Grab your clubs and come on a prehistoric tour of worker placement with us!

First and foremost, My First Stone Age is brilliant, stop reading now, click here and go buy it. Then come back and revel in the brilliant decision you just made.  

Ahhhhhh doesn’t it feel good… 

Ok, ok, still sceptical? Let us break it down for you. My First Stoneage (MFS) is an excellent introduction into the world of worker placement that also builds on strategy and memory skills. Your large colourful cavemen (or as Elidi calls them, your Stoneages) will move around a board and land on one of several spaces. Either collecting big colourful resources or a dog that can be used as a wild resource. Then if you land on the middle space and have the required resources you can build one of the available huts.  

Sounds simple? That’s because it is, brilliantly simple. But the thing I haven't talked about yet is the leaves that you surround the board with. These leaves are how you move, there’s no dice in MFS. Flipping over a leaf will reveal a dice face from 1-6, a resource, a dog or a hut. You then either move that amount or jump to that space. These leaves then stay face up so you can remember where certain things are, adding a layer of strategy that’s easily accessible for kids. 

Sounds simple? That’s because it is, superbly simple. But the thing is when someone builds a hut, by landing on the middle space and having three of the resources displayed on one of three huts, they flip over all of the leaves that are face up, and change the position of two of them. A simple little complication but teaching that sneaky, underhanded skill that is needed for so many modern board games in a way that doesn’t feel mean. 

Sounds simple? That’s because it is! This game is a collection of fantastically simple mechanics that just work together effortlessly. You want another one? There’s a market space that lets you swap one of your resources for another one.  Another one? Although the dog can be used as a wild card there’s only two in the game, so if you land on it and they’re both gone, you can steal one off someone else. 

Let me just pop another link here, so you can leave this review halfway through and go buy it, I’ll wait… Ahhhhhhh, doesn’t that feel good? 

Oh you still need convincing? Did I mention that the art is adorable? Each hut requires three resources to build, either Tusks, Vases, Arrowheads or Apples and those three resources are pictured in the art of the hut! Did I mention that every player has a 3D stand that not only hides your big colourful resources but lets you stand your huts up in your little village so you can see how close everyone is to that three hut victory condition? Did I mention this game is brilliant? 

It’s even playable with  younger kids. I found when El was a bit younger it was more fun for her if we didn’t move the leaves around and only played to two huts instead of three. 

This game is great. Go buy it. 

P.S. However much you think it’s a good idea don’t give your little ones the inflatable club from Poetry for Neanderthals, please, I beg you, don’t do it….