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Vanuatu

Vanuatu

Krok Nik Douil editions · 2011
2–590 min12+ yrs3.3/5 complexity7.2 BGG#1.481 BGG2,5 KStrategy
short answer

How do you play Vanuatu?

In Vanuatu, you are a Vanuatuan who wants to prosper during the eight turns of the game. In order to prosper, you have to manage with natural resources, rare items, vatus (local currency) and tourists.

To find the best price for Vanuatu, howtoplay.ro compares deals from Romanian shops every day.

Vanuatu box art
official art · Krok Nik Douil editions

In Vanuatu, you are a Vanuatuan who wants to prosper during the eight turns of the game. In order to prosper, you have to manage with natural resources, rare items, vatus (local currency) and tourists. To earn money or prosperity points, you may also draw on the sand*, carry tourists all over Vanuatu islands, or trade cargo with foreign countries. On each turn, the archipelago expands and you have to program your actions with five tokens. You put one or more of them on the chosen action spaces, and on your turn, you will only be able to play an action if you have the majority on its space. Thus, sometimes have to wait for other players to remove their tokens by playing their actions. If you are not in majority anywhere, you have to remove all of your tokens from an action and give up hope of playing this action. A good strategy lets you block other players; for example, they won't be able to sell fishes if they haven't caught them first – order matters! Islands and sea resources are rare, so be quick and take them first!

There is no such thing as a rich Vanuatuan. When you reach ten vatus, they automatically transform into 5 prosperity points and again, you are poor. Life is hard, but you may encounter ten men to help you; on each turn you choose one of them to increase your benefits from an action. As always, being the first player lets you choose before the others.

In short, Vanuatu is a strategy game of programming and majorities that features development, blocking, and a lot of interaction between players.

(*) Sand Drawing in Vanuatu belongs to the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity of the UNESCO.

🔬 game anatomy
Complexity3.3 / 5
BGG rating7.2 / 10
Vibe
Strategy
Language dependence
No in-game text needed
🌐 plays without English
Play time
90 min
Players
2–5
Recommended age
12+ yrs
BGG rank
#1.481

from Trișache · verified

Frequently asked questions

Q1How much does Vanuatu cost?
No store is currently tracking Vanuatu. Check the Prices tab — you can set a price alert to be notified when it appears.
Q2Where can I buy Vanuatu cheapest?
Check the Prices tab — howtoplay.ro aggregates offers from 7+ Romanian board-game stores and tracks price history.
Q3How do you play Vanuatu?
Vanuatu is a economic game, for 2–5 players, taking ~90 minutes, featuring action drafting. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about Vanuatu — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q4How many players does Vanuatu support?
Vanuatu is played by 2–5 players.
Q5How long does a game of Vanuatu take?
A game of Vanuatu takes about 90 minutes. (The first game doesn't count. It never counts.)
Q6What age is Vanuatu for?
Vanuatu is recommended from age 12.
Q7How complex is Vanuatu?
Vanuatu has a BoardGameGeek complexity of 3.3 out of 5.
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