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==Overview==
== Goal ==


Gain the most Victory Points by the end of the game.  
You are the leader of a tribe during the Stone Age and must decide where to allocate your members to gather resources, build huts, and grow your civilization. While you advance, don't forget to keep your tribe fed or you will lose points.


There are two ways to gain points:
==Gameplay==


* Acquiring buildings during the game for either a fixed or variable amount
Each player starts with 5 people and 12 food.
* Acquiring Civilization cards during the game that give extra points at the end of the game


== Rules summary ==
Each round has 3 phases.


Each round is divided into 3 phases, which are executed in the order described:
==== Phase 1: Place Workers ====
* The players take turns placing their people on the game board.
* The players use the actions of their placed people all at once in turn order.
* The players feed their people.


== Phase 1: ==
In turn order, each player assigns one or more workers to a place. Each place (except for the Hunting Grounds) has a set capacity. Only one tribe can occupy a place at a time. And if your tribe occupies the space, you cannot add more people from your tribe later.
===Place People on the Board===


In turn order, one area at a time, players place one or more of their people in the different areas of the board. Each "ring" in each area of the board can only be occupied by one person. The exception to this rule is the hunting ground which can be occupied by as many people of any color every turn.
'''<u>Variations Based on Number of Players</u>'''


====Special Considerations When Playing With Fewer Than 4 Players====
'''''Two Players'''''


When playing with '''2 or 3 players''': Of the non-resource areas (Tool Maker, Hut and Field) only two may be occupied per turn. The third place remains empty until the next round.  
Only 2 out of 3 places in the village (''Tool Maker (tools)'', ''Hut (gain worker)'', and ''Field (increase food production)'') may be occupied per turn.  


With '''3 players''': Of the resource areas (Forest, Clay Pit, Quarry and River) only 2 players may place people in each round, even if there are additional spaces for additional people.
Only 1 player may place people in any of the resource areas (''Forest'' (wood), ''Clay Pit'' (brick), ''Quarry'' (stone), and ''River'' (gold)).


With '''2 players''': Of the resource areas (Forest, Clay Pit, Quarry and River) only 1 player may place people in each round, even if there are additional spaces for additional people.
'''''Three Players'''''


All remaining rules remain unchanged when playing with fewer than 4 players.
Only 2 out of 3 places in the village (''Tool Maker (tools)'', ''Hut (gain worker)'', and ''Field (increase food production)'') may be occupied per turn (like a two-player game).


== Phase 2: ==
Only 2 player may place people in any of the resource areas (''Forest'' (wood), ''Clay Pit'' (brick), ''Quarry'' (stone), and ''River'' (gold)).
===Use the Actions of Your Placed People===


In turn order each player uses all of their placed people in any order. During this phase, the following actions may be used:
==== Phase 2: Remove People and Gain Resources====


* '''Hunting Grounds (Food), Forest (Wood), Clay Pit (Brick), Quarry (Stone), and River (Gold)''': Roll 1 dice per person placed and acquire resources according to the number rolled (1 Food for each full 2 on Hunting Grounds, 1 Wood for each full 3 on Forest, 1 Brick for each full 4 on Clay Pit, 1 Stone for each full 5 on Quarry, 1 Gold for each full 6 on River).
In turn order, each player removes their people from each place and gains/pays for the benefits of that place.  


* '''Field''': Placing a person in the Field increases your Agriculture Level. Each turn during the Feeding Phase, your Agriculture Level is subtracted from the amount of people you have. A higher agriculture level allows you to more easily sustain your population. You may have a maximum agriculture level of 10.
The following formula determines the number of resources received: For each worker placed, a die is rolled. The total of all dice is divided by the resource's "value" (the rarer the resource, the higher the number). The resulting whole number (remainder ignored) is the total resources received.


* '''Tool Maker''': Placing a person on the Tool Maker adds one new Tool to your player board. You only have 3 tools on your player board, and each subsequent person placed on the Tool Maker upgrades one of your tools to the next level. You have a maximum of 3 level 4 tools.
'''<u>Places</u>'''


* '''Hut''': Place two People on the Hut to gain an extra Person to place (and feed) for the rest of the game. You may have a maximum of 10 people.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:auto;" border="2"
!| Name || Resource || Capacity || Description
|-
| '''Hunting Grounds''' || Food || -- || Roll dice equal to # of workers placed. Dice total ÷ '''2''' = # of food received
|-
| '''Forest''' || Wood || 7 || Roll dice equal to # of workers placed. Dice total ÷ '''3''' = # of wood received
|-
| '''Clay Pit''' || Brick || 7|| Roll dice equal to # of workers placed. Dice total ÷ '''4''' = # of bricks received
|-
| '''Quarry''' || Stone || 7 || Roll dice equal to # of workers placed. Dice total ÷ '''5''' = # of stones received
|-
| '''River''' || Gold || 7 || Roll dice equal to # of workers placed. Dice total ÷ '''6''' = # of gold bars received
|-
| '''Tool maker''' ||Tool || 1 || Gain a tool. Each player can only have 3 tools, but each can be upgraded (up to 3 times) by placing a worker here.
|-
| '''Hut''' ||+1 Worker || 2 || Gain 1 worker. ''Exactly'' 2 people must be placed here. Max of 10 workers.
|-
| '''Field''' ||+1 food production || 1 || Increase your food production by 1.
|-
| '''Buildings''' ||Buy buildings || 7 || Buy buildings with resources. Buildings are worth VP.
|-
| '''Civilization''' || Civilization card || 1 || Pay the # of resources based on its slot to gain its immediate effect and scoring benefits.  
|}


* '''Building Card''': Buy the building with the resources shown on the Building Card, scoring the point value shown in the top-left corner (A question mark in the top-left corner is explained below).
'''<u>Tools</u>'''


* '''Civilization Card''': Buy the card with a number of resources (of any kind) depending on its position in the Civilization Card Track (1 to 4 resources depicted above the card). The immediate effect of the card is applied when purchase. The bottom half of Civilization Card is used for scoring at the end of the game.
Tools are used to increase the number of resources gained. By using the tool, its value (1-4) is added to the dice total. Each tool can only be used once per turn. The whole value of the tool must be used (i.e. you cannot add less than 4 to a total when using a level 4 tool). Some Civilization cards grant "single-use" tools. These are lost after use and don't count for scoring.


===Resources===
'''<u>Buildings</u>'''


Hunting Grounds, Forest, Clay Pit, Quarry, and River:
Pay the cost to gain the Building and receive the points listed in the top-left corner. If this number is a ?, points are equal to the total value of the resources used to acquire this building.
Roll 1 dice per Person placed in that area and take the corresponding resources:


* 1 Food for each full 2 on Hunting Grounds,
{| class="wikitable" style="width:auto;" border="2"
* 1 Wood for each full 3 on Forest,
!| Resource || Value
* 1 Brick for each full 4 on Clay Pit,
|-
* 1 Stone for each full 5 on Quarry,
| '''Wood''' || 3
* 1 Gold for each full 6 on River.
|-
| '''Brick''' || 4
|-
| '''Stone''' || 5
|-
| '''Gold''' || 6
|}


You may use tools to increase the dice result and take more resources.  Each of your tool must be used all at once, and can be used once per turn.  Some cards give you single-use tools which are lost after they are used, and don't count for final scoring.
'''<u>Civilization Cards</u>'''


===Buildings===
Each card has an ''immediate effect'' (usually granting a resource) and a ''scoring multiplier''. See '''End Game''' for how Civilization Cards are scored.


Pay the building cost to get the Building and receive the Point Value listed in the top-left corner of the card.
==== Phase 3: Feed People====


''If the building cost is Not Fixed'': If there is a question mark in the corner of the card, you win points for each of the resources used to acquire this building. The values of each resource correspond to the numbers it requires when people are placed on them:
To feed your people, you must be able to discard enough food equal to # of workers minus food production number. If you have less food than this, you may substitute any resource. If you still don't have enough for your workers, you lose all food and are given a -10 point penalty.
* Each Wood is worth 3 Points,
* Each Brick is worth 4 Points,
* Each Stone is worth 5 Points,
* Each Gold is worth 6 Points.


===Civilization Card Details===
====Ending the Round====


Each Civilization Card acquired brings an immediate advantage (depicted on the top half of the card) and some multiplier for final scoring (depicted on the bottom half of the card).
All Civilization Cards are moved to the right and new cards are put in the empty spaces. The next player becomes the starting player and a new round begins.  


Place the mouse cursor on each card to see details in the tooltip.
==Game End==


Note that at the list of your acquired civilization cards you will see only the bottom half of each card, for the top half is no longer relevant.
The game ends when either:


== Phase 3: ==
<ul class="bulletlist" style="margin:1em 0;padding-inline-start:40px;">
===Feed Your People===
  <li>One stack of buildings is empty when a round ends. (The number of building stacks is equal to the number of players).</li>
  <li>There are insufficient Civilization Cards to fill each slot when a round begins.</li>
</ul>


Each Agriculture Level automatically counts as 1 Food during this phase.
====Scoring====


You must provide 1 Food per Person.
Civilization Cards with a '''green''' lower background are culture cards. They have 1 of 8 different symbols. At the end of the game, score is determined by the number of different symbols collected squared, plus extra cards. (e.g., a player has 1 card with a tablet, 1 card with pottery, 2 cards with a sundial, and 3 cards with a loom. The player scores 16 for the different symbols (4 x 4) plus 3 for the 1 extra pottery cards and 2 extra loom cards, making a total of 19.)


In the event that you don't have enough food, you may use any resource to feed your people.
Civilization Cards with a '''sand''' background are specialized workers: farmers, tool makers, hut builders, and shamans. These are scored as follows:


If you don't manage (or choose not) to feed your people by the means above, you lose all of your food and 10 points as a penalty.
<ul class="bulletlist" style="margin:1em 0;padding-inline-start:40px;">
  <li># of cards with ''farmers'' x food production number</li>
  <li># of cards with ''tool makers'' x total value of tools</li>
  <li># of cards with ''hut builders'' x # of buildings</li>
  <li># of cards with ''shamans'' x workers</li>
</ul>


===Game End===
The total from Civilization Cards is added to the VP printed on your buildings, plus 1 point for each remaining resource.


The game ends when either:
== Variants ==
====Harsh Winter====
 
<ul class="bulletlist" style="margin:1em 0;padding-inline-start:40px;">
  <li>Certain buildings allow you to spend an extra stone to score 5 points.</li>
  <li>You can spend an extra gold when purchasing a Civilization Card to score 6 points.</li>
</ul>


* One Building Stack is empty at the end of a round, or
====Wild Animals====
* There are insufficient Civilization cards to fill the 4 spots at the beginning of a round.


<ul class="bulletlist" style="margin:1em 0;padding-inline-start:40px;">
  <li>Four "wild animal" cards are shuffled into the Civilization Cards.
  <ul class="bulletlist" style="padding-inline-start:40px;">
    <li>When revealed, wild animals subtract 1, 2, or 3 from all dice rolls.</li>
    <li>Players must collectively place X people on the card to drive it off, where X = number of players.</li>
    <li>After driving off a wild animal, each player rolls 1 die per person placed on it and receives the rewards.</li>
  </ul></li>
</ul>


The final number of points for each player is decided by the conditions below:
====Igloos====


* Points earned during the game by acquiring Buildings or Civilization, minus Food Penalties,
<ul class="bulletlist" style="margin:1em 0;padding-inline-start:40px;">
* Multipliers denoted at the bottom halves of Civilization Cards collected,
  <li>Spend 3 resources of the same type to buy an igloo, which awards points like a building but does not count for the end-game building bonus.
* Each Resource that a Player has leftover on their Player Board Scores 1 Point.
</ul>


== Variants ==
====The New Huts====
===Harsh Winter===
* Spend an extra stone when building certain buildings to score 5 points.
* Spend an extra gold when purchasing cards to score 6 points.


===Wild Animals===
<ul class="bulletlist" style="margin:1em 0;padding-inline-start:40px;">
* Four animal cards are shuffled into the civilization deck. When revealed, animals stay in play until driven off, subtracting 1, 2, or 3 from all dice rolls.  
  <li>Adds new buildings that grant fewer points when built but grant a bonus, such as gaining a resource each round or +1 worker/tool/food production). These do count for the end-game building bonus.
* Players must collectively place a total of X people on the card to drive it off (X = number of players).  
</ul>
* After driving off a wild animal, each player rolls 1 dice per person placed on it and receive the rewards.


===Igloos===
====Mammoth Herd====
* Spend 3 resources of the same type to buy an igloo, which awards points like a building but does not count for the end-game building bonus.


===The New Huts===
<ul class="bulletlist" style="margin:1em 0;padding-inline-start:40px;">
* Adds new buildings that grant fewer points when built in exchange for a bonus (gain a wood/brick/stone each round, or +1 worker/tool/agriculture level). These do count for the end-game building bonus.
  <li>At the beginning of each round, a mammoth appears on the place shown by the top-most bonus tile.
  <li>Players who place people there can spend 1 food or resource per person to try to tame the mammoth.
  <li>Each player who places people to tame the mammoth rolls 1 die per person.
  <li>The player with the highest single die is the "mammoth tamer". The mammoth tamer can choose to take the "1" or "all" bonus, as shown on the back of the bonus tile.
  <li>The other players who rolled are "challengers". Challengers take the "all" bonus.
  <li>At the end of the game, the player with the most mammoth tiles scores 10 points.
</ul>


===Mammoth Herd===
====The Expansion====
* At the beginning of each round, a mammoth appears on the resource shown by the top-most bonus tile.
* Players who place their people there can also spend 1 food or resource per person to tame the mammoth.
* Each player who place people to tame the mammoth roll 1 dice per person.
* The player with the highest single dice is the mammoth tamer. Others are challengers.
* The mammoth tamer can choose to take the 1 or all bonus. Others take the all bonus.
* At the end of the game, the player with the most mammoth tile scores 10 points.


===The Expansion===
<ul class="bulletlist" style="margin:1em 0;padding-inline-start:40px;">
* A new location is available on the board: Merchant. 2 people are needed to use this place. When using, increase the merchant level by 2 and gain 2 jewelry.
  <li>'''New Good:''' Jewelry
* Once per round, for buying a card or a building, players can trade resources or jewelry to receive one or two resources or jewelry, depending on their levels. However, a player cannot trade if they are on space 0.
  <ul class="bulletlist" style="padding-inline-start:40px;">
* The rules for Hunting Grounds has changed: for each full 2, 1 food or 1 jewelry can be taken.
    <li>1 tooth = 1 jewelry, 1 ring = 3 jewelry</li>
* There is a new space for civilization cards: 3 jewelry is needed to buy a card on that space. After that, 3 extra jewelry can be spent to buy the topmost face down civilization card without applying its immediate effect.
    <li>Jewelry does not count as a resource or food</li>
* Jewelry is not a resource, therefore it can not be used to feed people and is worth nothing at the end of the game.
    <li>A player can trade resources '''or''' jewelry for buildings and Civilization Cards
* When there are only 4 people, only 3 non-resource places are available each round. When there are only 2-3, 2 are available.
    <li>Jewelry is acquired at the Hunting Grounds and has the same value as food. You ''can'' gain a combination of food and jewelry
* Trade is not allowed for buying an igloo.
  </ul>
* The extra stone and extra gold of the Harsh Winter variant can not be obtained with a trade.
  <li>'''New Place:''' Merchant
  <ul class="bulletlist" style="padding-inline-start:40px;">
    <li>Like the hut, this place requires exactly 2 people and is worth no points at the end of the game.</li>
    <li>When this place is used, you gain 2 jewelry and your merchant level increases by 2. This represents the player's ability to trade.</li>
    <li>The merchant exists in the village. In a 4-player game, only 3 of the 4 places can be visited. Rules for the 2-3 player game remain the same (only 2 village spaces can be visited per round).
  </ul>
  <li>'''New Mechanic:''' Trading
  <ul class="bulletlist" style="padding-inline-start:40px;">
    <li>A player can trade resources/jewelry once per round, regardless of whether they put any workers on the merchant
    <li>A player can only trade in order to buy a Civilization Card or a building (except for an igloo)
    <li>If also playing with the ''Harsh Winter'' variant, the extra stone/gold cannot be obtained with a trade
    <li>The ratio of goods traded depends on your merchant level.  
    <li>A player cannot trade if their merchant level is 0. (Meaning the merchant must be visited at least once before any trading can occur.)
  </ul>
  <li>'''New Civilization Card slot'''
  <ul class="bulletlist" style="padding-inline-start:40px;">
    <li>There is now a fifth slot for Civilization Cards. Cards here cost 3 jewelry.  
    <li>A player can spend 3 more jewelry to buy the topmost face-down Civilization Card without applying its immediate effect.</li>
  </ul>

Latest revision as of 21:26, 13 February 2026

Overview

You are the leader of a tribe during the Stone Age and must decide where to allocate your members to gather resources, build huts, and grow your civilization. While you advance, don't forget to keep your tribe fed or you will lose points.

Gameplay

Each player starts with 5 people and 12 food.

Each round has 3 phases.

Phase 1: Place Workers

In turn order, each player assigns one or more workers to a place. Each place (except for the Hunting Grounds) has a set capacity. Only one tribe can occupy a place at a time. And if your tribe occupies the space, you cannot add more people from your tribe later.

Variations Based on Number of Players

Two Players

Only 2 out of 3 places in the village (Tool Maker (tools), Hut (gain worker), and Field (increase food production)) may be occupied per turn.

Only 1 player may place people in any of the resource areas (Forest (wood), Clay Pit (brick), Quarry (stone), and River (gold)).

Three Players

Only 2 out of 3 places in the village (Tool Maker (tools), Hut (gain worker), and Field (increase food production)) may be occupied per turn (like a two-player game).

Only 2 player may place people in any of the resource areas (Forest (wood), Clay Pit (brick), Quarry (stone), and River (gold)).

Phase 2: Remove People and Gain Resources

In turn order, each player removes their people from each place and gains/pays for the benefits of that place.

The following formula determines the number of resources received: For each worker placed, a die is rolled. The total of all dice is divided by the resource's "value" (the rarer the resource, the higher the number). The resulting whole number (remainder ignored) is the total resources received.

Places

Name Resource Capacity Description
Hunting Grounds Food -- Roll dice equal to # of workers placed. Dice total ÷ 2 = # of food received
Forest Wood 7 Roll dice equal to # of workers placed. Dice total ÷ 3 = # of wood received
Clay Pit Brick 7 Roll dice equal to # of workers placed. Dice total ÷ 4 = # of bricks received
Quarry Stone 7 Roll dice equal to # of workers placed. Dice total ÷ 5 = # of stones received
River Gold 7 Roll dice equal to # of workers placed. Dice total ÷ 6 = # of gold bars received
Tool maker Tool 1 Gain a tool. Each player can only have 3 tools, but each can be upgraded (up to 3 times) by placing a worker here.
Hut +1 Worker 2 Gain 1 worker. Exactly 2 people must be placed here. Max of 10 workers.
Field +1 food production 1 Increase your food production by 1.
Buildings Buy buildings 7 Buy buildings with resources. Buildings are worth VP.
Civilization Civilization card 1 Pay the # of resources based on its slot to gain its immediate effect and scoring benefits.

Tools

Tools are used to increase the number of resources gained. By using the tool, its value (1-4) is added to the dice total. Each tool can only be used once per turn. The whole value of the tool must be used (i.e. you cannot add less than 4 to a total when using a level 4 tool). Some Civilization cards grant "single-use" tools. These are lost after use and don't count for scoring.

Buildings

Pay the cost to gain the Building and receive the points listed in the top-left corner. If this number is a ?, points are equal to the total value of the resources used to acquire this building.

Resource Value
Wood 3
Brick 4
Stone 5
Gold 6

Civilization Cards

Each card has an immediate effect (usually granting a resource) and a scoring multiplier. See End Game for how Civilization Cards are scored.

Phase 3: Feed People

To feed your people, you must be able to discard enough food equal to # of workers minus food production number. If you have less food than this, you may substitute any resource. If you still don't have enough for your workers, you lose all food and are given a -10 point penalty.

Ending the Round

All Civilization Cards are moved to the right and new cards are put in the empty spaces. The next player becomes the starting player and a new round begins.

Game End

The game ends when either:

  • One stack of buildings is empty when a round ends. (The number of building stacks is equal to the number of players).
  • There are insufficient Civilization Cards to fill each slot when a round begins.

Scoring

Civilization Cards with a green lower background are culture cards. They have 1 of 8 different symbols. At the end of the game, score is determined by the number of different symbols collected squared, plus extra cards. (e.g., a player has 1 card with a tablet, 1 card with pottery, 2 cards with a sundial, and 3 cards with a loom. The player scores 16 for the different symbols (4 x 4) plus 3 for the 1 extra pottery cards and 2 extra loom cards, making a total of 19.)

Civilization Cards with a sand background are specialized workers: farmers, tool makers, hut builders, and shamans. These are scored as follows:

  • # of cards with farmers x food production number
  • # of cards with tool makers x total value of tools
  • # of cards with hut builders x # of buildings
  • # of cards with shamans x workers

The total from Civilization Cards is added to the VP printed on your buildings, plus 1 point for each remaining resource.

Variants

Harsh Winter

  • Certain buildings allow you to spend an extra stone to score 5 points.
  • You can spend an extra gold when purchasing a Civilization Card to score 6 points.

Wild Animals

  • Four "wild animal" cards are shuffled into the Civilization Cards.
    • When revealed, wild animals subtract 1, 2, or 3 from all dice rolls.
    • Players must collectively place X people on the card to drive it off, where X = number of players.
    • After driving off a wild animal, each player rolls 1 die per person placed on it and receives the rewards.

Igloos

  • Spend 3 resources of the same type to buy an igloo, which awards points like a building but does not count for the end-game building bonus.

The New Huts

  • Adds new buildings that grant fewer points when built but grant a bonus, such as gaining a resource each round or +1 worker/tool/food production). These do count for the end-game building bonus.

Mammoth Herd

  • At the beginning of each round, a mammoth appears on the place shown by the top-most bonus tile.
  • Players who place people there can spend 1 food or resource per person to try to tame the mammoth.
  • Each player who places people to tame the mammoth rolls 1 die per person.
  • The player with the highest single die is the "mammoth tamer". The mammoth tamer can choose to take the "1" or "all" bonus, as shown on the back of the bonus tile.
  • The other players who rolled are "challengers". Challengers take the "all" bonus.
  • At the end of the game, the player with the most mammoth tiles scores 10 points.

The Expansion

  • New Good: Jewelry
    • 1 tooth = 1 jewelry, 1 ring = 3 jewelry
    • Jewelry does not count as a resource or food
    • A player can trade resources or jewelry for buildings and Civilization Cards
    • Jewelry is acquired at the Hunting Grounds and has the same value as food. You can gain a combination of food and jewelry
  • New Place: Merchant
    • Like the hut, this place requires exactly 2 people and is worth no points at the end of the game.
    • When this place is used, you gain 2 jewelry and your merchant level increases by 2. This represents the player's ability to trade.
    • The merchant exists in the village. In a 4-player game, only 3 of the 4 places can be visited. Rules for the 2-3 player game remain the same (only 2 village spaces can be visited per round).
  • New Mechanic: Trading
    • A player can trade resources/jewelry once per round, regardless of whether they put any workers on the merchant
    • A player can only trade in order to buy a Civilization Card or a building (except for an igloo)
    • If also playing with the Harsh Winter variant, the extra stone/gold cannot be obtained with a trade
    • The ratio of goods traded depends on your merchant level.
    • A player cannot trade if their merchant level is 0. (Meaning the merchant must be visited at least once before any trading can occur.)
  • New Civilization Card slot
    • There is now a fifth slot for Civilization Cards. Cards here cost 3 jewelry.
    • A player can spend 3 more jewelry to buy the topmost face-down Civilization Card without applying its immediate effect.