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Kahuna box art

Kahuna

Game ID: GID0176488
Collection Status
Description

"Who will rule the South Seas? Two Kahuna - ancient sorcerers of the Pacific - compete for dominance on an archipelago consisting of twelve small islands. Using their magic and wisdom, they struggle for control of the islands. They anxiously await the cards handed to them by fate. But when the time is right, they move to capture one, two, or even more islands, trying to gain the upper hand. At the mercy of the magical powers of the South Seas, they quickly realize that even the best magic is no good without strategy."

Originally published in 1997 as Arabana-Ikibiti by the designer's own publisher Bambus Spieleverlag, then reprinted by Funagain in the U.S., Kosmos' Kahuna – part of its Kosmos two-player series – is the best known implementation of this design.

It's a two-player game, played on a board depicting twelve islands. Players use cards to place bridges between these islands or remove opponent's bridges. If you get the majority of bridges around an island, you place one of your marker stones on it and also remove any of your opponent's bridges to that island – which might cause them to lose a bridge majority on an adjacent island and lose a marker stone there.

The game is played in three rounds. A round ends when all cards from the face down deck and the three face up cards have been taken. Then points are scored for the islands with a marker stone on them. The game can also end sooner when one player has absolutely NO bridges left on the board.

The Kosmos edition has excellent graphics and nice wooden pieces and plays very well.

Reimplements:

Arabana-Ikibiti

Reimplemented by:

Kanaloa

Year Published
1998
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 5
This page: 5
Sentiment: pos 5 · mix 0 · neu 0 · neg 0
Mentions per page
Top
Showing 1–5 of 5
Video CLOQTtqEMr8 Meatball Mountain top_6_list at 0:07 sentiment: positive
video_pk 29872 · mention_pk 87655
Meatball Mountain - Kahuna video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:07 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • elegantly designed
  • fun and accessible for two players
Cons
  • depth may be light for some players
Thematic elements
  • territory control through network construction and bridge placement
  • island archipelago where players place island cards and connect them with bridges
  • abstract, elegant
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • area majority — score when you have the majority of bridges connected to an island via Huna tokens
  • Area majority scoring — score when you have the majority of bridges connected to an island via Huna tokens
  • bridge placement — lay bridges to create connections between islands
  • bridge removal — remove enemy bridges to disrupt opponents' networks
  • Compound Scoring — Huna tokens contribute to scoring when conditions are met
  • Physical Removal — remove enemy bridges to disrupt opponents' networks
  • tile placement — place island cards to form a connected map
  • tile/card placement — place island cards to form a connected map
  • token scoring — Huna tokens contribute to scoring when conditions are met
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • Kahuna is a really fun elegantly designed game
  • it's like chess
  • the artwork is incredibly beautiful
  • it's very cheap and it's like 14 15 bucks on Amazon and it is a classic
  • the point of the game is get your master pond to the temple gates to the other side
  • and it takes maybe 20 minutes
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video leM4unzWvyc Fabulous Games general_discussion at 15:44 sentiment: positive
video_pk 13741 · mention_pk 40140
Fabulous Games - Kahuna video thumbnail
Click to watch at 15:44 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • classic gateway to slightly heavier strategy
  • tactical but approachable
Cons
  • older design may feel dated to some
  • theme is niche
Thematic elements
  • area control with a tropical vibe
  • Polynesian island control and influence
  • lighthearted strategy
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Area Control — Players vie for control of territories via influence markers.
  • tug-of-war / area dominance — Shifts in influence as players place markers and attempt to outmaneuver rivals.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • every game deserves a second chance
  • it's a good game, it's a middleweight game
  • the components are cheap
  • we're not fans of real time games though but you know what we're going to try it
  • we always have fun and try to play with family
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Xt3eoEaLuYc Chairman of the Board general_discussion at 7:22 sentiment: positive
video_pk 13178 · mention_pk 38555
Chairman of the Board - Kahuna video thumbnail
Click to watch at 7:22 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Classic two-player abstract with a strong feel
  • Accessible yet strategic
Cons
  • Potential balance improvements to scoring and round structure
Thematic elements
  • Two-player abstract dominance and strategic placement
  • Islands with tropical archipelago dynamics
  • Direct, cutthroat competition
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • two-player abstract strategy — Players attempt to dominate islands with color-coded blocks
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • Evergreen is actually I suppose a spiritual successor to the famous photosynthesis board game.
  • this one has more focus on the light points and the way you actually take your actions is different as well because it does use this drafting system
  • this game was like gold dust for a long long time
  • the production of these games is absolutely stellar
  • these Magi 7 dice are absolutely gorgeous
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video HqEzH5bGrFw I'm It Board Game Reviews general_discussion at 0:50 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11393 · mention_pk 33504
I'm It Board Game Reviews - Kahuna video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:50 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Quick to play
  • Surprising depth for simple mechanics
  • Became part of regular two-player collection
  • Plays well at two players
Cons
  • Area control can feel aggressive
  • Requires player acceptance of competitive play
Thematic elements
  • Area control between two spirits
  • South Seas
  • Abstract with thematic flavor
Comparison games
  • Blue Lagoon
  • My Small World
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Area Control — Players place bridges on islands to control them
  • Two-Player Only — Exclusively designed for two players
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • love it love it love it
  • that's gonna be a real big part of our collection
  • Lost Cities is a two-player game it's evil y'all
  • happy frustration
  • it's kind of funny funny
  • i like it better this time
  • games have to grow on me
  • beautiful game loved it oh man omg
  • i love the artwork diverse
  • this may be one of our favorites
  • we are disappointed
  • we didn't build a fort
  • what are we doing
  • if you ain't have fun what you doing
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video vMNtRQ43W00 Unknown Channel top_10_list at 2:11 sentiment: positive
video_pk 8189 · mention_pk 24053
Unknown Channel - Kahuna video thumbnail
Click to watch at 2:11 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • simple concept with rich strategic depth
  • compact package suitable for quick sessions
Cons
  • two-player only design may limit group play
Thematic elements
  • bridge-building and majority control across islands
  • a tropical Pacific archipelago
  • simple concept with deep strategic implications
Comparison games
  • Targi
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • card-driven bridge placement — play cards to place bridges and influence island control
  • majority scoring by island — end-of-round scoring based on majority bridges per island
  • mitigation of random draws — card draw adds variability but remains manageable
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • it's absolutely stunning on the table
  • I've always got this image of Samuel Jackson in my head for some reason
  • something about this game opens up in your mind it's like a light bulb comes on
  • one of the most simplest games you could possibly want to play for two players
  • this game has been really really popular over the last couple of years
  • it's basically a carbon copy reprint of a game called shot on titan
  • it's absolutely fantastic for two players
  • the greatest two-player ball game ever made
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
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