Objective of the Game
The objective of the game Tongiaki is for players to explore and colonize an island chain with the most of their Polynesian expeditions. Players strategically deploy their boats to discover new islands and occupy valuable settlement positions.
Game Components
- Game board consisting of hexagon tiles
- Island tiles
- Boat cards of various colors
- Player markers in different colors
- Start island
Number of Players
Tongiaki can be played with 3 to 6 players.
Setup
- The game board, composed of a hexagon grid, is placed in the middle of the table.
- Each player selects a color and receives the corresponding boat cards.
- The Start Island is placed in the center of the game board.
- The Island tiles are thoroughly shuffled and placed face down in stacks.
- Each player places a set number of boats on the start island (dependent on the number of players).
Game Play
The game progresses over several rounds, with each round consisting of multiple phases:
1. Deployment Phase
- During the deployment phase, each player places a boat on any island tile on which they are already represented by at least one boat.
- Deployment always occurs from the inside out. Boats are placed adjacent to already positioned boats on known islands.
2. Discovery Phase
- Once all players have deployed their boats, it is checked whether new islands can be discovered.
- A new island is discovered if a chain of boats reaches the edge of the game area.
- In this case, an island tile is drawn and placed along the edge tile of the boat chain.
3. Travel Capability
- Traveling from one island means a player can move boats from one island to another using connecting lines.
- Boats from different players can travel together if the number of boats meets the travel value of the line.
- The boat number is determined additively by the number of boats from various players on the island.
4. Challenge and Control
- Players can challenge each other to gain control of a newly discovered island.
- During such challenges, a tally is made to decide which players remain on the island and which must leave.
Strategic Tip
A skilled player will focus on quickly discovering new islands with their boats to secure early settlement positions. Strategically, it's wise to plan boat travels with other players to benefit from the transport while restricting the opponents' options.
End Conditions
The game ends when no new island tiles can be placed, and the game board is fully laid out. The winner is the player with control over the most islands.
Tongiaki combines strategy and planning as players set off on ventures, traveling over the Polynesian islands to secure the most resources.
