Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
Guide your tribe in its struggles to survive and prosper! Tribes: Early Civilization is a game for 2-4 players (The game does include rules for solo play as well) experiencing the Paleolithic, Neolithic and Bronze ages in 40 minutes.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Read the full game description
Guide your tribe in its struggles to survive and prosper! Tribes: Early Civilization is a game for 2-4 players (The game does include rules for solo play as well) experiencing the Paleolithic, Neolithic and Bronze ages in 40 minutes. Players start with a small tribe and the very basics of civilization. During the game, they invent new technologies, explore new land, fend off invaders, and survive catastrophes. The tribe that first emerges as a true civilization wins! Tribes: Early Civilization is a thematic prequel to Nations, designed by one of the Nations designers. It is a fast 3X game with a twist as each player has their own separate area to explore, expand, and exploit. The other two areas of the game are highly interactive: The variable three-tiered technology tree in which the first inventor gets a bonus. The actions column in which you take an action every turn and unwanted actions accumulate shells in a closed system. There are three basic actions tied to your civilization levels: explore, move and grow. The actions column is also where historical events come into play and where the fourth civilization level — strength — is used to gain you bonuses and make bad things happen to your opponents. Several interlocking systems ensure high replayability without adding overhead or upkeep. For example: in one game shells can feel very scarce and the next abundant despite the exact same amounts being in play.