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- BGG rating
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Tiny Epic Galaxies
- 1–5 players
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- 2015
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Atua
2023
Rules assistance for Atua
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–6 players
- 30 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.8/5
Rules assistant for Atua
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Atua is a board game released in 2023 for 1–6 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Scott Almes and its main mechanics are Solo / Solitaire Game, Open Drafting, and Connections.
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About the game
In Atua, which was first released as Motu, you and your fellow players will each create your own island from scratch, expanding it round after round...as long as you have enough coconuts. To start, each player has a face-up village card in front of them, and four face-up island cards and three face-down draw piles constitute the building materials of these islands. In each of nine rounds, you choose a card featuring symbols, properties, and borders that appeal to you, then overlap that card on your existing island, trying to create different sources of harmony that will affect its value. The game features three intermediate scoring rounds in which players choose which sources of harmony they will convert into points and when. Timing is crucial because each source can be scored only once. Whoever best keeps an eye on fishermen, birds, and volcanoes; maintains the balance between island residents and natural resources; and gains the most harmony points will win. Atua includes expansion materials — resident and fate tiles — for additional scoring opportunities, as well as a solo variant in which you play against the imaginary opponent Tahuma in one of four levels of difficulty.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Schmidt Spiele
- Superlude Éditions
- Print & Play Productions
- Ghost Dog
Questions and answers
Atua supports 1–6 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 Atua 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 Atua for ages 8 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.
Atua has a complexity rating of 1.8 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.
Atua belongs to these categories: Card Game, Territory Building, and Print & Play. Its main mechanics are Solo / Solitaire Game, Open Drafting, and Connections. 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 Atua are: Scott Almes. 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 Atua 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.