- BGG rank
- BGG #24,495
- BGG rating
- 5.9
Dipole
- 2 players
- 20–60 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2007
- BGG rank
- BGG #22,849
- BGG rating
- 5.8
Atoll
2008
Rules assistance for Atoll
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 20–60 min
- 5+
- Complexity 2.1/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Atoll
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Atoll is a board game released in 2008 for 2 players, 20–60 minutes per game, and ages 5 and up. It was designed by Mark Steere and its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Paper-and-Pencil, and Hexagon Grid.
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About the game
Atoll is a two player connection game played on a hexagonally tessellated board. The board is surrounded by eight "islands" of stones, alternating between black islands and white islands going around the board. Players take turns adding their stones to the board, one stone per turn. Black makes the first placement of the game. Each player will always have a placement available on his turn and must make one. To win you must connect two islands of your color on opposite sides of the board with a contiguous chain of your stones. The islands themselves can be part of the chain. So for example, Black could form one bridge between his North and West islands and a second bridge between his West and South islands to win. Likewise for White and the white islands. Like Hex, a completely filled-in board must result in a winning connection for exactly one of the two players. Generalized Atoll Atoll could be characterised as a generalisation of Hex where the number of islands is eight rather than four. A generalized Atoll can be played with any multiple of four islands. The generalized object of the game is as follows: A perimeter path is a sequence of edge cells (the outermost cells in the playable area). To win you must connect two or more of your islands such that the shortest possible perimeter path that connects to those islands connects to at least one more than half the total number of islands. For example, on a 12 island board you must connect two or more of your islands such that the shortest possible perimeter path that connects to those islands connects to at least seven (12/2 + 1) islands. Online Play Yucata (turn-based)
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- GAMES Magazine
- Mark Steere Games
Questions and answers
Atoll supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Atoll is 20–60 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 Atoll for ages 5 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.
Atoll has a complexity rating of 2.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Atoll belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Paper-and-Pencil, and Hexagon Grid. 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 Atoll are: Mark Steere. 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 Atoll 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.