Sunda to Sahul

  I hate jigsaw puzzles, because I find them boring and monotonous. However, I’m still intrigued by them and am fascinated at how the pieces fit together. My wife, on the other hand, likes puzzles, so she was pleased to hear that I had acquired a new game, one that combined puzzles and gaming – Sunda to Sahul (Sagacity Games, 2002 – Don Bone). Even though initial reports on the game were high in praise, I was slightly apprehensive, and wondered if puzzles and games could be mixed successfully.

And to my surprise, Sunda and Sahul accomplished this goal. Not only is it a fun and difficult solo puzzle for those who like such things, but Sunda and Sahul makes an excellent game for two to four players. In particular, my wife and I found it a very fun, relaxing time to spend an evening together. There are several ways to play the game, outlined in the rules – and each method of playing has a different feel to it – and all of them are quite good. I found that I enjoyed one way of playing with my wife, while another method worked better with my gaming group. This makes Sunda to Sahul a very versatile, unique game – one that should be added to most gamers’ board game libraries.

In the basic game, 136 different puzzle pieces are shuffled and placed face-up on the table. There are about 10 different pieces, and they all fit together rather ingeniously. Each tile shows a combination of land and water, so that when the pieces are connected together, many islands are formed. One piece that consists of all water is placed in the middle of the board, forming the play area. Each player then takes a set of “spirit tokens” of their color, with the amount determined by the number of players playing the game. The youngest player goes first, and then play proceeds clockwise around the table.

On a turn, a player can place two tiles (puzzle pieces) on the board. As in games like Carcassonne, other players may give advice about where to place the pieces, etc. Puzzle pieces must fit together to work, and land must touch land, with water connecting to water. If a player forms a land “node” (a place where corners of each of a group of tiles all meet in such a way that the tiles totally surround that point), then they may place one of their tokens on that node. Because of the shapes of the pieces, there are nodes that can be formed by three, four, five, and even six tiles.

The game ends when one player has placed all the tokens, when all the tiles are placed, or when everyone agrees that no more tiles can be placed. All players total up their points – with tokens on completed islands worth two points, and all others worth one point. The player with the most points is the winner!

There are many advanced rules that can be incorporated into the basic game to add complexity.
- Water Rights: If a water node is created that is totally surrounded by land (creating a lake), a player can claim it. At the end of the game, each of these nodes is worth 5 or 10 points, depending on whether the island is completed.
- Tribes: After creating a node, a player may place one of their tokens on the island to form a “tribe.” If other players have already formed a tribe, the player may start their own tribe, or attempt to join a tribe already on the island. If joining, they must get permission from the “head” of the tribe – the player with the most tokens in the tribe. Tribes can challenge each other, with dice used to determine the winner. The player who rolls the best on the dice (very similar to Risk style of combat) removes the top token from the tribe they were fighting. At the end of the game, each tribe token scores points for every other token in the same tribe, and double that amount if the island is completed.
- Resources: Six resource markers, with values from five to 10, are placed face-up next to the table at game setup. Whenever a player places a token on an island, they may add a resource chip to that island. Resources may only be added, however, if the number on the resource chip is less than or equal to the number of all other tokens on the island. At the end of the game, each resource chip scores the points on it for the player with the most tokens on the island.
- “No Turns” game: Players can opt to play simultaneously. If they do this, each player has their own private tile pool, rather than one large communal one. Play occurs the same as the basic game, except that players are all placing tiles at the same time. Players may “raid” an opponent, but taking a tile from any other player, but then must sit back while that player takes two tiles from them.
- Puzzle game: If only one player is playing, they can try to use all the tiles to form a group of completed islands (harder than it sounds!), or try other puzzles that are found on the companies web site.

Some comments on the game…

1.) Components: After seeing this game, I am impressed how an independent game company has put out components that are equal to, if not superior, to most of the big name game companies. The main component of this game is obviously the puzzle pieces, and they are incredible. They are very thick, and fit together very snuggly. The artwork on them looks really nice, and it’s a lot of fun to see the map as it slowly assembles across the table. What’s even more impressive is that I don’t think there’s an identical piece, and that makes each game fairly unique and original. The tokens used for players to build tribes, claim nodes, etc., are nice sized cardboard tokens, each a different shape and color, making them easily distinguishable. A small scoring board is included with the game, so that advanced games can be scored, with up to 399 points possible. The scoreboard is unique looking and fits in with the overall jungle island theme. Everything fits well in the bright blue, sturdy box, and a large plastic bag is provided to keep the puzzle pieces separate from the other components.

2.) Rules: The rules are among the best I’ve ever seen. The booklet includes many color illustrations, along with examples, etc. What I liked the best was that the rules progressed from the basic game to the complete game, explaining one concept and rule at a time, building on previous rules. I had absolutely no questions after reading the rules, and they have answered every problem (which have been almost none) that we had during games. The game is easy to teach and learn, and people who are puzzle maniacs will pick it up quickly.

3.) Puzzle or Game?: This leads to the obvious question – “If I hate puzzles, will I hate this game, also?” From personal experience, I can say with conviction that while I hate puzzles, I like this game quite a bit. One thing that helps is that there is no right piece for a particular place, because every open spot can host a myriad of different pieces. I had fun trying to find the best piece for each spot, and several times would help the other players (of course, I then punched myself in the head for helping the opposition). Puzzle addicts should not fear that the game is too easy, however, as the single player rules allow them to have a rather difficult challenge.

4.) Simultaneous or not? I personally don’t like the simultaneous play that much, because it makes the game very frantic, and I enjoyed Sunda to Sahul more as a leisurely activity. However, people who hate analysis paralysis should beware, as that is a very easy thing to find oneself falling into when playing this game. Players can always put a time limit on other players, or can pick the simultaneous mode. I find it impressive that the game handles both methods equally well.

5.) Basic or advanced? Is the basic game good enough? The answer is a resounding yes! Are the advanced rules worth it? Another yes breaks the silence, because both the basic game and advanced game are equally fun. More thinking is done in the advanced game, and the luck of the die adds a small random element for those who like a little luck in their games. There are strategic options in both, as players seek to finish their islands, and prevent their opponents from finishing theirs.

6.) Theme and Fun Factor: The theme, exploring and discovering islands, is very prevalent as players slowly build many islands. A sense of wonder can be felt as the map slowly unfolds upon the table. This adds up to a lot of fun. Players can have frenzied, wild fun with the simultaneous play, or peaceful, wondrous fun otherwise. Either way, the game is jam-packed with fun!

If this game is indicative of games coming out of Australia, then I hope to see many more. Sunda to Sahul is one of the most innovative, original games I have played this year. I found it a wonderful activity to partake in with my wife, and yet a good game to bring to my gaming group. Sunda to Sahul is certainly worth your time, whether or not you like puzzles, and I encourage all gamers to give it a try!

Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"