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The Ultimate Guide to Playing the Board Game Stone Age

Stone Age is a board game that simulates the resource-gathering race of prehistoric tribes. Players compete to gather the most resources and develop their civilization. The game captures the essence of this bygone era as players strategize and adapt to the challenges of survival. With well-crafted mechanics and immersive gameplay, Stone Age offers an engaging experience, transporting players back to a time of primitive technology and resourcefulness. The player with the most points, earned through resource collection and clever gameplay, emerges victorious.

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16 July, 2024

Board games have always been a fun pastime, but have you heard of Stone Age? This unique board game takes you back to the Stone Age, offering a fun and immersive experience. Join Bach Hoa XANH as we explore the ins and outs of this captivating game, perfect for family game nights and get-togethers with friends.

1. Introduction to the Stone Age Board Game

Stone Age is a captivating board game designed by Michael Tummelhofer and published by Hans im Gluck in 2008. The game immerses players in the Stone Age, tasking them with managing a tribe, gathering resources, and building a powerful village.

Inspired by the lives of our prehistoric ancestors, Stone Age challenges players to strategize and plan their moves to collect the most food and resources. While skill plays a significant role, a bit of luck is also needed to emerge victorious in this game!

For more insights: Detailed Guide to Stone Age Board Game

Introduction to Stone Age Board Game

2. Quick 5-Minute Guide to Stone Age Board Game Rules

Components of the Stone Age Board Game

The Stone Age board game includes the following components:

1 large game board
4 player boards
58 wooden resources
40 Meeple (prehistoric people)
8 seals in 2 sizes
53 food pieces
28 building cards
18 tool cards
1 chief figure (tribe leader)
36 civilization cards
7 dice
1 dice cup
1 instruction manual

For detailed instructions: Comprehensive Guide to Stone Age Board Game

Components of the Stone Age Board Game

Winning Conditions for Stone Age

A game of Stone Age ends when there are not enough Civilization cards left to fill the spaces at the start of a new round, or when one of the stacks of Building tiles has been depleted.

If there are insufficient Civilization cards to fill the spaces, the game ends immediately. If a stack of Building tiles is empty, the current round is completed, including feeding the Meeple, and then the game ends, proceeding to the scoring phase.

At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins. Scoring is based on the following criteria:

Cards
Current points
Remaining resources

Stone Age Board Game Rules

3. How to Play the Stone Age Board Game

Setting Up the Game

Step 1 Place the large game board in the center of the table.

Placing the Stone Age Game Board

Step 2 Arrange the food pieces in clusters according to their values in the hunting area. Then, place 20 wood pieces in the forest, 16 clay pieces on the clay mound, 12 stone pieces in the stone mine, and 10 gold pieces in the river.

Placing Food and Resource Pieces

Step 3 Separate the tools into two piles according to their values (½ and ¾) and place them next to the tool workshop.

Separating the Tools

Step 4 Shuffle the building cards and place them face down next to the board. Draw the top four cards (based on the number of players) and place them in the four empty spaces from right to left.

Step 5 Shuffle the civilization cards and place them face down next to the board. Similarly, draw the top four cards (based on the number of players) and place them in the four empty spaces from right to left.

Shuffling and Placing the Cards

Step 6 Each player chooses a color and places a seal of the same color on the ‘0’ space on the food track (small) and the scoring track (large).

Step 7 Each player takes a player board. They then place 5 coins of their chosen color and 12 food pieces on their player board (this is where resources are kept, and it also provides game information and tracks points).

Step 8 Keep the remaining Meeple (5 of each color) next to the large game board, along with the dice cup and 7 dice. These will be used as reserves.

Different Areas and Points for Resources in Stone Age

Step 9 Choose the first player and give them the chief figure to indicate the start of the game.

Setting Up Stone Age

Starting the Game

Each round of Stone Age consists of three phases: placing Meeple on the game board, using the actions of the placed Meeple, and feeding the Meeple.

Phase 1: Placing Meeple on the Game Board

In this phase, players take turns placing their Meeple on different areas of the board. Each region has a specified number of circles, indicating the maximum number of Meeple allowed in that location. The phase ends when all players have placed their Meeple on the board.

Note that during a round, players can only place their Meeple in a location once. For example, if Yellow has already placed 4 Meeple in the forest, they cannot place any more Meeple there during that round.

Areas in Stone Age and Maximum Meeple Allowed

Areas in Stone Age and Maximum Meeple Allowed

Tool Workshop (1 Meeple): Provides additional dice for resource gathering.
Hut (2 Meeple): A reproduction hut that increases the workforce.
Farm (1 Meeple): Reduces the amount of food needed to feed Meeple at the end of a round.
Hunting Area (No Limit): Provides food through hunting, independent of agriculture.
Resource Areas (Forest, Clay Mound, Stone Mine, River – Maximum of 7 Meeple/Area): Used for constructing buildings, purchasing cards, and paying food based on the number of Meeple and the level of agriculture.

Types of Cards in Stone Age

Civilization Cards: Each card can accommodate only one Meeple. Occupying these cards is not dependent on a specific order.
Building Tiles or Construction Cards: Each card can accommodate only one Meeple. Occupying these cards is not dependent on a specific order.

Types of Cards in Stone Age

Once all the Meeple have been placed on the board or there are no more spaces available, proceed to the next phase.

Phase 2: Using the Actions of the Placed Meeple

In this phase, players will activate the actions associated with the Meeple they wish to move, and the Meeple will return to the player. This phase starts with the first player (holding the chief figure) and continues with the other players in a clockwise direction. This process is repeated until all the Meeple on the board have been retrieved.

Actions in Different Areas

Tool Workshop: Each player will take a Tool tile with the number 1 and place it face up on their personal information board. Tool tiles can be upgraded as follows:

From the 2nd to 3rd Tool tile, the player pays a Tool tile with a value of 1.
From the 4th to 6th Tool tile, the player exchanges a Tool tile with a value of 1 for one with a value of 2.
From the 7th Tool tile onwards, the player exchanges a Tool tile with a value of 2 for one with a value of 3.
From the 10th Tool tile onwards, the player exchanges a Tool tile with a value of 3 for one with a value of 4.

During a round, each Tool tile can only be used once. Tool tiles are used when rolling dice to gather resources, and after use, they should be rotated 90 degrees to indicate that they have been utilized.

Hut: This is a reproduction hut that generates additional workforce. If Yellow places 2 Meeple in the hut, they will retrieve 3 Meeple and place them all on their player board.
Farm: When a Meeple is placed here and moved to the food track, crop production increases, and more food is received at the end of each round.
Hunting Area: The amount of food obtained through agriculture is insufficient to feed the tribe, so additional food must be obtained from the hunting area. Players roll the dice corresponding to the number of Meeple in this area. The amount of food obtained is calculated using the following formula:
Number of Food = Total Dice Roll / 2 (rounded down)
Resource Areas: These areas are used to collect Wood, Clay, Stone, or Gold. The formula for calculating the number of resources collected is similar to that for food, but the total dice roll is divided by different numbers:
Forest: Divide by 3
Clay Mound: Divide by 4
Stone Mine: Divide by 5
River: Divide by 6

It is important to note that the total dice roll must be greater than or equal to the divisor; otherwise, no resources will be obtained.

Actions in Different Areas

Obtaining Civilization and Building Cards

To obtain Civilization cards, players must use the resources they have gathered, exchanging them according to the values specified on the cards. The resources used will then be returned to their original locations. If a player does not want or cannot make an exchange, they can retrieve their placed Meeple and leave the card in its place. Once obtained, Civilization cards are placed face down on the player’s personal board.

For Building cards, players exchange resources for a house. Similarly, the resources used are returned to their original locations, and the scoring marker is moved up (based on the values specified on the Building card). The next Building card is then revealed.

Among the Building cards, eight allow players to choose the type of resource to exchange, but not the quantity. Three cards allow players to choose both the quantity (up to 7) and the type of resource to exchange. Points are calculated as follows:
Number of Points = Resource Value / Number of Resources (Exchanged)

Scoring for Different Types of Houses

Scoring for Different Types of Houses