Explore Humanity's Evolution in Neanderthal: A Strategic Board Game

The Ice Age is brutal. Culture is your only advantage. 

Looking for a survival strategy board game set in the Ice Age? In Neanderthal, you lead an ancient tribe, Neanderthals, Cro-Magnons or Archaic Homo sapiens. They fight for survival in a harsh, frozen world. Hunting giant Ice Age animals is only part of the challenge. Your true advantage? The ability to develop language, pass on knowledge, and form a lasting culture.

Why should you purchase Neanderthal?

• Play as real prehistoric human species: Compete with asymmetric powers and survival challenges

• Language and culture as core mechanics: Develop communication to unlock powerful abilities

• Hand-management meets evolutionary strategy: Use cards to teach, hunt, and pass on knowledge

• Historically grounded Ice Age setting: Hunt megafauna and endure the cold in a realistic, thematic world

Game designer: Phil Eklund

Artist: Karim Chakroun, Phil Enklund

Complexity: 3.70

How to play?

you will play through the critical epoch during which this change occurred. After millions of years of an uninterrupted, modest nomadic existence, we suddenly developed complex language, began forming tribes and building villages. You play as one of the human species existing at that time. The game system enables you to follow your tribe's evolution as well as that of the environment in which you live.

• Placards
• Tribesmen 
• Large tribesmen
• Disks
• Cards
• Dice
• Achievement sheet
• Arrowhead

Downloads

Game designer: Phil Eklund

Living rules and other files, administrated by respective game designer.

• DOWNLOADABLE RULES Neanderthal
• Playtest Neanderthal on Tabletop Simulator
• Neanderthal on Boardgamegeek

Discover Magazine named Neanderthal one of its favourite scientifically accurate board games! Read more here!

Videos

• Daily Game Unboxing - Neanderthal by Dice Tower
• About Neanderthal   by Ion Game Design 
• Neanderthal Gameplay Runthrough by rahdo
• Neanderthal by Darwin’s Game Night