- BGG rating
- 7.3
Sapiens: Double Tiles
- 2–4 players
- 40 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,680
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Sapiens
2015
Rules assistance for Sapiens
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 45 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.6/5
Rules assistant for Sapiens
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Sapiens is a board game released in 2015 for 2–4 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Cyrille Leroy and its main mechanics are Take That, Tile Placement, and Highest-Lowest Scoring.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Sapiens: Mountains
- 2–4 players
- 40 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2015
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About the game
The time has come for the tribe to leave its shelter and head for new lands. As the chief of your clan, it's up to you to guide your prehistoric people through the valley: Take advantage of the environment, pick and hunt for food, discover big and safe caverns for the upcoming winter, gather your tribe and discover the valley! Sapiens is a short and easy-to-learn tile-placement game that can prove much deeper than it seems for gamers. Each player has a personal game board that represents the valley on which they will play tiles to determine the journey of their tribe through several prehistoric life scenes. Their aim is to gather food points on the plains and in the forests of the valley and to get shelter points for reaching caves in the mountains. A player's turn consists of two steps: Connect one new tile from the four in his personal pool to the tiles already in play on his board, with connected scenes needing to match. These placements earn food points when a connection is made, earns shelter points when a cave is reached, and sometimes provides a special ability based on the connected scenes. Choose a new tile from the five available in a common pool to re-fill his personal pool to four tiles. Sapiens relies on instinctive domino-like mechanisms that are improved by interesting twists: Laying tiles on personal (modular) game boards brings a bit of a puzzle feel to the game. Having two separate scores — food and shelter — and knowing that only their lower one matters when determining who wins confronts players with interesting needs and dilemmas. Including special powers linked to the eight different scenes represented on the tiles brings a lot of interaction and choices.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- IELLO
- Catch Up Games
Questions and answers
Sapiens 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 Sapiens is 45 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 Sapiens for ages 10 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.
Sapiens has a complexity rating of 2.6 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Sapiens belongs to these categories: Prehistoric. Its main mechanics are Take That, Tile Placement, and Highest-Lowest Scoring. 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 Sapiens are: Cyrille Leroy. 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 Sapiens 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.