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Tholos
- 2 players
- 15–25 min
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Kilauea
2025
Rules assistance for Kilauea
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 40–60 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.5/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Kilauea
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Kilauea is a board game released in 2025 for 2–4 players, 40–60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Ferran Renalias and David Bernal and its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence and Rondel.
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About the game
In KILAUEA you will represent a Mo'o, the lizard-like spirits of Hawaiian folklore, and you will build Tiki columns to worship Pele, the goddess of volcanoes. Kilauea, by David Bernal and Ferran Renalias, is a game with very simple rules, but with a scoring system that forces players to always be aware of how the number of Tikis of each color changes in each volcano area, and to manage wisely where and which ones to place in their personal island. During your turn, you will be cutting down in the forests or building Tikis, either in the volcano area or on your own Island. When the first and third forests are emptied, each volcano area will be scored by multiplying the value of each color by those you have in the corresponding area of your personal Island. But be careful! The score of each color will be in constant evolution during the game and your opponents will try to maximize their score by taking yours! The mechanics are very simple: we will move around the volcano on the same island with a rondel mechanic and, once we have reached our destination, we will be able to do one of three possible actions: - Cutting down Tikis in the Forest - Build Tiki in the Volcano - Build Tiki on our Island. At the moment the first and third forest is completely cut down, you score each area of the volcano, scoring 1 VP for each piece of the highest tiki column and 3 VPs for each piece of the rest of the columns. These points will be multiplied by the number of tikis of the corresponding color in each area of your Personal Island. In the final scoring some extra points may be scored. -description from publisher
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- HABA
- 25th Century Games
- Combo Games (II)
Questions and answers
Kilauea supports 2–4 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 Kilauea is 40–60 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 Kilauea for ages 10 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.
Kilauea has a complexity rating of 2.5 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.
Kilauea belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy and Mythology. Its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence and Rondel. 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 Kilauea are: Ferran Renalias and David Bernal. 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 Kilauea 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.