Prehistories Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Set Up
• Goal of the Game
• Game Turn
• The Hunt
• Place Your Tiles in the Cave
• Objectives
• Permanent Board Objectives
• Objective Cards
• End Game
• Credits

Components

• 5 sets of 12 Hunter cards (strength from 1 to 6)
• 5 player aid cards
• 25 size 1 Animal tiles
• 25 size 2 Animal tiles
• 10 size 3 Animal tiles
• 10 size 4 Animal tiles
• 5 Legendary Animal tiles
• 5 3D caves
• 40 Totem tokens (8 tokens per player)
• 1 double-sided board (2/3 players - 4/5 players)
• 9 double-sided Objective Cards (Sun / Moon)
• 1 sheet of transparent stickers

Note: Each cave has spots for 3 self-sticking tiles of its color: 2 Totemic Animal tiles and 1 Hunter Painting tile. Before your first game, place the stickers onto the tiles then onto their corresponding spot, following the colors and the illustrations.

Set Up

1. Each player takes a cave, 12 Hunter cards and 8 Totem tokens of one color, and a player aid card.
2. Each player shuffles their Hunter cards and creates a stack next to their cave. Then, they draw 3 cards as their starting hand, which they can look at, without showing them to the other players.
3. Place the Board at the center of the table, on the corresponding side (2/3 players or 4/5 players).
4. Stack the Animal tiles by size. For each Hunting Zone, draw one tile of the corresponding size and place it on the zone.
5. Objective cards are picked at random (4 cards for 2/3 players and 5 cards for 4/5 players) and placed around the board, using the sun or moon side. For your first game, use the cards on their sun side. Then, feel free to mix sun and moon sides.

Goal of the Game

The players are, in prehistoric times, nomadic tribes that go hunting and come back to their cave to paint and celebrate their achievements. The tribe whose Shaman will paint these achievements while respecting the wishes of the Elders will be celebrated as the most culturally advanced tribe. In order to do that, you must be the first tribe to discard your 8 Totem tokens by placing them on the Objectives (cards and board), representing the wishes of the Elders.

Game Turn

At the beginning of each turn, place an Animal tile of the corresponding size on each Hunting Zone without one. If there are no more Animal tiles of a specific size, the Hunters have depleted this hunting zone and there will not be any tile on this hunting zone until the end of the game.

Then, everyone plays simultaneously to determine who is going to hunt first: it is the Initiative phase. Each player picks in their hands of cards as many cards as they want to play, and plays them face down in front of them. When everyone is ready, you all reveal your chosen cards at the same time.

Note: players can decide not to play any cards during a turn.

During the prehistorical times, the smaller hunters were usually the fastest. So, the player with the smallest hunting value wins the Initiative. The Hunting value is calculated by adding all the numbers of the chosen cards for each player. In case of a tie, the players compare the speed of their fastest individual hunter. The player with the fastest hunter then gets the initiative.

Example: 2 players have a hunting value of 5. The white player's fastest hunter has a speed value of 17 while the green player's fastest hunter has a speed of 54. The green player is the faster one and gets the Initiative.

Note: Hunters with a hunting value of 1 are always faster than Hunters with a hunting value of 2, which in turn are always faster than Hunters with a value of 3, and so on.

The Hunt

Following the Initiative order, collect, one after the other, one or more Animal tiles with your chosen Hunter cards.

On the board, next to each Animal tile, are 2 hunting values. The green arrow indicates a successful hunt without getting any wound. The orange arrow indicates a successful hunt but with a wound.

To collect these tiles, assign one or more Hunters to one or more hunting zones, as long as their combined value reaches at least the hunting value with a wound of the zone.

• If the total value of the Hunters is equal to the hunting value with a wound of a zone, the tribe will collect the tile but will have a wounded hunter in that Hunting zone.
• If the total value is equal or higher than the hunting value without a wound, the tribe will collect the tile and will not have any wounded hunter in that Hunting zone.

Note: you can decide not to assign any hunter to any hunting zone. These Hunter cards come back to your hand. They can be played again during the next turn.

Example: The yellow player plays their 3 cards and has a hunting value of 12. They decide to divide their hunters into 2 groups. A first group with a hunting value of 4 will collect a size 1 fish tile. It has a value higher than the hunt with a wound, so this group collects the tile without getting a wound. The 2nd group is composed of 2 hunters for a hunting value of 8, with the 3 and 5 cards. It collects the size 3 mammoth tile. It can do that because its value is at least equal to the hunting value with a wound. But as it doesn't reach the "without wound" level, the player collects the mammoth tile and will get a wound at the end of their turn.

Once the tiles are collected, you discard all of your used hunters and take back in your hand the other ones: create a discard pile next to your stack of Hunter cards, by placing them face up.

Then, draw a number of cards from your Hunter stack, depending on your wounds and your collected tiles.

• Draw 3 cards if you did not get any Animal tile.
• Draw 2 cards if you collected one or more Animal tile, without getting wounded.
• Draw 1 card if you got one wound.
• Do not draw any card if you got two or more wounds.

Note: a player can get zero Animal tile if they have chosen not to play any card, or if, after having played cards, they decide not to assign any card to any hunting zone, or if there is nothing left to hunt (the tiles having been collected before their turn). A player can get several wounds in one turn if they send multiple groups of hunters with a strength that only reaches the "hunting value with a wound" each time.

Finally, paint your achievements by placing your animal tiles in your cave (see below).

If you must draw Hunter cards but your stack is empty, shuffle your discard pile and create a new stack of Hunter cards.

Reminder: At the beginning of the next turn (and only then), new Animal tiles are placed on the corresponding hunting zones.

Place Your Tiles in the Cave

Painting a cave with Animal tiles allows you to discard Totem tokens and get closer to victory. Place the Animal tiles you collected during the turn in your cave, following these rules:

• Shamans do not enjoy abstract art so the animals on the tiles must be correctly oriented (legs down).
• Tiles are double-sided. You can check them before choosing your Hunters. You place them on whichever side you want.
• The first tile must be placed, at least in part, on the first column from the left.
• All the other tiles must be adjacent to an already placed tile, by at least one side, or to the Hunter and Totemic Animal paintings of your cave if they are connected by at least one tile to the rest.
• Tiles cannot stick out of the cave.
• Tiles cannot cover other tiles, including the Hunter and Totemic Animal paintings.
• Painted hands on the wall of the cave represent traces of former tribes in the cave. When you place a tile on a painted spot with one or two hands, you draw one or two cards accordingly from your Hunter stack, in addition to the cards drawn after the hunt (your tribe claims the cave for itself even more).
• If you cannot place an Animal tile collected during the turn, you must immediately discard it.

Example: A player has decided to place first their 4 Wild Boars. They can then place either their 2 Mammoths horizontally or their lone buffalo or their lone Mammoth, since they are adjacent to an already placed tile (or a pre-existing painting). They could not place a Legendary Animal (square of 4) there because it isn't connected to another tile. They cannot place their 3 Fishes in that way because even though they touch another tile, they are not properly oriented. Turning this fish tile in the proper way and placing it adjacent to the Hunter painting will allow the player to draw one more card by covering up the painted hand.

If you fulfill the request of the Elders mentioned on an Objective (card or board) while painting your cave, you can place the number of Totem tokens indicated on the completed objective. During the validation phase of the objectives, the order of the Initiative is respected: the winner of the initiative places their Totem tokens first.

Objectives

For each game, there are some permanent Objectives already present on the board and several Objective Cards (4 for 2/3 players and 5 for 4/5 players), different from game to game.

Note: your Totemic Animal paintings can be used for the Objectives because they are animals. Your Hunter painting can be used for certain objectives: of course it is not an animal but it is a painting that can be used to connect others. The painted hands are not yours so they cannot be used for the Objectives.

Permanent Board Objectives

These objectives are used in every game. Each time you fulfill one of these Objectives, you can place a Totem token next to it, on the board. You can repeat these objectives as many times as you want, placing one Totem token each time.

The Objective is to paint all over the cave: for each complete line or for each complete column, players can place on the board one Totem token. A complete line / column means having painted on all its length, be it with Animal tiles or pre-existing paintings (Totemic Animal or Hunter).

Moreover, for each Legendary Animal being hunted and placed in your cave, you can place one Totem token on the board.

Note: Legendary Animals all count as different animals for the objectives. When placing a "Legendary Animal" tile allows a player to fulfill both a permanent objective and an Objective card, the player can place Totem tokens both on the board and on the corresponding card.

Objective Cards

There are 9 double-sided Objective cards.

These Objectives all work in the same way: the 1st player to fulfill the Objective can place the maximum number of Totem tokens indicated in the lower left corner of the card. All the other players fulfilling the objective at a later time (even in the same turn) will only place the minimum number indicated in the lower right corner. Contrary to the Permanent Objectives, these Objectives can't be fulfilled multiple times.

The 9 Objective cards are:

• Paint a column with 5 different animal types (Legendary and Totemic animals included). There is no order and there can be the same type of animal twice (but counts only as one). Animals can be separated from one another.
• Paint 5 size 1 Animal tiles, whatever the animal used. Animals can be separated from one another.
• Paint the higher corner on the left and the lower corner on the right and connect them by using tiles. Different types of animals can be used, as well as the Hunter and the Totemic Animal paintings. All tiles must be adjacent by at least one side.
• Completely surround a Legendary Animal tile. The side of the cave, the pre-existing paintings (Totemic animal and Hunter) and any Animal tile (including another Legendary Animal tile) can be used. The same type of animal can be used multiple times.
• Paint a group of 8 identical animals, no matter how many animal tiles are used. All tiles must be adjacent by at least one side. Two Legendary Animal tiles do not fulfill this Objective.
• Completely surround the Hunter painting with 8 animals (Legendary included). The same type of animal can be used multiple times.
• Paint 5 animals of the same type on a single column. Legendary Animal tiles cannot be used for this objective. Animals can be separated from one another.
• Paint a square block of 9 spaces (3 by 3) at the center of the cave. The square can be painted with different animals. The Hunter painting already present does count for the completion of this square block.
• Connect the two Totemic Animal paintings. Different types of animals can be used, as well as the Hunter painting. All tiles must be adjacent by at least one side.
• Collect 3 Animal tiles from the board in the same turn.
• Paint 2 Legendary Tiles next to each other. The two tiles must have a whole side in common.
• Paint the back of the cave (the column on the right) with any type of animals (Legendary included). The whole column must be painted.
• Paint all four corners of the Cave.
• Completely surround both Totemic Animal paintings. Any Animal tile (Legendary tiles included) can be used. The same type of animal can be used multiple times.
• Paint a group of 10 identical animals, no matter how many Animal tiles are used. All tiles must be adjacent by at least one side.
• Paint 5 animals of the same type on a single line. Legendary Animal Tiles cannot be used for this Objective. Animals can be separated from one another.
• Paint a line with 5 different animal types (Legendary and Totemic animals included). There is no order and there can be the same type of animal twice (but counts only as one). Animal can be separated from one another.
• Paint on each side of the Hunter painting with different animal types.

End Game

The first player to place all of their Totem tokens wins the game. The game ends immediately, without finishing the turn. There can be no tie as the Initiative determines the order of play for the players.

Credits

A game by Alex Emerit and Benoit Turpin. Artwork by Camille Chaussy. Art Direction by Igor Poulouchine. Packaging by Origames. Publishing by The Flying Games, 24 rue Sibuet 75012 Paris.