Original rules

Stone Age: Original rules

Material   1 game board   4 player boards 68 wooden resources 40 wooden people   8 wooden markers 53 food tiles 28 building tiles 18 tool tiles   1 start player figure 36 civilisation cards   7 dice   1 leather dice cup   1 information sheet

1.) Place the game board in the table middle.

2.) Separate the food tiles by value and place in stacks on the hunting grounds.

3.) Place the 20 wood resources in the forest.

4.) Place the 16 brick resources in the clay pit.

5.) Place the 12 stone resources in the quarry.

6.) Place the 10 gold resources in the river.

7.) Separate the tools by and and place them in two stacks in the space next to the tool maker.

8.) Shuffle the civilisation cards and place as a face down stack next to the game board. Draw the top-most 4 cards (based on number of players) and place on the 4 spaces, from right to left.

9.) Shuffle the building tiles and place in 4 face down stacks of 7 buildings each. With 4 players, place all 4 stacks on the game board; with 3 players, place 3 stacks; and with 2 players, place 2 stacks. Return unused stacks to the box. Turn over the top-most building tile on each stack.

10.) Each player chooses a color and one marker of his color on space 0 of the food track (lower left) and one on the scoring track (upper left).	11.) Each player takes 1 player board. On this, he places 5 people in his color and 12 food. The player boards serve as places for game material, game play information and final scoring.	12.) Place the remaining people (5 per color) as a general supply next to the game board. Also place there the 7 dice and the dice cup.
13.) Choose a start player, who takes the start player figure and begin the game.

Play overview

Each age has its special challenges. The Stone Age was shaped by the emergence of agriculture, the processing of useful resources, and by the building of simple huts. Trade begins and grow and civilization takes root and spreads. In addition, traditional abilities like skillful hunting are in demand, in order to be able to nourish the growing population.
The goal of the players is to master all these challenges. There are many ways to do so. So everyone can work to achieve his goal in his own way. Find your own way and learn at the end whether it was the best way.

A game round

Each round is divided into 3 phases, which are executed in the order described:

1. The players place their people on the game board
2. The players use the actions of their placed people
3. The players feed their people

1. The players place their people on the game board

The start player begins and must place 1 or more of his people on one place of his choice. Then the next player in clockwise order follows and must also place 1 or more of his people on one place of his choice. This continues in clockwise order until all players have placed all their people on the game board. The number of rings in a place indicates how many people can be there before it is full. Passing is not permitted, if there are still places available for people. Placing again is not permitted. That is, for example, if red placed 4 people in the forest, he cannot later in the same round place more people in the forest, even if there is still room there.

How many people can be placed at the individual places?

Place	People figures
Tool maker	Here exactly 1 people figure may be placed.
Hut	Here exactly 2 people figures of the same player may be placed.
Field	Here exactly 1 people figure can be placed.
Hunt	This is the only place where no rings are shown. Here each player can place as many people figures as he wants, but only once per round!
Forest clay pit quarry river	In each of these places, up to a total of 7 people figures may be placed.
Civilisation cards	On each card, exactly 1 people figure may be placed. The cards can be filled in any order.
Buildings	On each building, exactly 1 people figure may be placed. The buildings can be filled in any order.

Since the individual places accept different numbers of people figures, it often occurs that one or more players will have no more people figures to place while others still have people figures they can place. If no player can place people figures (because each has already placed all his figures or each has no legal places to place the figures he has), the 2nd phase begins.

2. The players use the actions of their placed people

The start player begins. He uses all his placed people figures. Only then does the next player, in clockwise order, use his people. The order a player chooses to use his people is completely up to him. The player returns people use to his player board as he uses them. In this way, the player has all his people back when he is done.

Which actions can the player use on the individual places?

Place	Actions
Tools maker	Here the player takes 1 new tool. If he has no tools, then he takes a value 1 tool and places it with the number 1 showing on one of the spaces for tool on his player board. Use: Each tool can be used only once per round to roll a die with the hunt or during resource procurement. A tool can be only completely used. Thus, it cannot be split and used later for a different action. A player can add as many of his tools to a dice roll.
Hut	Here the player takes 1 additional people figure of his color from the general supply. He has thereby for all following rounds one more people figure available.
Field	The player returns his people figure to his player board and moves his marker on the food track 1 space upward. Thus, he increases his food production, which he receives at the end of each round.
Hunt	Hunt for food. Here the player rolls dice. The player takes 1 dice for each of his people figures on the hunt and rolls them all together. He adds all the pips on the dice. Then he can add as many of his tools to the total from the roll. For each full 2 of the thrown total, he takes 1 food from the game board.
Forest Clay pit Quarry River	At these 4 places, the players take wood, brick, stone, and gold. The procurement of these resources works in the same way as the hunt, except that the yields are different: Forest for each full 3 the player takes 1 wood from the supply. Clay pit for each full 4 the player takes 1 brick from the supply. Quarry for each full 5 the player takes 1 stone from the supply. River for each full 6 the player takes 1 gold from the supply. The resources are not limited. The players need the resources for the acquisition of civilization cards and for the building of buildings.
Civilisation cards	The player pays the number of resources shown above the card to the supply from his player board and takes the card. Which resources the player pays (from wood, brick, stone, and/or gold) is up to him and what he has: usually it will be wood and/or brick, but he can never use food. If the player cannot or does not want to pay the required resources, he takes back his people figure and leaves the card on the game board. Each player stacks his acquired civilization cards face down on the designated space on his player board.
Buildings	The player pays the resources shown on the building to the supply from his player board and takes the building. Then the player immediately moves his scoring marker on the scoring track by the number of spaces shown on the building. Afterwards, he turns over the next building on this stack. If the player cannot of does not want to pay the required resources, he takes back his people figure and leaves the building on the game board. There are 8 buildings where the player can choose which resources to pay with, but the number is fixed. And there are 3 buildings, where the player can choose both the kind and number of resources to pay with (maximum 7). When a player takes one of these buildings, he must calculate the number of spaces (= points) he moves on the scoring track. The calculation is very simple (and is done by Yucata.de automatically).

The 36 civilisation cards

A player keeps all cards which he acquires on his player board until the end of the game. All cards are divided into two parts. The player takes the item shown on the top immediately when he takes the card. The player scores what is shown on the bottom during final scoring.

Type	Number	Effect
Items for dice	10 cards	When a player acquires the card, he immediately rolls as many dice as there are players in the game. Then he places the dice around the card, matching the numbers. Beginning with the player, who acquired the card, each player selects one die. The player takes the corresponding resource and removes the die. The other players follow in clockwise order until all dice are gone and all players have taken 1 item or added food production. The player may not change the roll with his tools. =          =          =          = =         = pottery   1 hut builder 2 hut builders writing   2 tool makers 1 farmer   2 farmers   time   transport
Food	7 cards	The player immediately takes the amount of food shown on the card from the supply. 7 food pottery   2 food 2 hut builders 4 food 1 hut builder 5 food healing   3 food weaving   1 food weaving   3 food 2 farmers
Resources	5 cards	The player immediately takes the resource shown on the card from the supply. 1 stone 1 farmer 2 stones transport 1 stone 1 shaman 1 gold 1 shaman 1 brick 2 shamen
Resources with dice roll	3 cards	The player immediately rolls 2 dice and takes the resource shown as during resource procurement. He can add unused tools to the roll. ? gold art ? wood 2 shamen ? stones 1 shaman
Points	3 cards	The player immediately moves his marker on the scoring track 3 spaces forward. 3 points 3 hut builders 3 points music   3 points music
New tool	1 card	The player immediately takes 1 tool (exactly as with the tool maker). +1 tool art
Additional food production	2 cards	The player immediately moves his marker on the food track 1 space upward (exactly as with the field). +1 food 1 farmer +1 food time
Additional card, only for the final scoring	1 card	The player takes the top-most civilization card from the face down stack. He looks at it and places it face down with his other civilization cards. He scores this card only in the final scoring. He does not use the upper part at all. +1 card writing
Tools for unique use	3 cards	The player puts the card face up beside his player board. He can add this tool once to a die roll (also, in addition to his other tools). Once used, the tool is used up and the player places the card face down with his other civilization cards on his player board. 4 tools 1 tool maker 3 tools 1 tool maker 2 tools 2 tool makers
2 resources of the player's choice	1 card	The player places the card face up beside his player board. The player can once, immediately or later, take 2 resources of his choice (2 different or 2 same) from the supply. Once the player uses the card to take resources, he places the card face down with his other civilization cards on his player board. 2 resources healing

The 28 building tiles

1 card 10 points 2 wood 1 brick	1 card 11 points 2 wood 1 stone	1 card 11 points 1 wood 2 bricks	1 card 12 points 2 wood 1 gold	1 card 13 points 1 wood 2 stones	1 card 13 points 2 bricks 1 stone	1 card 14 points 2 bricks 1 gold	1 card 14 points 1 brick 2 stones	1 card 16 points 2 stones 1 gold
2 cards 12 points 1 wood 1 brick 1 stone	2 cards 13 points 1 wood 1 brick 1 gold	2 cards 14 points 1 wood 1 stone 1 gold	2 cards 15 points 1 brick 1 stone 1 gold	In the upper row are buildings (1 card)   with given resources from 2 different kinds.   In the middle row are buildings (2 cards)   with given resources from 3 different kinds.   In the lower row are buildings with eligible resources.
1 card ? points exactly 4 resources 1 kind	1 card ? points exactly 4 resources 2 kinds	1 card ? points exactly 4 resources 3 kinds	1 card ? points exactly 4 resources 4 kinds	1 card ? points exactly 5 resources 1 kind	1 card ? points exactly 5 resources 2 kinds	1 card ? points exactly 5 resources 3 kinds	1 card ? points exactly 5 resources 4 kinds	3 cards ? points 1 to 7 resources

The player places the acquired building on one of the spaces for buildings on his player board. If a player acquires more than 5 buildings, he stacks them on these spaces.

3. The players feed their people

When all players have taken all their people figures back to their player board, they must feed their people. Each people figure requires 1 food.

1 people figure = 1 food

First, each player takes food from the supply according to the position of his marker on the food track. Then each player returns 1 food to the supply for each people figure on his player board. If a player does not have sufficient food to feed his people, then: He must place all food that he has back into the supply. Then, he may, if he wants to (and can), pay the remainder in the form of any resources into the supply. Each resource replaces 1 food. Thus, his people are also content as they were able exchange the resources for food. If the player cannot or does not want to do this, he immediately moves his scoring marker backwards 10 points on the scoring track. In such case, the player must return all food he has to the supply!

When all players have fed their people (or not and lost 10 points), the round ends. The start player gives the start player marker to his left neighbor and the next round begins.

New round

Before starting the new round, first move any remaining civilization cards to the right to empty spaces. Next, fill remaining empty spaces with cards from the stack - right to left. Then, the players turn any used tools back to their unused positions and begin the round with the 1st phase.

Game end

The game ends in one of two ways: If there are not enough civilization cards remaining to fill the display at the beginning of the round, the game ends immediately. In this case, no new round is begun. If at least 1 building stack is empty. In this case the current round is played to the end, i.e. the people must still be fed. Then follows the final scoring.

Final scoring and winner!

Each player proceeds as follows: Multiply the different civilisation cards with the green backgrounds by themselves. Duplicate cards build a second set. Those cards will be multiplied by themselves, too. Example: A player has 5 civilization cards with different culture symbols = 25 points (5x5). In addition, he has 1 extra pottery and 1 extra flute + 4 points (2x2) = 29 points

	Civilisation cards with sand-colored backgrounds	Examples and points
	Multiply the number of farmers by the position of the player's marker on the food track.	5 farmers x 7 food production = 35 points
	Multiply the number of tool makers by the value of the player's tools.	3 tool makers x 7 tools = 21 points
	Multiply the number of hut builders by the number of buildings.	7 hut builders x 6 buildings = 42 points
	Multiply the number of shamen by the number of people.	3 shamen x 8 people = 24 points

Each resource that a player has on his player board scores 1 point. Players move their scoring markers to score their points as they tabulate them. The player with the most points is the winner! If players are tied for most, the player among them with highest total of food production, tools and people is the winner!

Tactical notes

Do not neglect the civilization cards! Apart from the immediate gain of resources, food, and so on, they can earn a player many points during final scoring.

Further people figures, increased food production and tools are valuable, since they are available for the rest of the game. In addition, a card, which costs only 1 resource, is always worth the price.

Collect the civilisation cards with the final scoring in mind. A wide selection of cards is usually not as effective as cards which work together. If you plan to add people to your player board, you must also plan increased food production to feed them. If you work this strategy properly, at game end you will have many people and your food marker will be high on the food track. With this strategy, you should also plan to collect civilisation cards with shamen and farmers, from the beginning. You should employ similar guidelines to other strategies.

Do not shrink from blocking other players' access to cheap resources, so that they are forced to buy their cards with more valuable resources.

Choose the order of using your people carefully. If you have, for example a people figure on a civilisation card which gets you a tool, then you should take this card before you use your people figure in the quarry. In this way, you can use the tool, if necessary in the quarry.

Consider blocking a building stack when it has 1 or 2 buildings left. Remember, when a building stack is exhausted, the game ends. If you do not want the game to end soon, then place one of your people figures on the stack with the intent of not acquiring the building. In this way, you can extend the length of the game by a round or two.

Changes for 3 or 2 players

With 3 or 2 players, only 2 of the 3 places: tool maker, hut, and field may be filled in each round. The third place remains empty. Naturally, the empty place can be different in each round. With 3 players: on each of the places: forest, clay pit, quarry and river only 2 players may place people in each round. With 2 players: on each of the places: forest, clay pit, quarry and river only 1 player may place people in each round. All remaining rules remain unchanged.

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