tiles shifted down.)
• … have two of the depicted person tiles (women and/or men) on your player board. (Total of 12: 1 per person type.)

Game End

The game ends after round 6. Each player now completes their three remaining task tiles (each one is completed as at the end of individual rounds: 6, 4 or 0 VPs each).

Final Scoring

Players receive:

• 2 victory points for every own unused God tile;
• 1-6 victory points for each fish tile adjacent to a building space containing a hut of their color;
• 1-9 victory points for each of their jewelry tiles.

Additionally, each player scores 6 victory points for each of the following achievements:

• 9 completed task tiles;
• 6 claimed jewelry tiles;
• All 12 ceremony spaces full (regardless of whether it is full with building materials and/or building tiles);
• All 6 building tiles built;
• Huts added to all 12 regions;
• All 12 man / woman spaces filled with man or woman tiles.

Remaining building materials, shells, offerings or God cards are not worth anything.

The player with the most victory points is the winner. In the event of a tie, the winner is the player among those who tied who went earlier in turn order during the last phase C.

The Two or Three Player Game

Fewer action tiles are laid out, combining some actions:

• 2 player game: In addition to “Build”, “Temple” and “Helper”, use combined “Man / Woman” and combined “Land / Water Path” tiles face down. (5 action tiles total).
• 3 player game: In addition to “Build”, “Temple”, “Helper”, “Woman” and “Man”, use combined “Land / Water Path” tile face down. (6 action tiles total).

The rules for placing dice remain the same (lower die values, except Blue God). When placing on a combined action tile, choose one of the two available actions.