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- BGG rating
- 8.4
The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle-earth
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
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- BGG rating
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1001 Islands
2022
Rules assistance for 1001 Islands
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 30 min
- 7+
- Complexity 1.3/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for 1001 Islands
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
1001 Islands is a board game released in 2022 for 2–5 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 7 and up. It was designed by Antoine Bauza and Bruno Cathala and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Tile Placement, and Open Drafting.
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About the game
As children of Sinbad, you have set yourselves a new challenge to explore the 1001 islands and find the treasures of your father, the great sailor. 1001 Islands is a tile-selection and -distribution game in which you score points by matching your dream tiles and your island tiles as best as possible. A game takes 16 rounds, with each player adding one tile to their personal board to build their island or collect dream tiles, then players tally their points. In more detail, when you're the active player, you draw as many tiles as the number of players, keep one and play it on your board, then pass the remaining tiles to the player of your choice. Whoever receives the final tile has no choice, but they start the next round. The dream tiles score you points based on what's visible on your island at game's end, so don't take a Fennec fox dream tile if your island is devoid of Fennec foxes! Palm trees earn points on their own, as does the pairing of a Rukh bird and its huge egg. Have too many bandits, and you'll lose points — and if you collect a third magic lamp, you have to flip two tiles face down, costing you whatever points you would have received.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- HUCH!
- Maldito Games
- GateOnGames
- Ludonaute
Questions and answers
1001 Islands supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for 1001 Islands is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists 1001 Islands for ages 7 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
1001 Islands has a complexity rating of 1.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
1001 Islands belongs to these categories: Children's Game and Arabian. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Tile Placement, and Open Drafting. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of 1001 Islands are: Antoine Bauza and Bruno Cathala. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists 1001 Islands as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.