From the publisher’s rulebook

Who goes first in Boonlake?

In multiplayer, whoever most recently traveled to a place with fewer than 100 inhabitants goes first.

Rule details

Give that player the starting player token and 6 coins. The next player clockwise receives 7 coins; the third and fourth players, if present, receive 8 each.

The token holder takes the first turn, then turns continue clockwise. Each turn chooses an action, advances a ship, and updates the action strips.

Solo play is different: the Wise Eminence receives the starting player token and acts first; the human starts with 7 coins.

If there’s a tie

The cited starting-player instruction does not specify a tie-break. We don’t infer one.

Source & edition

Boonlake — Capstone Games rulesCapstone Games · Setup step 13; Course of the Game; Solo Game; credits · Checked 2026-09-23

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