Tribes

Published 1998

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.

Mechanics

Cooperative Game Co-operative Play Role Playing Voting

Categories

Prehistoric

Designers

David Brin Steve Jackson (I)

Publishers

Steve Jackson Games
Tribes

Game Info

Players
4-8 Players
Time
4 hours
Weight
Light-Medium — 2.08/5
Year
1998
BGG Rating
6.49
BGG Rank
#14615

Frequently Asked Questions

Tribes supports 4 to 8 players.
A typical game of Tribes takes about 240 minutes.
Tribes has a complexity rating of 2.08/5.00 on BoardGameGeek, placing it in the 'Medium Light' category. It offers a good balance of depth and accessibility.
Tribes has a rating of 6.49/10 on BoardGameGeek, based on 93 ratings. It is ranked #14615 overall.
Tribes was designed by David Brin, Steve Jackson (I). It was published in 1998.