The Settlers of the Stone Age
The Settlers of the Stone Age Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Material
- 1 game board
- 1 punch-board with 4 overview tiles
- 1 punch-board with 10 deserts, 18 event chips, 32 people chips, and 2 disruption figures
- 80 raw material cards
- 10 special cards
- 8 "Nomad" playing pieces
- 20 "Tribe" playing pieces
- 16 marker stones
- 2 dice, 2 stands
- 1 rulebook
Brief Game Overview
Each player owns three tribes in Africa at the start of the game. A tribe always borders at least one landscape. Depending on the roll of the dice and the landscape, players receive the raw materials meat, flint, hide, and bone over the course of the game. Raw materials allow us to split nomads off from our tribes, to wander further with them along the paths, and to create new tribes at suitable crossings. Every new tribe brings us a victory point. We also receive victory points when our tribes become more advanced, or when we advance our nomads into hostile territory. Whoever reaches 10 victory points first wins.
Game Setup
We lay out the game board and see a world map, made up of hexagonal landscapes.
The edges of the landscapes form the paths, the corners are crossings. There are 4 different landscapes: Highlands, Steppe, Mountains, and Forest.
Each landscape bears a number. When one of these numbers is rolled during the game with 2 dice, the corresponding landscape produces raw materials:
- Highlands produce Meat
- Steppe produces Bone
- Mountains produce Flint
- Forest produces Hide
A progress track is shown on each side of the board.
Each player receives an overview tile. On it, you can read which raw materials must be paid for the development and advancement of humanity. It also describes the benefits of each individual progress track.
Each player chooses a color and receives, in this color:
- 2 Nomads,
- 5 Tribes, and
- 4 Marker Stones.
The starting layout is shown in the illustration: each player founds three tribes on the black crossings of Africa, and places one nomad next to one of the tribes. Important: When playing with three players, leave aside the pieces of one color!
Note: Experienced players should place their first three tribes according to the "Starting Layout for Advanced Players" described at the end of the rules.
Each player places one of their marker stones on the "0" space of each of the 4 progress tracks.
The raw material cards are sorted and placed as separate face-up stacks — "Hide," "Flint," "Meat," and "Bone" — next to the game board.
Each player receives one raw material card "Hide" and one raw material card "Bone." Raw material cards are held face down in hand.
The 32 people chips are placed on the matching-colored crossings of the board.
Attention: When playing with three players, only 5 chips per people are placed, on the crossings marked with a triangle (▲) of the matching color.
The 18 event chips are turned to the side showing the roman numeral. They are shuffled around a bit so that no one knows anymore which symbol is on the back.
Once "mixed" this way, they are placed on the dashed spaces with the corresponding roman numerals.
The disruption figures "Neanderthal" and "Predator" are placed on the land fields next to the Eurasia–America land bridge, as shown below.
The matching victory-point card "Art" is placed on the 5th step of each progress track.
The double victory-point cards "Exploration" and "Spread," as well as the 4 victory-point cards "Adaptation," are placed ready next to the board.
The hexagonal desert fields and the two dice are also placed ready next to the game board.
Course of Play
The youngest player begins. When it is a player's turn, their turn is divided into the following actions, which must be carried out in this order:
- Roll for raw materials for all players
- Trade
- Development and moving nomads
After that, the next player in clockwise order takes their turn.
1. Roll for raw materials for all players
When it is a player's turn, they first roll both dice. Every player takes, for each tribe bordering a landscape with the rolled number, the raw material of that landscape from the corresponding supply stack.
Example: Player "Blue" is on turn and rolls a "5". Player "White," Player "Red," and Player "Orange" each receive a raw material card Meat. Player "Blue" gets nothing.
2. Trade
Once all players have taken their raw materials, the player whose turn it is may trade raw materials with all other players. They may state which raw materials they need and which they are offering in exchange. Naturally, several raw materials may also be requested or offered. Important: trading may only ever take place with the player whose turn it is.
Example: Tom needs one "Meat." He has "Hide" in hand. So he offers a "Hide" and would like a "Meat" in return. Sabine needs "Hide" and offers a "Meat" for it. The trade takes place. Sabine gives Tom the card "Meat" and receives the card "Hide" in return.
Bank trade: if a player owns 3 raw material cards of one kind, they may exchange these for any raw material with the "bank" — that is, they place the 3 cards on the matching supply stack and take any other raw material card of their choice.
3. Development and moving nomads
Each player tries to spread their tribes as successfully as possible across the Earth. For this they have the following development options available:
a) Create a nomad b) Move a nomad c) Convert a nomad into a tribe d) Develop a progress
a) Create a nomad
Whoever wants to create a nomad gives back one "Hide" and one "Meat" (placing them on the supply stack) and places the nomad on a free crossing next to one of their tribes. Important: there are no raw material yields for nomads when the number of an adjacent landscape is rolled.
b) Move a nomad
Moving a nomad costs 1 "Meat." If a player pays one Meat, they may move one of their nomads up to 2 crossings.
For every progress in the Food area (see "Develop a progress"), a nomad may additionally be moved one crossing further.
If a player pays 2 or more "Meat," they may move a nomad correspondingly further in one turn, or move both nomads (if a second one is in play).
Example: Player "Red" places a nomad next to one of their tribes, pays 2x Meat, and moves the nomad 4 spaces across the orange-colored figures.
The following rules apply to movement:
- A nomad may be moved across own or foreign nomads or tribes, but must always end its move on a free crossing.
- A nomad may change direction as often as it likes during its move.
c) Convert a nomad into a tribe
If a player has moved one of their nomads to a crossing with a people chip, they may convert it into a tribe. This conversion costs one "Hide," one "Bone," and one "Flint."
The player:
- takes the nomad back into their supply,
- places the people chip (a victory point!) in front of themselves, and
- places one of their own tribes on the crossing.
From now on, the player also receives raw materials for this tribe when the matching numbers of neighboring landscapes are rolled.
Important: a nomad may only ever be converted into a tribe on a crossing where a people chip lies!
If all 5 of a player's tribes are already on the board and they want to create another tribe, they must remove one of their tribes from Africa. If they no longer have a tribe in Africa, they remove any tribe of their choice.
d) Develop a progress
There are the 4 progress tracks "Food," "Hunting & Combat," "Construction," and "Clothing." Whoever wants to develop a progress in one of these areas pays the raw material(s) indicated on the overview tile and advances their marker stone one step. They now gain the benefit described on the overview tile for this step.
Example: As shown on the overview tile, Player "Orange" pays one Bone and advances their marker stone on the Food progress track to the 2nd step.
"Clothing" and "Construction" Developing these areas is necessary so that nomads may be moved across paths with condition boxes (see the section "The Condition Boxes").
Food Every progress step in this area allows a nomad to be moved one crossing further in exchange for giving up one Meat.
Hunting & Combat A progress in this area brings no permanent benefit. With each progress, the player once moves the Neanderthal in Africa or Eurasia, or the Predator in America or Australia. See the rules under "Other Rules."
Important: the 5th step of each progress track is unique! The player who first reaches the 5th step of a track receives the victory-point card displayed there. All other players may no longer advance their marker stone to this 5th step.
Other Rules
Neanderthal and Predator
Neanderthal and Predator are disruption figures. They block whichever landscape field they stand on. A blocked landscape no longer produces raw materials when its number is rolled. Disruption figures are moved between any landscapes over the course of the game.
There is one restriction: the Neanderthal may only be placed on landscapes of Africa and Eurasia, and the Predator only on landscapes of America and Australia.
Rolling a "7"
If a player rolls a "7," there is no raw material income. Rolling a "7" has the following effects:
- Every player who owns more than 7 raw material cards selects half of their raw material cards and discards them — back onto the matching supply stacks. With an odd number, round up beforehand.
- Whoever rolled the "7" moves the Neanderthal (not the Predator) to a different landscape field of Eurasia or Africa. Furthermore, they may draw a raw material card from the face-down hand of a player who has a tribe standing on that landscape field.
Afterward, the player may trade and develop as normal.
The Condition Boxes
As modern man spread across the Earth, he pushed into the ice deserts of the north and reached Australia and the islands of the Pacific with fragile boats. This naturally required a certain progress.
On the game board, some paths are marked with a condition box and an adjacent event chip. The light-colored, left-hand number stands for the "Clothing" progress; the black, right-hand number stands for the "Construction" progress. A player may only move a nomad across a condition box once they have developed the required progress steps. The first player who fulfills the condition of a box and moves onto the crossing beyond the box with a nomad receives the adjacent event chip.
Example: Hans has developed the second progress steps of both the "Clothing" and "Construction" areas. He gives up one "Meat" and moves his nomad 3 crossings. Since he was the first to move across the box marked "2/1," he takes the associated event chip.
The Event Chips
When a player receives an event chip, they immediately turn it face up. There are 3 kinds of event chips: Disruption Figure, Desertification, and Adaptation.
1. Disruption Figure Whoever turns up this chip immediately moves the Neanderthal to a landscape field in Eurasia/Africa, or the Predator in America/Australia. Furthermore, they draw a raw material card from a fellow player who has a tribe standing on that landscape field.
2. Desertification The player places a desert on a landscape shown on the chip. Important: only landscapes of Africa (next to black crossings) may be covered with deserts. Landscapes with deserts produce no more raw materials for the rest of the game.
3. Adaptation In his new habitats, man could only survive if he managed to adapt to the respective climatic conditions.
Whoever uncovers a chip with a colored dot immediately receives the "Adaptation" card in that color. They place the card in front of themselves. It counts as one victory point.
The Double Victory-Point Cards
1. Exploration
When a player has carried out the event of an event chip, they place it face down in front of themselves. Whoever is first to have brought 2 event chips into their possession receives the "Exploration" card. But: if another player has more event chips, this card must be handed over to them immediately.
2. Spread
This card is received by the player who is first to own at least one people chip from every people. The player keeps this card until the end of the game.
Also, the second player who manages to own at least one people chip from every people receives one victory point: they may take any free (unoccupied) people chip from the board and place it in front of themselves.
End of the Game
The game ends as soon as a player, on their turn, has at least 10 victory points.
Example: Wolfgang owns 7 people chips (7 victory points) and the "Spread" card (2 victory points). It is his turn, and he is the first player to move his marker stone to the 5th step of the Food progress track. With this he receives the Art victory-point card "Venus" and wins the game with 10 victory points.
Starting Layout for Advanced Players
In 3 setup rounds, players place their 3 tribes in Africa.
- Whoever rolls highest begins and places one of their tribes on a black crossing. Then the other players follow in clockwise order and likewise place one tribe on a black crossing.
- Now the player who was last to take a turn starts and places their second tribe. Then the other players follow in counter-clockwise order and each place their second tribe on a black crossing.
- Once the last player has placed their second tribe, they may immediately place their third tribe as well, and the other players follow, now again in clockwise order.
At the start of the game, players own no scout.
Credits
© 2002
Author: Klaus Teuber (www.klausteuber.de) Graphics: Fine Tuning / Michaela Schelk Illustrations: Tanja Donner
KOSMOS Verlag Postfach 10 60 11, D-70049 Stuttgart Web: www.diesiedlervoncatan.de, www.kosmos.de E-mail: [email protected]
This game was created in close collaboration with the magazine Stern (Verlag Gruner + Jahr, Hamburg).
English edition published by Mayfair Games, Inc. as "The Settlers of the Stone Age," part of the "Catan Histories" series, in cooperation with Kosmos Verlag (Stuttgart).