- BGG rating
- 8.0
UMATAKA: A Life of Jamon Era Flame Shaped Pottery and Crown Shaped Pottery expansion
- 2–4 players
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,762
- BGG rating
- 7.9
UMATAKA
2024
Rules assistance for UMATAKA
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 60–90 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.7/5
Rules assistant for UMATAKA
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
UMATAKA is a board game released in 2024 for 2–4 players, 60–90 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Isao Mukai and Napopora and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Variable Set-up, and Tech Trees / Tech Tracks.
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About the game
UMATAKA is a board game themed around the Jomon period in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, a region known for its distinctive "flame pottery" artifacts. Players take on the roles of family leaders among the Jomon people, competing through the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—to earn points by crafting pottery, hunting, and cooking nuts. The region's historical trade value of jade also plays a crucial role, as players must also gather this precious material. UMATAKA utilizes a worker placement system where players use human and dog pieces as workers, placing between one and four workers in designated spaces. Dogs, which are relatively easier to acquire during the game, must work alongside humans due to several restrictions. After placing workers and taking actions, the number of workers influences the advancement of a piece on the "Exploration Track." The action located at the space where this explorer piece stops is also executed. This mechanism forces players to think strategically about the number of workers they deploy, and sometimes strategically placing extra workers can provide an advantage in the game.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Dotakusha(銅鐸舎)
Questions and answers
UMATAKA 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 UMATAKA is 60–90 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 UMATAKA 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.
UMATAKA has a complexity rating of 2.7 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.
UMATAKA belongs to these categories: Prehistoric. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Variable Set-up, and Tech Trees / Tech Tracks. 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 UMATAKA are: Isao Mukai and Napopora. 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 UMATAKA 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.