Battles Before Time: Knucklebones (Dice) Edition – A Prehistoric Fantasy Miniatures Game

What is Battles Before Time: Knucklebones (Dice) Edition – A Prehistoric Fantasy Miniatures Game

Battles Before Time: Knucklebones (Dice) Edition is a revised version of the original Battles Before Time game published in 2016. Instead of the "stone draw" mechanic used in the original version, the Knucklebones Edition uses dice. We created this edition due to many requests for a streamlined version of the game that just uses good old dice.

Battles Before Time is a prehistoric fantasy miniatures skirmish game for 28mm figures (as well as plastic dinosaurs & giant mammals that more or less fit with 28mm cavemen). The game is set in an alternate prehistory where our Human ancestors – the Early Modern Humans, or Emohs for short – rub elbows with Neanderthals, Dino sapiens (dinosaur men), Florz (small Emohs), & other species. Dinosaurs, huge mammals, & monsters also roam the Earth, & shamans can use powerful magic.

The game consists of two parts. Part One is 26 pages long; it contains the rules (the core rules are only seven pages long) as well as a guide to the cavemen & creatures that will make up your warband. Warbands include cavemen or dinosaur men who can purchase special abilities, weapons, armor, cavepunk items, & spells. Warbands can also include heroes, dinosaurs, mammals, prehistoric “birds”, aquatic beasts, & prehistoric monsters.

Part One begins with an Introduction & Game Overview. Next, scale, items needed to play, & information on setting up the game are presented. The rules themselves have the following sections: Game Turns & Actions, Actions When Activated, Darwinian Measurement, Movement, Going Prone, Language (or the Lack Thereof), Action Rolls, Contests, Combat, Doing Damage, Area Effect Attacks, Panic, & End of the Game/Victory!

Game details

Players

2–8

Age

+12

Duration

120 min

Difficulty

—

Type

Board game

Year

2018

Mechanics

Dice Rolling · Measurement Movement

Categories

Fantasy · Miniatures · Prehistoric

Designer

Dr. Rob Lusk

Publisher

Jade Tower Studio