
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,877
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Mesos
- 2–5 players
- 20–50 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2024

2019
Rules assistance for Cro-Magnon: First Steps of Civilization
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Cro-Magnon: First Steps of Civilization is a board game released in 2019 for 1–4 players, 40–90 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Artem Belousov and its main mechanics are Set Collection and Open Drafting.
Cro-Magnon is a card game which'll put you in a position of a prehistoric human tribal chief. Your tribe will need to develop new technologies, gather valuable resources and build new tools. Go to battle with your neighbors — or cooperate and hunt together. Strive for great achievements and become the first major human settlement on the whole planet. During the game players perform actions to obtain resource cards, which are then used to develop new technologies. Technologies unlock new, more productive actions and grant victory points to their owners. The player with the most victory points wins the game.
Cro-Magnon: First Steps of Civilization supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Cro-Magnon: First Steps of Civilization is 40–90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Cro-Magnon: First Steps of Civilization for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Cro-Magnon: First Steps of Civilization has a complexity rating of 1.9 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Cro-Magnon: First Steps of Civilization belongs to these categories: Card Game, Prehistoric, and Civilization. Its main mechanics are Set Collection and Open Drafting. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Cro-Magnon: First Steps of Civilization are: Artem Belousov. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Cro-Magnon: First Steps of Civilization as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.