Product Description

Come join in the adventure that is the dawn of Humankind! Will your tribe journey far and fast ? Will they surmount the pain dangers of this world ? Will they bring you victory and survival ? Are you ready to play in this newest creation of Master game designer Klaus Teuber Based on the award-winning Settlers of Catan game system, but presenting players with all-new challenges unique to the dangers and opportunities of the Stone Age. The first branches of this family began a journey that spanned thousands of years, eventually leading them to Australia and America. In this exciting game, you will guide the journey of one of these branches. You must struggle to spread your people over the whole world. In order to expand your branch humanity you must develop certain talents: advances in the preparation of food will allow your people to spread faster and wider, while new hunting techniques can protect them from dangers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #69901 in Toys & Games
• Brand: Mayfair
• Model: 4098906
• Released on: 2006-09-08
• Dimensions: 2.75" h x 11.50" w x 11.50" l, 3.00 pounds

Features

• Based on the award-winning Settlers of Catan game system, but presenting players with all-new challenges unique to the dangers and opportunities of the Stone Age
• You must struggle to spread your people over the whole world
• In order to expand your branch humanity you must develop certain talents
• Advances in the preparation of food will allow your people to spread faster and wider, while new hunting techniques can protect them from dangers
• Ages 10 and up

From the Manufacturer
Come join in the adventure that is the dawn of Humankind! Will your tribe journey far and fast? Will they surmount the pain dangers of this world? Will they bring you victory and survival? Are you ready to play in this newest creation of Master game designer Klaus Teuber Based on the award-winning Settlers of Catan game system, but presenting players with all-new challenges unique to the dangers and opportunities of the Stone Age. The cradle of modern humans, called Homo sapiens... by scientists, was located Africa more than 100,000 years ago. The first branches of this family began a journey that spanned thousands of years, eventually leading them to Australia and America. The enormous difficulties of this journey could only be overcome because of Homo sapiens... unique ability to adapt to its environment. Their highly developed brains and their mastery of crafts enabled them master even the harshest conditions. In this exciting game, you will guide the journey of one of these branches. You must struggle to spread your people over the whole world. In order to expand your branch humanity you must develop certain talents: advances in the preparation of food will allow your people to spread faster and wider, while new hunting techniques can protect them from dangers. And your people will need warm clothes to cross the ice deserts of the north and boats to settle in Australia.

Customer Reviews

A nice change from Settlers of Catan
I'm a big fan of the "Settlers" board games, and I have played almost all of them. I didn't like Starfarers of Catan, because I thought it was too "gimicky" with that plastic rocket and all that. Settlers of the Stone Age is like a cross between Catan and Starfarers. The rules are a little more complicated, and there are more pieces, but it's not overwhelming.

There is one difference in particular that's worth mentioning. In Catan, it's not unusual for one player to dominate the board, receiving more resources per turn than anyone else, making it harder and harder to beat him as the game progresses. That is because in Catan, the player's empire always grows. Not so in Stone Age. A player can only have five camps (the equivalent of settlements in Catan), and there are no cities. If a player wants to build a sixth camp, he must remove one of his other camps first. This encourages players to keep moving, rather than to keep growing. I think that's a nice complement to Settlers of Catan.

There are three drawbacks to this game. First, setting up the board takes longer, because there are more pieces. Second, there is less variety in the board because the terrain layout is fixed. And third, although it was possible to have only two players in Catan, you really need at least three for Stone Age. With only two players, the game isn't balanced, and one player usually beats the other by a wide margin. If you're looking for a two-player Settlers game, get the Settler of Catan Card Game.

I can't wait to play again!
My 18-year-old daughter gave this to me for my birthday, knowing how much I love board games. Her friend's family recommended it. It didn't look like the type of game I usually play, though, so I thought I might not like it. But I gave it a try anyway. I played it with my daughter and with my 14-year-old son, and we all LOVED it!!! It's quite different from other board games, and it's been fun figuring out different strategies. It's a little bit similar to Risk, but with much more strategy, thinking, and interaction involved.

The three of us couldn't wait to play again the next morning! The 2nd time we played it, my 9-year-old son joined us, and he enjoyed it as well. He needed a few hints and tips from the rest of us during the first part of the game, just until he got the hang of it. Then he was fine scheming along with the rest of us.

This game is long - it took us about 2 to 3 hours each time we played. However, not once did anyone complain that it was boring. No one announced after half an hour that they didn't want to play anymore. I think this says a lot!

You have to be careful not to jostle the table or the board too much, as much of each player's progress is marked by the many pieces that are simply sitting at different positions on the board. If there could be any improvement made to this game, it would be for the manufacturer to build in little indentations in the board in order to hold the pieces in place a bit better.

Overall, I recommend this game highly!!! I can't wait to play again!

Great fun for those who love out-strategizing others!
Get together friends and family for an evening of fun-loving competition. It is so fun to try a new strategy each game. See how many you can out-fox this round! I totally recommend this game for those who love strategy board games. This game does take time and mental energy to play.