Wayfinder

About this board game

Wayfinder is a board game for 1–4 players, with a playing time of about 45 minutes, in which Polynesian tribes navigate a group of islands to reunite their people and form villages.

Each player takes the role of a Wayfinder, a navigator-priest leading one of the four tribes. The tribes have become mixed up among the islands, and every turn presents an opportunity to gather residents and guide them toward new communities.

On your turn, you must execute a voyage from the space where your Wayfinder is located. Pick up all the residents there, then distribute them in a mancala-like movement, placing one tribesman on each spot along the route. Careful positioning helps you work toward villages while managing the changing distribution of people across the islands.

A village is created when a space contains exactly five men of one color. Creating villages earns points, with villages in your own color rewarding you more. Huts mark completed villages and also matter during end-game scoring.

• Guide residents through mancala-like voyages.
• Create villages with exactly five tribesmen of one color.
• Score more for villages matching your own color.
• Race to position your Wayfinder before your next turn.

Wayfinder adds a real-time element between turns. While another player is taking their turn, you must race to place your Wayfinder and mark the beginning of your next voyage before that turn arrives. This creates a constant timing challenge alongside the spatial planning of each voyage.

The game ends when no more moves are possible. After final scoring, including the role of huts in end-game scoring, the player with the highest score wins. In Wayfinder, successful navigation depends on both building villages and staying ready for the next voyage.