Cover of the game Bora Bora

Bora Bora

alea, Ravensburger AG · Board game · 2013
Ludopedia
8.4 Ludopedia
BoardGameGeek
7.6 BoardGameGeek
Players
2–4 · best 4
Play Time
60–120 min
Weight
Weight 3.7/5
Year
Year 2013
Minimum age
Minimum age 12+
Buy
8.4 rating Ludopedia
7.6 rating BoardGameGeek

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Our Verdict
RECOMMENDED

If you enjoy a solid euro with dice and meaningful tactical decisions, Bora Bora is a journey worth taking! It's a game that challenges you with every roll.

Highlights
  • Innovative dice mechanic
  • Deep tactical decisions
  • Elegant indirect interaction
  • High replayability
  • Engaging theme
Keep in mind
  • Can be punishing
  • Initial learning curve
  • Dice luck dependency
Learn How to Play Step by Step Check out our complete step-by-step rules guide.
Access Rules Guide

About the game

What you do in a play session

Get ready to dive into the mysterious island world of Bora Bora, a game where your luck and strategy intertwine. In this adventure, you'll journey across paradisiacal islands, building huts for your clans, discovering rich fishing grounds, and collecting precious shells. Don't forget to send your priests to sacred temples and gather offerings to curry favor with the gods, who might give you a hand with special actions and even break some rules!

At the heart of Bora Bora is a super interesting action system, where the dice you roll dictate your options. At the start of each round, you roll three dice and, in turns, place one at a time on one of the available actions. The trick is that the die value matters: a high number generally gives you a better version of that action – more places to build, more choices of people to recruit, or greater advancement on the temple track. But be careful! Placing a die with a low value might give you a less powerful action, but it's a clever tactic to block other players, as to take an action, you must place a die with a lower number than any already there.

Your individual player board comes with three task tiles that give you some direction on what to do, while the god tiles offer those bonuses and rule-breaking powers everyone loves. The player who best reads the game, adapts, and uses the most effective strategy will be the grand winner in Bora Bora. It's a tactical challenge that will test your planning and dice management skills!

Expansions

Published additional content

1 items

Rules videos

Learn by watching before you open the box

11 videos

Rules manual

Official PDF file

Rules manual — Bora Bora English · PDF
Download Manual

Best player count

BGG community vote

2–4 players
2 REC
3 REC
4 BEST

Where to Buy

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Game details

Mechanics, categories, families and credits

Categories

Families

Components: Coloured Dice Islands: French Polynesia (France) Region: Oceania Series: Alea Big Box Theme: Seashells
Publisher alea, Ravensburger AG
Designer Stefan Feld
Artist Alexander Jung

Community

Data from BoardGameGeek

13,180owners
2,458wishlist
511want to play

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers before you buy

6 questions
What is the average playtime for Bora Bora?
A game of Bora Bora typically takes between 60 to 120 minutes, depending on the number of players and their familiarity with the rules.
How many players is Bora Bora best for?
Bora Bora can be played by 2 to 4 players. The experience is solid at all counts, but interaction and action blocking intensify with more players.
What is the complexity level of Bora Bora?
It's considered a medium-heavy complexity game (BGG weight 3.73/5). The rules are accessible, but the strategic depth and tactical decisions require a bit more experience.
Does Bora Bora involve a lot of luck due to the dice?
While there is dice rolling, the game is more about luck management than pure luck. You have many ways to mitigate bad rolls and optimize good ones, making strategy predominant.
What are the main components of the game?
The game comes with a main board, individual player boards, colored dice, player pieces, resource tokens, task tiles, god tiles, and objective cards, all with Polynesian-themed artwork.
Is Bora Bora a good game for those starting with heavier euros?
It can be a good step for those who already have some board game experience and want to delve into strategic euros. Its unique dice mechanic can be a rewarding challenge.

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