Sierra MadreNeanderthal 2nd Edition

NEANDERTHAL, 2nd Ed. REVIEW: After spending way too much time researching Ice Age/early human-themed games (I'm talking data analysis of BGG stats, lol), we settled on Neanderthal.It is crazy informative, and the rule book includes all kinds of footnotes that explain every game mechanic and why it was included/what it represents. EVERYTHING in that game is tied to early human societies, which is really cool without it being a standard educational game with lots of trivia type mechanics. You play as one of three tribes - archaic man, neanderthal, or cro-magnon. You are assigned a mating strategy (pair bonding, harem, or promiscuous) and overall are trying to gain "vocabulary" (represented by tokens) to move from a vocal society to a tribal society. There are elders, daughters, hunting and gathering, global warming, glacier expansion, domesticating animals...you name it, it's there.BUT - Extremely difficult to learn. Rules are thorough, but there's so much to the game that it takes forever to flip back and forth to find everything they reference. There are only 1 or 2 videos out there and none are complete playthroughs, but still worth watching to get the general sense. After a few solo playthroughs, I understand enough to play (although I know I'm missing a few nuances).In terms of age/kids, I finally played a competitive game with my daughter who is doing the Ice Age unit. Took about 1.5 hours and I don't think she got as much out of it as I did. Box says ages 12+ and my daughter is only 8. She was able to play the mechanics, but all that early human connection was lost on her.OVERALL:Solo Play **** (but must be interested in topic)Competitive Play *** (IF old enough to appreciate)Learning to Play *Would not buy again. It fit the bill for our unit study, but I can't see it being played again and cost was high for what we got out of it.

Just be aware that half of the rules booklet is footnotes. It’s mostly personal thoughts from the designer. I’ve had mixed reactions from my playing group for this game and know there’s stronger opinions for his other games. If you’re curious, you can always go get the rules online just to make sure you know where your money is going and what you’re supporting.Rules are very confusing and all over the place. Mechanics are ok after a while and the game can be enjoyable.

This is a very unique and interesting game. The rules are kind of complicated and playing time is much longer than 1-2 hours, especially when first learning it. (Plan on closer to 3 hours.) It would be nice of the manufacturer offered simplified instructions or an online video showing step-by-step of HOW to play. We referred to the rule book A LOT. It's educational and the premise of the game offers some interesting thoughts on how cultures could have evolved. My daughter loves ancient history and really enjoyed it once we got the hang of it.