- BGG rating
- 6.4
Maui: Catch the Wave Mini Expansion
- 2–5 players
- 20–40 min
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,732
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Maui
2022
Rules assistance for Maui
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.6/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Maui
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Maui is a board game released in 2022 for 2–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Sébastien Pauchon, Frank Crittin, and Grégoire Largey and its main mechanics are Pattern Building.
Expansions
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,113
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Botanik
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,203
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Ankh'or
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,433
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Tower Up
- 2–4 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,869
- BGG rating
- 6.1
8Bit Box
- 3–6 players
- 15–40 min
- Complexity 1.6/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #202
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Jaipur
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.5/5
- 2009
- BGG rank
- BGG #655
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Jamaica
- 2–6 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2007
- BGG rank
- BGG #726
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Skyrise
- 2–4 players
- 30–90 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #954
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Yspahan
- 2–4 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 2006
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,054
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Unlock!: Mystery Adventures
- 1–6 players
- 45–75 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,319
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Metropolys
- 2–4 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2008
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,588
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Sobek: 2 Players
- 2 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,214
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Corinth
- 2–4 players
- 20–30 min
- Complexity 1.6/5
- 2019
About the game
Locals and tourists in Maui are heading to the beach for a chance to find a nice spot to lay their towels and enjoy the amazing view of the Hawaiian ocean. In Maui, you want to find and place beachgoers on your sand so that they create pleasing patterns, while also placing their towels close to the ocean or under the shade of trees or umbrellas to earn the most points. However, getting too close to either of these areas is risky and might ruin their plans! In the game, you have your own beach board with room for 13 towels, the board has seven rows in which towels can be placed, and during set-up, you randomly place eight umbrellas in designated locations on your board. Each player places one random towel in the left most column of their board; each towel has three different patterns on it. Place six random tiles in the two rows of the market and one sand dollar in each row. On a turn, either take all the sand dollars from either row of the market or take a towel from the market; towels cost 0, 1, or 2 sand dollars, with those dollars being placed in the market row. When you place a towel, you must match at least one pattern with the towel that's rightmost on your beach board and you want to match as many patterns as possible. For each match you make, you advance that pattern's scoring marker 1-3 spaces on the score board; the closer to the ocean or the shade the more points you score, but if you place part of a towel outside the play area, you're penalized. If you cover an umbrella, you receive its bonus, whether that's advancing a pattern's scoring marker or receiving one of two types of pearls. When someone places a towel in the final column of their beach board, you complete the round, then see who's scored the most points from patterns, pearls, and leftover sand dollars, which are each worth a point. Instead of playing with umbrellas, you can flip your beach board to find a septet of sand crabs. Whenever you cover a crab with a towel, the crab crawls onto that portion of the towel, costing you both that pattern and a few points.
Categories
Mechanics
Publishers
- Rebel Sp. z o.o.
- YOKA Games
- Plan B Games
- Next Move Games
Questions and answers
Maui 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 Maui 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 Maui 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.
Maui has a complexity rating of 1.6 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.
Maui belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Pattern Building. 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 Maui are: Sébastien Pauchon, Frank Crittin, and Grégoire Largey. 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 Maui 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.