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Description
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 heart of the game is its action resolution system in which 5-7 actions are available each round, the exact number depending on the number of players. Each player rolls three dice at the start of the round, then they take turns placing one die at a time on one action. Place a high number on an action, and you'll generally get a better version of that action: more places to build, more choices of people to take, better positioning on the temple track, and so on. Place a low number and you'll get a worse action – but you'll possibly block other players from taking the action at all as in order to take an action you must place a die on it with a lower number than any die already on the action.
Three task tiles on a player's individual game board provide some direction as to what he might want to do, while god tiles allow for special actions and rule-breaking, as gods are wont to do. The player who best watches how the game develops and uses the most effective strategy will prevail.
Year Published
2013
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 6
This page: 6
Sentiment:
pos 5 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video xjQeHIfp7io
Board Game Ramblings top_10_list at 28:16 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12919 · mention_pk 37817
Click to watch at 28:16 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- tension and interaction during bidding create memorable moments
- art and theme clicking for many players
Cons
- some find the game long and the setup heavy
- block interactions and timing can produce mean play experiences
Thematic elements
- island economy with cutthroat bidding and block-and-build tactics
- tropical island, resort-building and resource competition
- dry euros aesthetic with vivid, thematic illustrations
Comparison games
- Five Tribes
- Lahav-branded euro games with strong mancala-like elements
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Auction for spaces and actions — dynamic bidding to access critical spaces and opportunities
- City-building/engineering via cards and tiles — you buy buildings and resources to generate points and bonuses
- End-game scoring tied to debt/deeds and card synergies — end-game stacks and scoring interactions reward careful timing
- Mancala-style resource placement and token flow — players move tokens around a circular track to perform actions and collect resources
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a top 10 list that we're roasting here, and yes, it's tongue-in-cheek but we actually like a lot of these games.
- Viticulture without Tuscany is basically nothing for me.
- This is a multiplayer solitaire in many sessions, but with blocking and interaction that can still feel brutal.
- The theme rocks it for me; mechanics are the engine, but a strong theme makes me want to replay.
- Pursuit of Happiness is one of those games where the life narrative matters as much as the mechanics.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video UnuS6U4y_DA
Board Games Hitting My Table general_discussion at 8:42 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12231 · mention_pk 35718
Click to watch at 8:42 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- great design by Feld
- dynamic dice mechanic with mitigation options
Cons
- not everyone appreciates Feld’s typical design scope
Thematic elements
- dice worker-placement with thematic island building
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dice worker placement — lower value dice are weaker actions but offer more freedom; higher values offer stronger actions with restrictions.
- Mitigation via Power Cards — Power Cards provide mitigation options to counter strong dice rolls.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is bonfire... kind of one of his more recent ones
- I thoroughly thoroughly enjoyed this two-player game
- it's remarkably fast as well I think I played it in about 75 minutes
- I think it's absolutely fantastic and one of the best two-player games I've played this year
- I love this game because the dice system in Bora Bora is great and the powers help balance outcomes
- expansion Mekka & Bah definitely did make a big change in the gameplay
- Caesar's Empire ... an evergreen feeling game that should be up there with Ticket to Ride
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video FhWgUXC8PrY
Unknown Channel top_10_list at 9:00 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 12149 · mention_pk 35542
Click to watch at 9:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- solid, compact point-salience game
- strong thematic presentation and components
Cons
- can be stressful and unforgiving
- some players feel shut out early
Thematic elements
- tropical resort development
- Islands of Bora Bora in a resort-building theme
- strategic, euro-style tension with area control
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Contesting areas on the islands for points and impact.
- tile drafting — Draft and place tiles to shape the board and scoring opportunities.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a filler type where you are drawing cards and you're trying to curate a hand of cards where everything synergizes well with each other
- the heart and soul of that is realms and that is why Naveen dislikes it is why i really enjoy it
- gosh the dice selection is so restrictive
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Czfd7DpY7U8
Dice Tower top_10_list at 6:18 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9451 · mention_pk 27929
Click to watch at 6:18 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Innovative blocking mechanic with dice values
- Tight economic management creates tension and skill development
- Engaging combo of island-building and deity-based bonuses
Cons
- The blocking mechanic can be punishing for beginners
- Requires careful planning to maximize action efficiency
Thematic elements
- island expansion, god worship, and local tasks
- Polynesian island milieu
- competitive engine with direct interaction
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dice placement and blocking — higher value dice are stronger, but lower value dice can block actions; placing a low die can effectively lock an action
- god powers and blocking — special god powers allow players to block or alter action feasibility
- tight economy — rounds require efficient action selection; resource and action density are high
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is first class all aboard the R& Express.
- I love that rondelle with that aging worker.
- Two main reasons this game is on my list. First is just that dice drafting mechanism.
- The top and bottom action of the cards need to be weighed along with the region that they're in.
- The decisions ... every worker placement matters.
- This is my number one game of all time.
- The timer of the game ... end of era scoring is a key feature.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video CBDnc5JMW98
Chairman of the Board top_10_list at 11:52 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9441 · mention_pk 27880
Click to watch at 11:52 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Dense yet approachable Feld-style design
- Elegant mix of action economy and engine building
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Resource/engine building with marriage of dice and housing — Build a village, manage dice-driven actions, and exploit resources.
- Worker/dice action selection — Allocate dice to actions with tiered values to perform different effects.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I love how streamlined this game is.
- it's a drafting style game as you're trying to build up the civilization of cards
- one world worthy of all the hype
- this engine builder
- it's the crunchiness
- this is widely considered to be one of the best if not the best economic style board game of all time
- it's a joy to play
- you are destined to love it
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 6PTI89Y2yDQ
Chairman of the Board general_discussion at 8:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 71 · mention_pk 164
Click to watch at 8:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Polished design
- Solid family-friendly euro gameplay
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- tropical resort building
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- set collection / resource management — players build a tropical resort by taking actions and collecting resources.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm trying to only keep the games that I really love because of course I have so many games coming through on the channel.
- Theme isn't really important to me. It's all about the mechanisms.
- I do share a collection with my brother.
- Beige euros.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–6 of 6