- BGG rating
- 7.0
Paleolithic: Dawn of Humanity
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #17,496
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Paleolithic
2018
Rules assistance for Paleolithic
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 40–60 min
- 7+
- Complexity 1.5/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Paleolithic
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Paleolithic is a board game released in 2018 for 2–4 players, 40–60 minutes per game, and ages 7 and up. It was designed by Chih-Fan Chen and Chi Wei Lin and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Worker Placement.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Paleolithic: Seafarers
- 2–4 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2018
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,074
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Ocean Crisis
- 2–5 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #25,001
- BGG rating
- 6.0
Numeracy Legends and The Zerda Fox
- 2–4 players
- 10–25 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #16,728
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Forest Guardians
- 2–4 players
- 30–50 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #582
- BGG rating
- 9.0
Aeon Trespass: Odyssey
- 1–4 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 4.8/5
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,702
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Dairyman
- 2–4 players
- 20–30 min
- Complexity 1.1/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #690
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Atlantis Rising (Second Edition)
- 1–7 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,128
- BGG rating
- 6.5
The Island of El Dorado
- 2–4 players
- 25–80 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,982
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Armello: The Board Game
- 2–4 players
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2026
- BGG rank
- BGG #23,491
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Monster Hide and Seek
- 2–5 players
- 15–25 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 2023
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,835
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Harvest Island
- 2–4 players
- 30–40 min
- Complexity 1.6/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #25,207
- BGG rating
- 6.0
Flitting Bad Wolf
- 2 players
- 15–25 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,288
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Diluvium
- 1–4 players
- 15–60 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2024
About the game
Paleolithic is a an entry level worker placement game with the pace designed for children from 7 and older with game strategies for them to gradually build up and acquire. In Paleolithic, players act as elders from local tribes, trying to form a unique civilization through migration, resource gathering, and tribal establishment. Bring along your tribal fellows and animal companions, and claim your land from the primal island of Formosa to become the great elder! Each player starts the game with two caveman tokens and one animal companion, with these being placed depending on the culture they represent in the game. In each round, players can choose to explore, produce artifacts, or build tribes as follows: Explore: First, optionally move one caveman or animal token to an adjacent ring, then roll a die; any ring occupied by a player's caveman or animal token generates resources based on the "dice points + number of tokens" corresponding to the list of resources next to the occupied ring. Produce artifacts: Discard the corresponding resources to acquire the artifact card, which has a point value depicted on it. Build Tribes: Discard resources to acquire a tile, and place a tribal token on the map; each tribal tile is worth 3 points at the end of the game, and it counts as a player token for resource generation. Once any player has obtained a total of eight artifact cards and tribal tiles, the game ends, then players tally points for tribal tiles, artifact cards, and artifact combinations shown on a player's culture board.
Designers
Publishers
- Shepherd Kit, Inc.
Questions and answers
Paleolithic supports 2–4 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 Paleolithic is 40–60 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 Paleolithic for ages 7 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.
Paleolithic has a complexity rating of 1.5 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.
Paleolithic belongs to these categories: Animals, Children's Game, and Dice. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Worker Placement. 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 Paleolithic are: Chih-Fan Chen and Chi Wei Lin. 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 Paleolithic 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.