After a trip to Isla de Pascua (Easter Island), the author brings to us this game based on the inhabitants of the island and the extinction of them.
The Rapa-Nui tribes were isolated about 1000 years in a remote, tiny and volcanic island. There were a lack of resources and the population lived in a unstable balance with the environment, the rivalry between tribes and the collective society.
THE GAME
Players manage the building of the 'moais' (these big sculptures with big faces, facing to the sea), using quarries, men, palm trees (to take wood) and even 'slaves'.
I had heard from some testers that the mechanics of the game were very similar to Puerto Rico, but the only similarity is the 'role selection' phase.
The game is only available (rules and components) for Print & Play at: http://kokorin.wordpress.com/2008/06/15/rapa-nui/