Add to Wishlist

Epoch: Early Inventors

57.00€

Out of stock

Meeple on Board Rating

Be the first to review this product.

Board Game Geek Reviews


  1. 6 out of 10

    Great production value on all the tokens, but the exceptionally large sizes on tokens makes the game unwieldy. Captures the theme of primitive inventions but the sheer amount of resource conversion didn't really thrill me. Need to give it another few plays.

  2. 5 out of 10

    This is a game I really want to like - but it has too many fiddly problems. It could have had way less resources, way less rules, and, honestly, no randomly added interaction rules. Then, it would be interesting to play.

  3. 7 out of 10

    I've played twice solo now, and gameplay confirmed my suspicions from reading the rules: there's a lot of work involved in this game to get to the enjoyment. Unfortunately, the game's components aren't doing much to lighten the load. The game comes with giant cheat sheets for the different actions; what I would have preferred is less complexity. Also, while the hexagon tiles are labeled with invention titles, the inventions themselves are unmarked--you have to check the cheat sheet to make sure you're taking the right tile. There also aren't enough status markers included in the box to play the extended game (which the solo game is), and there is no storage solution (even baggies) included. That being said, the game is thematic and immersive, and once you get over the hurdle of learning it, it makes some sense and there is a decent resource conversion puzzle to be had. The dummy opponent is easy to operate, and a game takes 30-45m from setup to finish (but then you have to put it away...). Is it worth it over, say, solitaire Agricola or Terraforming Mars? Early plays say no, but I'll keep playing to see, and also try it with other humans (although I despair of teaching this one). EDIT: This one is growing on me. I don't think it's destined to become a favorite, but it does get easier to manage with more plays.

Be the first to review “Epoch: Early Inventors”

Award winning game author Martyn F takes you back to the start of civilization. You take on the role of a clan leader and explore the landscape, discover new tools and offer to holy places. All this to gather as much status as possible.

Epoch: Early Inventors is very thematic and tries to stay as close to reality as possible.

Before starting the game you build a landscape of hexagonal playing cards and holy places.

In your turn you can carry out 1 action and/or develop 1 card and/or offer to 1 holy place.

You can choose between the following actions: gather food, fish (for food), hunt for deer, butcher deer, explore adjacent cards or work to get raw material.

You need food to move around the game board and develop cards. Gathering food and fishing are basically the same actions, but depending on the tools you have, the one action might give you more food than the other.

You need raw materials to develop cards and offer to the holy places. Sometimes raw materials can help you to heighten the proceeds of actions. The action "Work" can get you raw materials. The type of landscape you are currently standing on determines how much work it is to get hold of a certain raw material. Raw materials used in the game are: wood, flax, stone, flint, clay and iron ore.

Butchering animals can not only get you food, but also skins, bones and tendons.

Exploring cards adds to your status. It also opens up more cards to be developed.

To develop a card, you need to "pay" the food and materials depicted on the card.

Once you have developed a card, you can use the tool, equipment or knowledge of this card to your advantage. E.g. Rope Making allows you to turn 2 flax into 3 ropes. Sowing gives you 2-4 extra food, when gathering food. An axe makes it easier to chop wood.

By cleverly using your own cards and those of your opponents, you try to offer materials to as many holy places as you can, thereby increasing your status even more.

After 14-20 rounds the game is over. The player that has collected the most status has won.

Ages

12+
Players

Solo, 2 Players, 3 Players, 4 Players
Play Time

90m – 150m
Designer

Martyn F
Mechanics

Area Movement, Modular Board, Simulation
Theme

Civilization, Exploration, Prehistoric
Publisher

Rio Grande Games
Cart
  • No products in the cart.
Cart - 0.00€
  • 0
  • 1
Skip to content