- BGG rank
- BGG #20,945
- BGG rating
- 5.9
Undead
- 2–6 players
- 240 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 1981
- BGG rank
- BGG #15,391
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Tribes
1998
Rules assistance for Tribes
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 4–8 players
- 240 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
For 4 players
Rules assistant for Tribes
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Tribes is a board game released in 1998 for 4–8 players and 240 minutes per game. It was designed by Steve Jackson (I) and David Brin and its main mechanics are Role Playing, Cooperative Game, and Voting.
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About the game
Tribes is a role-playing game that plays a lot like a board game and simulates the way our ancestors lived long ago. The players are cave men and women. They hunt and gather food, make their tribal laws, and deal with natural disasters, but the object of the game is simple: Look after the children! In this game, the way to win is to have the most kids and do whatever you have to do to make sure they survive to adulthood. The players must know when to cooperate, and when to cut their losses and protect their own families. Players can re-create – and change – the earliest human societies by instituting their own laws and social patterns, and see what effects the rules of society have on their ability to survive and reproduce. With several copies of the game and a referee, it's possible to have several tribes playing at once, competing, trading, exchanging members, and even making war on each other.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Steve Jackson Games
Questions and answers
Tribes supports 4–8 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 Tribes is 240 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.
Tribes has a complexity rating of 2.1 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.
Tribes belongs to these categories: Prehistoric. Its main mechanics are Role Playing, Cooperative Game, and Voting. 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 Tribes are: Steve Jackson (I) and David Brin. 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 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.