Chuckhazard
United States
Arkansas
I'm FREEeeee..ee..e..e...
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Every time I play this game, I hop on the geek to see if I can increase my rating. I can't, I've rated it 10 and that's the max. I tried to give it an 11, but apparently that's N/A. Needless to say, I think you should own and play this game. If you want to know more, read on.
Components:
I'm a visual gamer, it's true, and attractive components will really enhance a game for me. Consider the temples, huts, and villages. The towers are by far my favorite component, but they all look good, and have a nice shiny finish. The tiles are attractive, and substantially thick (Taluva tiles on the left). They're satisfying to hold and roll over in your hand as you contemplate placement. Each tile has a volcano hex, along with two other terrain hexes: lagoon, sand, grass, jungle, rock.
Concept:
I wouldn't normally comment on "concept" in a review, except in the case of Taluva it is so essential to my enjoyment of the game. Volcanic islands*, grow in two ways: upward as the volcano continues to spew lava, and outward as the tectonic plate (with island) shifts above the volcanic hotspot.
Brilliantly, this is exactly how tile placement works. You place a level 1 tile anywhere adjacent to the island, but each tile on a higher level must be placed with the volcano hex directly on top of a lower volcano hex. In this way the upward growth of the volcano is maintained. This results in beautiful, organic islands being formed, driven only by the game mechanics.
*Certain types of volcanic islands anyway, also I am not a geologist.
Rules:
Although the rules are simple, it did take one or two plays to to isolate all the details. Does a temple or tower count towards the size of a settlement? (It does. See the FAQ for more details.) However once I established the rules they were easy to convey to others. The turn summary is as follows:
1) Draw and place an island tile.
2) Build a building.
Draw and place an island tile: At first I wondered "where is my hand of tiles that I may select from?" but I quickly realized there was no need for that variety. It would over-complicate play, and it seldom matters which tile you have drawn. The volcano hex governs the majority of the game. The orientation of the volcano can block other players or control expansion of the island upwards. You'll want to do all those things. The island needs to expand outwards to build villages, and create a base for upward growth. Upward growth is required to place towers. And everyone will constantly be destroying villages (never towers or temples) to do so, sometimes their own.
Build a building: This is not an optional step. If you can't build a structure on your turn, you are eliminated from the game. Normally I dislike games with player-ejecting mechanics, but here it works. You need to expand quickly to build temples and towers faster than your opponents... but not too quickly, lest you force yourself out of the game. Oh and did I mention the early win condition? If you use up all of two types of building, you auto win.
There are three types of building in Taluva: villages, temples, and towers. Villages can go on any level 1 hex, temples must be adjacent to a 3+ hex settlement, and towers must be adjacent to a 1+ hex settlement, but must be placed on level 3+. There is a fourth building mechanic called expansion, which allows you to place multiple villages in a turn. However, when you expand onto a level 2 hex you must place 2 villages. expand onto a level 3 hex? 3 villages. Expansion actions will burn through your villages very quickly.
Winning
The game ends when all tiles have been exhausted. There is also the early win condition, use all of two types of building. The more players, the less likely this is to happen.
The base win condition is whoever has the most temples, then the most towers, then the most villages. This is sensible, and in most cases directly reflects the difficulty in building those structures. Temples require spreading out, a dangerous proposition when every turn your village may get squashed by a volcano. Towers can be built more quickly, but require ground work, and villages of course can spread wildly.
Gameplay
Tile placement is considerably more complex than it appears at first. You are expanding outward, as well as upward, and constantly trying to find a tile rotation that will prevent your opponent from dropping a volcano on you, while creating a foundation that you can build on in future turns. Rotated the right way, you can create a safe zone. Rotated the wrong way you endanger your villages, or worse block your own tile placements in later turns.
The villages meanwhile, are ticking away like tiny tiki timers. If you expand, you can reach 3+ hexes faster, and place a temple. On the other hand, running out of villages is dangerous. Towers and temples can't be destroyed by volcanoes, so you'll try to erect those in defensive locations, but with only one of each per settlement, you'll be forced to split your own settlement or start a new one somewhere else.
Conclusion
I can't recommend this game enough. The first night I brought it out for our gaming group it was late, well past quitting time, and everyone was tired. I insisted that it was quick and brilliant, and I really wanted everyone to see it. Everyone quickly agreed that this game was truly excellent, and that sentiment has been reconfirmed every time Taluva hits the table.
Components *
Gameplay:
Overall:
*I almost gave this 4.5 stars due to a few of my village pieces being 'truncated', however this is a miniscule issue, although I am seeking a few replacement parts to make this perfect game perfect.
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Andy Andersen
United States
Newark
Delaware
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If only it were available to buy.
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Chuckhazard
United States
Arkansas
I'm FREEeeee..ee..e..e...
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Orangemoose wrote: If only it were available to buy.
Too true. Ebay is vacant and the BGG marketplace prices are, well, princely. Your best bet is probably to find it in trade, which is where I got my copy.
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Mike Toner
United States
New York
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I hope for a sexified reprint soon! That way, everyone who hasn't already can get on the amazing train that is Taluva, and also I can be an uber taluva snob and own two copies! Heh...
Seriously though, I have played this game FAR more times than any other game in anybody's collection. Carcassonne lured me into gaming, Taluva hooked me hard.
BEST GAME EVER!
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Andy Andersen
United States
Newark
Delaware
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I wrote Jay at Rio Grande Games a couple of months ago about a reprint and he said he was considering it. I keep hoping.
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Geoffrey Ulman
United States
Herndon
Virginia
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I'll second that! Taluva is great (both gameplay-wise and aesthetically). I love strategically clever games and I love games which have neat modular bits that come together into a interesting final product.
(I love Shipyard for the same reason)
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Sandor Juhasz
Hungary
Debrecen
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I can only second your oppinion about this masterpiece. I was very fortunate that I found it in my FLGS a few months ago and it was even offered with 25% discount! Since then it regularly hits our gaming table as a 2-player game.
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Douglas Glisson
Canada
Alberta
www.scottsigler.com/gfl
I'm gonna keep signing my posts so just let it go already.
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Great game. I think. Haven't got it to the table yet. I found it at the Sentry Box like 2 weeks ago. I love the Sentry Box for that reason (and many others) 13,000 sq ft of sales floor and gaming area means they have a lot of stuff! I was flamed for suggesting them on the geek when someone was seeking recommendations for a game store in Canada complaining that they are too high priced. Well, I'll pay $5 more a title and keep the gaming Mecca in Calgary going and in return I can fin the odd rare title waiting for me on the shelf when I arrive. (I also have to drive 2 hours to get there.)
Kraken Fan #69
(not affiliated with http://www.sentrybox.com in any way other than being a fanboy.)
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Dan Conley
United States
Enon
Ohio
My pic. of the statue in Boston honoring Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Mass. Regiment. The movie "Glory" is a must-see!
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Man, this is one great-looking game! And I'm totally new to it as of reading this review.
 Looking into ordering from the store in Canada, but shipping to U.S. is $15. Just might wait for that reprint... 
Thanks for the review!
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We're all in this together
United States
Research Triangle Park
North Carolina
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Don't be fooled into thinking it's like other games: it's truly unique. It gets more interesting the more you play it, too.
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Jonathan Cox
El Cerrito
California
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This is one of my favorite games, and has been for years. Most of my gaming friends are "ok" with playing it, but don't understand my zeal. I freaking LOVE this game, and its a shame its so hard to get out on the table these days.
Didn't know it was getting rare, i've been bouncing around ideas of buying a second copy and playing MEGATALUVA games with double everything. Maybe that will have to wait for the reprint 
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Brandon Pennington
United States
Springfield
Missouri
If your orange juice doesn't burn on the way down, then you need more vodka!
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This is a good game and one of the few euro's I will gladly play. Quick and easy to teach and a very beautiful game. I had no idea it was OOP.
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Björn Hansson
Sweden
Jakobsberg
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Great review of a great game.
I'm very happy with my two(!) copies of the game. 
Double Taluva, double the fun.
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Mike Toner
United States
New York
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Aetheros wrote: Don't be fooled into thinking it's like other games: it's truly unique. It gets more interesting the more you play it, too.
This is so true. The more I play it, the more I want to play it. We have got the 2 player / 10 minute game down to an art form.
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Mike Toner
United States
New York
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HappyHexagon wrote: i've been bouncing around ideas of buying a second copy and playing MEGATALUVA games with double everything. Maybe that will have to wait for the reprint
I have always wanted to do this! Such a great idea. With two players though, we usually cut the number of tiles used in half. This puts a lot more pressure on things.
Also, I have long been toying with the idea of implanting tiny magnets into the game tiles so that everything 'clicks' together nice and sexy like.
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Jeremy Scranton
United States
Oak Brook
Illinois
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Good review for a great game! I hadn't realized it was out of print either, but this is definitely a favorite for me and my wife.
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Andy Andersen
United States
Newark
Delaware
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Took the plunge and ordered one from Craving For A Game today. Can't see this game being reprinted for a long, long time.
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rick nichols
United States
San Antonio
Texas
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Nice review. It is a truly beautiful game. It fills a niche for an abstract/imperfect information that plays out in 20-30 minutes.
I can't believe it's already out of print.
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J Chav
United States
West Valley City
Utah
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Now I think I regret passing this game up in a trade, not knowing anything about it.
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Mark Sautman
United States
Evans
Georgia
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It took me a while to get past the name and unpromising cover artwork, but once I bought this it also quickly became one of my favorite games. At first it is easy to focus just on your moves, but once you start focusing on both your advancement as well as blocking your opponents, it really shines. Just don't play this with people who get upset too easily when you bury their huts with a volcano.
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tom moughan
United States
Rochester
New York
ahh....I love the smell of a stack of sketchily placed animals in the morning!
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Yes, this can be cranked up to 15.
I personally am not surprised Taluva is oop.
Personal observation: Looking at the posted collections of prominent BGG users and designers, this game is not only in the collection but rated an 8 or better.
As Greenmeeple mentioned above, we have easily played this game hundreds of times from completely wrong to eventually correct (we messed up scoring for a bit and also expanding settlement rules) Even then, this game has stood the test of time.
It's a brain burning abstract with a short playing time that has simple rules (so simple we...yea well), attractive components, and fresh gameplay each time it hits the table.
If you do not own this, you should.
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Andy Andersen
United States
Newark
Delaware
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I ordered and received a copy from Craving For A Game in Canada. Full price plus $15 shipping but it was well worth it. I have had this game on my radar for a long time now and decided to find a copy. Only played it twice but my wife and I are beginning to see the potential. This one will be around for a long time.
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tom moughan
United States
Rochester
New York
ahh....I love the smell of a stack of sketchily placed animals in the morning!
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Orangemoose wrote: I ordered and received a copy from Craving For A Game in Canada. Full price plus $15 shipping but it was well worth it. I have had this game on my radar for a long time now and decided to find a copy. Only played it twice but my wife and I are beginning to see the potential. This one will be around for a long time.
score! worth every penny in the long run.
Do yourself a favor and when you play 2 player, randomly use only 1/2 of the tiles to keep both ending conditions intact. Enjoy!
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Andy Andersen
United States
Newark
Delaware
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Thanks for the suggestion
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