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Tonga Bonga

Tonga Bonga

1998·Stefan Dorra

Videos
5
Creators
5

Mainly reviews. Tonga Bonga is covered on BoardGameVideo.com by 3 reviews and 2 unboxings.

3 - 4 players
45 min
Light weight: Learn it in minutes

From BoardGameGeek

In Tonga Bonga, each player pilots a ship around a little group of islands with the goal of visiting four of the five remote islands and returning to Tonga Bonga Bay. Winning the race does not win the game, however; what matters is having the most money. Each player has room for three sailors (represented by dice) on their ship, and at the start of a round, in order players decide how much money to offer the sailors who will serve as their captain and first mate that round. (The cabin boy always works for free.) Next, in order players roll their dice, then assign one die to each other ship - never their own! If you place a die with an equal or higher pip value on a ship where a die already present, you bump that earlier die to a lesser role. (In short, the ships always end up with the highest die in the captain position.) One side of each die has a seasick sailor, who doesn't go to sea that round, so not all ships will necessarily be full. Once all the dice have been placed, in order players move their ship, ideally reaching islands before others and leaving one of your tokens there. Whenever you land on an island, you reach $25 from the bank, but you must then pay $5 to each player who landed there ahead of you. At the end of a round, players collect the wages next to the captain and first mate spots holding their dice. A player who has visited four islands can return to Tonga Bonga Bay, collecting $10 when they dock there. At the end of that round, the game ends, and whoever has the most money wins.

Tonga Bonga

Which Tonga Bonga video should I watch?

Tonga Bonga has 5 videos from 5 creators: 3 reviews and 2 unboxings. They date from 2024 to May 2025.

If you like it, try For Sale, Pergamon, Sardegna and Triqueta, also by Stefan Dorra.

All videos

Tonga Bonga Review: Island HoppingReview17:19

Tonga Bonga Review: Island Hopping

The Dice Tower

The Dice Tower

Tonga Bonga is BACK! Overview, Side-By-Side Comparison & ReviewReview4:54

Tonga Bonga is BACK! Overview, Side-By-Side Comparison & Review

Board Games With B7

Board Games With B7

Tonga Bonga by Purge ReviewsReview7:38

Tonga Bonga by Purge Reviews

Purge Reviews

Purge Reviews

️Unboxing Tonga Bonga, a hidden gem dice placement #boardgame. Learn how to play on Episode 49!Unboxing1:01

️Unboxing Tonga Bonga, a hidden gem dice placement #boardgame. Learn how to play on Episode 49!

Undiscovered Games

Undiscovered Games

Unboxing Tonga Bonga by Playte #boardgameUnboxing0:56

Unboxing Tonga Bonga by Playte #boardgame

Cardboard Onion

Cardboard Onion

Creators who cover this

All channels
Board Games With B7
Board Games With B7
1 video of this game
Cardboard Onion
Cardboard Onion
1 video of this game
Purge Reviews
Purge Reviews
1 video of this game
The Dice Tower
The Dice Tower
1 video of this game
Undiscovered Games
Undiscovered Games
1 video of this game

Games like this

All games

For Sale

1997·Stefan Dorra

Videos
57
Creators
49
Mainly reviews

3 - 6 players·30 min·Light weight

Pergamon

2011·Stefan Dorra, Ralf zur Linde

Videos
23
Creators
7
Mainly reviews

2 - 4 players·45 min·Medium weight

Sardegna

2005·Stefan Dorra

Videos
18
Creators
16
Mostly reviews and how-to-play

2 - 4 players·60 min·Medium weight

Triqueta

2023·Stefan Dorra, Ralf zur Linde

Videos
18
Creators
16
Mostly how-to-play and reviews

2 - 5 players·20 - 30 min·Light weight

About Tonga Bonga

From BoardGameGeek:

In Tonga Bonga, each player pilots a ship around a little group of islands with the goal of visiting four of the five remote islands and returning to Tonga Bonga Bay. Winning the race does not win the game, however; what matters is having the most money. Each player has room for three sailors (represented by dice) on their ship, and at the start of a round, in order players decide how much money to offer the sailors who will serve as their captain and first mate that round. (The cabin boy always works for free.) Next, in order players roll their dice, then assign one die to each other ship - never their own! If you place a die with an equal or higher pip value on a ship where a die already present, you bump that earlier die to a lesser role. (In short, the ships always end up with the highest die in the captain position.) One side of each die has a seasick sailor, who doesn't go to sea that round, so not all ships will necessarily be full. Once all the dice have been placed, in order players move their ship, ideally reaching islands before others and leaving one of your tokens there. Whenever you land on an island, you reach $25 from the bank, but you must then pay $5 to each player who landed there ahead of you. At the end of a round, players collect the wages next to the captain and first mate spots holding their dice. A player who has visited four islands can return to Tonga Bonga Bay, collecting $10 when they dock there. At the end of that round, the game ends, and whoever has the most money wins.

Designer

Stefan Dorra

Artists

Wanjin Gill, Franz Vohwinkel

Publisher

Playte

Categories

EconomicNauticalRacing

Mechanics

Betting & BluffingNegotiationDice RollingSet Collection
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