- BGG rating
- 7.7
Era of Tribes: 5/6 player Expansion
- 5–6 players
- Complexity 4.0/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,688
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Era of Tribes
2019
Rules assistance for Era of Tribes
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 60–180 min
- 14+
- Complexity 4.1/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Era of Tribes
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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Era of Tribes is a board game released in 2019 for 1–4 players, 60–180 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Arne Lorenz and its main mechanics are Area Movement, Dice Rolling, and Area Majority / Influence.
Expansions
About the game
ESSEN SPIEL 2026: We will be happy to welcome you at our booth in hall 3 3 P400 Era of Tribes is a civilization worker-placement strategy game for 1-4 players from 14 years+, where your goal is to develop, expand, discover, and interact with your fellow players in Europe from the Neolithic period to the High Middle Ages. It combines the best of the two worlds Amithrash and Eurogame; so I call it "Eumerithrash" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Europe at start of Neolithic period. The human population is scattered all over the continent, living in dark and humid caves. You represent the clan chief of a dynasty, and your one goal is to become the ruler of a vast empire. However, realizing this goal will be an arduous journey. Your subordinates will have to faithfully strengthen you, and your armies will have to be more advanced and stronger than those of your enemies. You will have to conquer areas and develop colonies to receive resources and luxury goods. You will have to skillfully maneuver on a political level and use scientific progresses to its maximum value. If you are successful, you will become the supreme ruler of the known world. Objective of the Game: Your objective is to get the most Influence Points (IP) by the end of the game. To reach this goal, you have to develop your empire with the help of your leaders. Take turns placing them in the different boxes of your tribal action board, where they can help you in different and unique ways: The "Expansion" chamber allows you to spread your vassals, found cities, collect luxury goods or resources, and decide conflicts. The "Trade” chamber allows you to increase your wealth by trade. The "Taxes" chamber allows you to levy taxes in your cities. The "Diplomacy" chamber allows you to negotiate with your neighbors, raise your influence with them, and either change the play order or acquire additional leaders. The "Improvement" chamber allows you to discover new improvements that enable you to construct more cities, improve your strength, gain more influence, raise the moral of your population, enhance the effectiveness of your farmers, execute navigation, or improve your trade. The "Bread & Circuses" chamber allows you, in combination with luxury goods, to increase the morale of your people. Finally a "Revolution" allows you to ascend into the next higher epoch if you meet the requirements. The additional rooms "Faith" and "Intelligence" allow direct actions against your opponents and will be available as an addon soon. You gain influence by taking different actions during play, and by Influence Cards which are distributed secretly at start of the game. These cards will be evaluated at the end of the game and will add additional influence if you have fulfilled their conditions. Furthermore, there are some aspects which will give you additional Influence Points after finishing the game. Again, the player with most IPs will win the game. There are several end of game conditions. Amassing wealth, holding many provinces, reaching the ancient times, developing the most advances, conquering an opponents main territories, gaining a certain amount of IP, and meeting your influence marker with your triumphant march. The game is for up to 4 players, with ten different unique tribes you can choose from. It takes about 30 minutes per player in the normal game, and 60 minutes in the long game (higher game end conditions). Black Beacon Games is an indie board game publisher from Germany, dedicated to epic strategy and high-quality design. Its flagship title, Era of Tribes, is a grand civilization game where players lead their people from the Stone Age into history through expansion, diplomacy, culture, and war. With unique tribes, multiple victory paths, and immersive gameplay, Era of Tribes has become a fan-favorite among strategy lovers worldwide.
Questions and answers
Era of Tribes 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 Era of Tribes is 60–180 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 Era of Tribes for ages 14 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.
Era of Tribes has a complexity rating of 4.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a heavy 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.
Era of Tribes belongs to these categories: Wargame, Medieval, and Ancient. Its main mechanics are Area Movement, Dice Rolling, and Area Majority / Influence. 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 Era of Tribes are: Arne Lorenz. 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 Era of Tribes 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.