An awesome game from 2006

I only saw 🌋Taluva pop up on our feed once last year, but that was enough to get it onto my Christmas shopping list. Taluva is a game from 2006, but even just a brief look at it gives you the feeling that it’s going to be good—old but gold. 👌 Funnily enough, the back of the box even says, “This is a must-have game,” and it seems they might be right. 😄

This is a simple but very tactical game of tile-laying. Players create and shape an island with triple-hex tiles and populate it with buildings as they go. You just play until the tiles run out, then see who built more temples—or towers, or huts if there is a tie. Simple, right? 😉

On your turn, you have to place a new tri-hex tile, either expanding the island by placing it at water level or making it higher by placing it on top of previous tiles. The game comes with nice, chunky cardboard tiles, so you can easily see whenever the height is raised, which is essential for some placement rules.

After playing the tile, you place buildings:🏠 Either starting a new settlement by placing a single hut not adjacent to any of your pieces.🏘️ Placing multiple huts to expand one of your villages (by naming a terrain type and expanding only on those).🗼 Placing a tower if you have huts adjacent to a level 3 or higher hex.🛕 Placing a temple if you have a settlement made up of 3 or more hexes.

As you play, of course you aren’t just looking to set yourself up but are paying attention not to inadvertently assist your opponent. You can also strategically remove some opponent huts by placing island tiles on top—there are limits to this, though. Building up the terrain to level 3 is also risky, as that is a juicy opportunity for anyone nearby to claim.

There are just 4 pages of rules, but the result is a tactically deep game that can be played fast, and the thick tiles and the cool wooden buildings make it a real blast to play. 😊 I’m glad we found this little gem.