Aloha: The Spirit of Hawaii

Aloha: The Spirit of Hawaii Rulebook

Table of Contents

Object of the Game

Aloha: The Spirit of Hawaii follows an historic timeline, but it is not a game about re-creating history: it's about re-writing it!

During the game, you must manage four resources: Hawaiians, Warriors, Commerce, and Aloha—the "Spirit of Hawaii" itself. You will earn victory points by collecting Royal/Chief cards and fulfilling other goals that change during the game. At the end of the "Epilogue", the player with the most points is the winner!

Game Components

Your copy of Aloha includes:

5 Island tiles: Suggested arrangement on the table is Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui and Hawaii in a line to correspond to the way they are shown on the event cards.
40 Action tokens in four player colors with canoe symbols (10 each)
72 Hawaiian tokens in four player colors and two sizes:
- Small tokens are each worth 1 (15 per color)
- Large tokens are each worth 5 (3 per color)
32 Resource tracking cubes in four player colors (8 each)
1 Monarch token
1 Chapter marker
4 Decks of game cards including:
- Chapter 1 Event Cards
- Chapter 2 Event Cards
- Chapter 3 Event Cards
- Royal/Chief Cards
4 Player aid cards describing the steps of each Chapter
6 dice including:
- 3 black dice with six sides
- 2 white dice with six sides
- 1 blue die with four sides
1 Scoring and Action Track mat
1 Resource Track mat
This rulebook

Your Resources

You will use a number of different resources during the game. They are described here:

Hawaiians: The people of your tribe. You can only take actions on an island if one or more of your Pure Hawaiian tokens are there. Your resource marker on the Pure Hawaiian Track must always show the exact number of tokens you have on the board. Pure Hawaiian tokens come in two values: 1's and 5's. You can make change between them as needed.

Aloha: The Spirit of the Hawaii—it's people, it's culture, and the driving energy of this unique tropical paradise. Aloha is used to gain benefits from some Event cards, and is a tie-breaker at the end of the game.

Commerce: Wealth from trade or industry. Commerce is used to gain benefits from some Event cards, and is a tie-breaker at the end of the game.

Warriors: Brave men who will fight for your cause and tribe. Warriors can give you an advantage during the three conflicts that will occur during the game. Warriors can only be used during the same Chapter you collect them. You cannot keep them from Chapter to Chapter.

Royal/Chief Cards: Powerful leaders of the islands who support you. You earn victory points when you collect these cards, but you do not use them until the Epilogue, when they give you votes to become the first Governor of Hawaii.

Home Rule: Political support. These are additional votes you can use to help become the first Governor during the Epilogue.

Note: The resource tracks on the board limit the number of resources of each type you may collect. You may not gain more resources than what the track allows. Exception: Victory points and Home Rule are not limited.

Setup

Give each player a set of Hawaiian tokens as well as the matching Action Tokens and resource tracking cubes. Place one of your cubes on the "0" space of each of the Scoring, Commerce, Aloha, and Warrior tracks. Place another one on the "20" space of the Hawaiian Track. Each player may also take a player aid card.

Place the Chapter marker on the Prologue space of the Chapter Track.

Sort the event cards by Chapter, shuffle each deck separately, and place them beside the game board.

Set the Royal/Chief cards, the Monarch token, and the dice to the side, within easy reach.

Randomly determine a First Player for the Prologue.

Playing the Game

Aloha is divided into 5 stages, called "Chapters": the Prologue, Chapter I, Chapter II, Chapter III, and the Epilogue. Chapters I, II, and III are all played the same way, while the Prologue and the Epilogue each have their own, unique, steps.

Each Chapter has a different way for you to earn victory points, by accomplishing certain goals unique to that Chapter. Those goals and the victory points you can earn by completing them are described on the back cover of this rulebook.

The Prologue

During the Prologue, you will populate the islands and establish who will be the first king of Hawaii. During the Prologue, you can earn victory points by collecting Royal/Chief cards.

The Prologue is divided into 4 steps:

Step 1: The Polynesian Migration

Each player in turn, starting with the First Player and going clockwise, chooses 1 of the 5 islands—Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, or Hawaii—and places 20 of his Hawaiian tokens on the chosen island along with 2 of his Action Tokens. Each player must choose a different starting island.

Step 2: Player Actions

The First Player now takes 1 action from the list below, followed by the other players in turn (clockwise). When you take an action, you must remove 1 of your Action Tokens from the board. Players continue taking actions until all Action Tokens have been removed (2 actions per player).

The Actions:

Migrate: You may move Hawaiian tokens to another island: Move any number of your Hawaiian tokens (from 1 to all) from 1 island to 1 different island. The island you move to may already be occupied by other Hawaiian tokens (yours or your opponents').
Recruit: You may gather warriors: Move your resource tracker up 1 space on the Warrior Track.

Step 3: The Battle of Kuamo'o

To unite the islands under his rule, King Kamehameha I fought against the leaders of the other tribes. To determine which player controls the new monarch, follow these steps:

The player with the most Warriors rolls the black dice and adds their value together. If two players tie for the most Warriors, they will each roll the black dice, one player at a time. If three or more players tie for the most Warriors, no one rolls the black dice.
Each of the other players rolls the white dice one player at a time, and adds their value together.
The player who rolled the highest total wins the conflict! Take the King Kamehameha I Royal/Chief card and the Monarch token. If there is a tie, the tied players re-roll.
The Island Chiefs are chosen: The player who has the most Hawaiian tokens on each island becomes the Royal Chief for that island and takes the matching Royal/Chief card. If there is a tie for the most Hawaiian tokens, no one becomes the Royal Chief for that island (and the card is discarded from the game).

Example: Hiapo has two Warriors (on the track), which is more than any other player, so he rolls the three black dice, getting a total of 9. Leilani, Makana, and Polunu each roll the two white dice, getting totals of 5, 8, and 11, respectively. Since Polunu rolled the highest total, he becomes the first king of Hawaii! He takes the King Kamehameha I card. Looking at the board, we see that Hiapo has the most Hawaiians on Hawaii, so he takes the matching Royal/Chief card. Leilani has the most Hawaiians on both Molokai and Maui, so she gets two Royal/Chief cards. Makana and Polunu each get one Royal/Chief card on the islands they control Kauai and Oahu.

Step 4: Scoring

The player holding King Kamehameha I scores two victory points. The Royal/Chief for each island scores one victory point. Victory points are recorded on the Scoring Track.

Once victory points have been awarded, set your Royal/Chief cards to the side. You won't use them again until the Epilogue. Also, move your Warrior resource marker back to the start of the Warrior track (you cannot save Warriors for a later Chapter).

Advance the Chapter marker 1 space on the Chapter Track, and the first Chapter is ready to begin.

Example: Hiapo has one Royal Chief, so he gets one victory point. Leilani has two Royal Chiefs so she gets a total of two victory points. Makana has only one Chief, so she gets one point. Polunu has one Chief and the King Kamehameha I card, so he gets three points.

Chapters I, II, and III

These chapters are the heart of Aloha. Here the players take turns performing actions and managing their resources to control the islands or take advantage of random events. Victory points are awarded at the end of each Chapter for Royal/Chief cards, as well as collecting the most Hawaiians, Commerce, and Aloha.

Each Chapter is divided into 6 steps:

Step 1: Place Action Tokens

Each player places 1 Action Token on each island where he has at least 1 Hawaiian token, and the player who holds the Royal, Chief or Island Representative card for each island places an additional Action Token on the matching island.

If you hold the Monarch token, take one extra action token and place it on any island of your choice where you have at least 1 Hawaiian token of your color. It's good to be the monarch.

Example: The blue, green, and red players all have Hawaiian tokens on the island of Maui, so each player places 1 Action Token on the island. Green holds the Royal Chief card for Maui, so she places a second token here. She also holds the Monarch token, and decides to place her extra action token on Maui also. She will get to take 3 actions on Maui this Chapter.

Step 2: Determine Turn Order

During the Chapter, you will take turns taking actions. The order in which you take turns is determined by the number of Action Tokens you have on the board.

Each player places one tracking cube on the Action Track in the space that matches the total number of Action Tokens he has on the board. It is likely that some players will have more Action Tokens than others. The player with the most Action Tokens will be the First Player for this Chapter. If there is a tie, the tied player with the most victory points goes first. If still tied, the tied player next in clockwise order from the First Player of the last Chapter becomes the new First Player.

If you have more Action Tokens than the other players, you will take more than one turn in a row, until all players have an equal number of Action Tokens left on the board. To help keep track of whose turn is next, use the Action Track: Each time you take an action, move your token one space down the track. The player with the token highest on the track always takes the next turn.

Example: Green has 5 Action Markers on the board. Blue has 4, and Yellow has only 2. Green gets to take the first action, taking 2 turns before Blue takes a turn. Then, they both take 2 more turns before Yellow's first turn. To keep track of the order they will play, the three players place tokens on the Action Track, and take turns in this order:

Green – Green – Blue – Green – Blue – Green – Blue – Yellow – Green – Blue – Yellow

Step 3: Reveal Events

Turn over the top four Event Cards from the deck that matches the current Chapter. Any Calamity cards (cards with a red border near the outside of the card) that are revealed must be resolved immediately and replaced (see "Calamities"). Cards that have a red box around the "effects" box only are not resolved immediately.

Step 4: Player Actions

The First Player now takes one action from the list below, followed by the other players in turn (as determined by their tokens on the Action Track). When you take an action, you must remove one of your Action Tokens from the board. Players continue taking actions one at a time until all Action Tokens have been removed.

The Actions:

Migration: You may move Hawaiian tokens to another island: Move any number of your Hawaiian tokens from one island to one different island. The island you move to may already be occupied by other Hawaiian tokens (yours or an opponent's).
- When you Migrate, you must remove your Action Token from the island your Hawaiians are leaving.
- Example: Leilani moves 4 of her Hawaiian tokens from Maui to Oahu. She must remove an Action Token from Maui.
Recruit Warriors: You may gather warriors: Move your Warrior resource marker up one space on the Warrior Track.
- When you recruit, you may remove your Action Token from anywhere on the board.
- Important: You cannot take this action during Chapter III.
- Example: Hiapo removes his Action Token from Maui and moves his marker up one space on the Warrior Track.
Gather Resources: You may collect resources from 1 island. The resources you may collect are shown on the board:
- Kauai: Add one Hawaiian token to Kauai (from your supply). Move your Hawaiian resource marker up one space on the Hawaiian Track.
- Oahu: Gain one Commerce: Move your Commerce resource marker up one space on the Commerce Track.
- Molokai: Gain two Aloha: Move your Aloha resource marker up two spaces on the Aloha Track.
- Maui: Gain one Aloha: Move your Aloha resource marker up one space on the Aloha Track.

Step 5: Conflict

Chapters I and II each end with a conflict between the various forces on the islands, which can alter the political balance of power.

Chapter I: The Paulet Affair

The Hawaiian monarchy is reinstated under the rule of King Kamehameha III after five months of British control. To determine which player controls the new monarch, follow these steps:

The player with the most Warriors rolls the black dice and adds their value together. If two players tie for the most Warriors, they will each roll the black dice, one player at a time. If three or more players tie for the most Warriors, no one rolls the black dice.
Each of the other players rolls the white dice one player at a time, and adds their value together.
The player who rolled the highest total wins the conflict! Take the King Kamehameha III Royal/Chief card and the Monarch token. If there is a tie, the tied players re-roll.
The Island Chiefs are chosen: The player who has the most Hawaiian tokens on each island becomes the Royal Chief for that island and takes the matching Royal/Chief card. If there is a tie for the most Hawaiian tokens, no one becomes the Royal Chief for that island (and the card is discarded from the game).

Chapter II: The Abdication of Queen Lili'uokalani

The Queen of the Hawaiians is forced to abdicate her rule, and the Republic of Hawaii is founded. To determine which player controls the new monarch, follow these steps:

The player with the most Warriors rolls the black dice and adds their value together. If two players tie for the most Warriors, they will each roll the black dice, one player at a time. If three or more players tie for the most Warriors, no one rolls the black dice.
Each of the other players rolls the white dice one player at a time, and adds their value together.
The player who rolled the highest total wins the conflict! Take the Queen Lili'uokalani Royal/Chief card and the Monarch token. If there is a tie, the tied players re-roll.
The Island Representatives are chosen: The player who has the most Hawaiian tokens on each island becomes the Representative for that island in the new Republic and takes the matching Royal/Chief card. If there is a tie for the most Hawaiian tokens, the island is represented by a neutral party, and no player takes the matching card (discarded it from the game).

Chapter III: No Conflict

There is no conflict to end the third Chapter, so this step is skipped.

Step 6: Scoring

Each player earns victory points as shown on the chart on the back of this rulebook. Points are awarded for collecting Royal/Chief cards and majorities in the different resources.

Advance the Chapter marker one space on the Chapter Track, and the next Chapter is ready to begin.

Important: There are no Royal/Chief cards awarded during Chapter III.

The Epilogue

After the end of Chapter III the Epilogue begins. You do not take actions during the Epilogue like you did in the earlier Chapters. Instead, each player finalizes his score. The Epilogue is divided into 4 steps:

Step 1: Convert Resources

Each player, in order of victory points from highest to lowest, may now convert up to five resources. You may convert Hawaiian tokens into Commerce or Aloha resources at a 1 to 1 ratio. You may also convert Commerce and/or Aloha resources into Home Rule at a 1 to 1 ratio.

Example: Hiapo thinks he can win the Governorship, but he needs more votes! First, he converts two of his Hawaiian tokens into Commerce. Then he converts those two Commerce and one Aloha into Home Rule. That's a total of five conversions, so he'll have to hope its enough!

Step 2: Island Representatives

The player who has the most Hawaiian tokens on each island becomes the Representative for that island, and takes the matching Royal/Chief card. If there is a tie for the most Hawaiian tokens, the island is represented by a neutral party and no player takes the matching card.

Step 3: Elect the Governor

Each Royal/Chief card—from King Kamahema I to the last Island Representative—shows a number of Votes in the upper right corner. Add up the Vote value of all Royal/Chief cards you have collected during the game (including any set aside in earlier Chapters) and add the number of Home Rule you have to determine your Vote total.

The player with the most Votes is elected the first Governor of Hawaii and takes the matching Royal/Chief card. If there is a tie for the most votes, the tied player with the most Hawaiian tokens on the board is elected, with Aloha resources followed by Commerce resources being the next tie-breakers. In the unlikely event that there are still tied players, an independent is elected Governor instead and no one takes the Governor card.

Example: At the end of the game, the players have these Royal/Chief cards:

Hiapo: [card names are blank in the source rulebook]
Leilani: [card names are blank in the source rulebook]
Makana: [card names are blank in the source rulebook]
Polunu: [card names are blank in the source rulebook]

On the Home Rule Track, we see that Hiapo also has three Home Rule and Leilani has one Home Rule. So, their total votes are:

Hiapo: 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 3 = 8
Leilani: 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 8
Makana: 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 5
Polunu: 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4

Hiapo and Leilani are tied with 8 votes, so they compare their Hawaiians: Leilani has 26 and Hiapo has 24. Since Leilani has more, she becomes the new Governor!

Step 4: Final Scoring

The player who holds the Governor scores five victory points. Each Island Representative awarded during the Epilogue is worth one victory point. Points are also awarded for majorities of Hawaiian, Commerce, and Aloha resources, as shown on the chart on the back of the rulebook.

Winning the Game

Once the victory points for the Epilogue have been awarded, the player with the most victory points wins the game!

If there is a tie, follow the same tie-breakers as the election of the Governor during the Epilogue.

Victory Point Awards

Victory point chart from the back of the rulebook. Each cell lists points for the place shown; "-" means no points.

Stage	Scoring	2 Players: Most	3 Players: Most	3 Players: 2nd Most	4 Players: Most	4 Players: 2nd Most	4 Players: 3rd Most
Prologue	King	2	2	-	2	-	-
Prologue	Royal Island Chiefs	1	1	-	1	-	-
Prologue	Pure Hawaiian	-	-	-	-	-

Governor Election Voting (reference box):

Each Pure Hawaiian: 1
Each Home Rule (Flags): 1
Each King or Queen: 2
Each Chief / Island Rep Card: 1