The first settlers of the island called it “Te Pito O Te Henua” (The Navel of The World). Many historians believe that the population of Easter Island grew to more than 10,000 in the 1500s, far exceeding what the small island’s ecosystem could support. Resources became scarce, and the once lush palm forests were cleared away to aid farming and make room for the building of Moai. A thriving and advanced social order began to decline into conflict, bloody civil war, and perhaps even cannibalism. By the mid-19th century, all of the Moai had been torn down, presumably from conflict among the natives, and by 1877 the population had fallen to 110.

The Dutch Admiral Jacob Roggeveen gave the island its familiar name on Easter Sunday in 1722, but today the island, the language, and its people are all referred to locally as Rapa Nui. Due to recent archaeological efforts, Moai have been reconstructed and once again stand on the island’s shores.

The players lead a Rapa Nui clan and must cope with ecological disaster better than anyone else. When Admiral Roggeveen arrives, signaling the game’s end, whoever has the best status—based mostly on the height of your Moai and the number of surviving clan members—wins the game.