Java (board game)

German Games Award 2001: No. 9 Dutch Games Award 2001: Nominated Games Magazine 2002: Best Advanced Strategy Game

Java is a board game by Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer, which was published in 2000 by Ravensburger. An English translation was published by Rio Grande Games.

Theme of the game is the colonization of the island of Java by Javanese rulers. The game board is printed with a landscape view of Central Java, on playing cards and game instructions to find good shots of the culture of Java. A major component of the game is to create rice terraces following the example of Javanese culture. As the game points can be collected through the creation and development of villages and the alignment of the palace feasts.

Java is the second game of the mask trilogy. The predecessor is Tikal, the successor Mexica. The game combines the mask as well as the cover artwork of Franz Vohwinkel. In addition, all start with an empty Schedule fills up during the game and the players have in each a certain number of action points (Ap).

Gameplay

Through the three-dimensional gameplay is required of each player much spatial awareness. In each round must be placed on the hexagonal playfield eingeteiltem multiple terrain boards. By lining up and stacking of these platelets arise rice terraces and villages. The latter, it is by building and expansion of a Palace to conquer. In this case, the player earns points, the game pieces are on the highest terrain board.

In order to earn more points, a player can host a palace feast at the end of a round. These fixed points must be invested by delivery by hand cards. A final way to score points get is the creation of irrigation on rice terraces.