Maui

About this board game

Maui is a beach-themed tile-placement game for 2–4 players that plays in about 30 minutes. Players arrange beach towels along their personal beach boards, creating pleasing patterns while seeking the best positions near the ocean, beneath shade, and around valuable umbrellas.

Each beach board has room for 13 towels across seven rows. During setup, eight umbrellas are placed randomly in designated spaces, while each player begins with a random towel in the leftmost column. A market of six random towels is arranged in two rows, with a sand dollar placed in each row.

On your turn, take all the sand dollars from one market row or purchase a towel from the market for 0, 1, or 2 sand dollars. Purchased dollars go back into the market row. To place a towel, match at least one pattern with the towel at the right edge of your beach board. Matching more patterns advances their scoring markers farther on the score board.

• Place towels to score patterns closer to the ocean or under shade.
• Cover umbrellas to gain bonuses, including pattern-marker advances or pearls.
• Avoid placing part of a towel outside the play area, or take a penalty.

The round ends when a player fills the final column. The winner is determined by points from patterns, pearls, and leftover sand dollars, with each remaining dollar worth one point.

For a different challenge, flip the beach board and play with seven sand crabs instead of umbrellas. Covering a crab causes it to crawl onto that towel, costing you both the affected pattern and a few points. With its shifting market, pattern matches, bonuses, and risky positioning, Maui turns a day at the beach into a careful race for the best spot.