Running Games
Fire
Fire is both life and fear. Not everyone knows how to control it.
Early humans didn’t invent fire, they found it from lightning strikes or wildfires. At first, they just kept it alive, carrying embers from place to place, while constantly feeding it.
It is suggested that player characters do not begin with the knowledge of how to start fire. They may carry a burning branch, or find a wild flame, but the secret of fire must be learned.
Let someone teach it to them: a wise elder or a strange hermit. Once they know, fire becomes a tool, but still fickle. Wet wood won’t burn. Wind kills weak sparks. Smoke attracts both Man-eaters and jelaous Rivals.
Communication
Player characters can only speak in three-word sentences. This rule is might not be suitable for every play group, so feel free to ignore it. This game is yours, play it how you see fit.
But if you lean into it, it can become a game of its own. Present players with problems that require cooperation. Watch them struggle to plan or warn with primitive sentences.
A fire is spreading, a friend is trapped, or defusing an argument with a stranger. How to cross a ravine with a makeshift bridge? See what they say with only three words.
Luck
When something comes down to luck, roll a d6. High is good for the players, low is bad. The referee decide what the roll means.
Turns
A turn is the astract amount of time it takes to move and perform one action. Minor actions, like drawing a weapon, can replace movement.
Survival
Rations & Water
1 ration can feed on person per day. But what if they go without?
After one day without water, a character loses 1 STR per day. At 0 STR, they die. After three days without food, the same applies, 1 STR lost per day until death.
Water can be found by licking cave walls, eating roots or frogs, digging near green plants, standing in the rain. The player characters might be dumb, but they know how to survive.
As a rule of thumb, an animal yields rations equal to its Hit Points when killed.
Rotten meat or dirty water requires a Save. Fail, and they get sick. No healing that day.
Survival should always feel close. Hunger should always be near.
Getting Better
The life of a prehistoric human is brutal, and often short. Survival is hard fought. There are no skills in this game. The only way to get better is to live long enough to learn.
When a character does something big, like surviving a brutal adventure, mastering fire, or slaying a giant beast, they gain experience.
When that happens:
- Add 1d3 HP.
- Roll 1d20 for each Ability Score. If the roll is higher than the score, increase it by 1.
Exploration
Overland
When players travel across the wild, make them track rations. It adds pressure, hunger creeps in fast. Water matters too, but be lenient. It’s often available in rivers, caves, or from plants. Treat it as a concern, not an overbearing obstacle. Rations, on the other hand, run out quick. Let players hunt, scavenge, or fight to survive.
Caves
Caves are dark. Players need light. Without it, they are prone to unwelcome surprises.
Tracking torches can be a hassle, so keep it simple. If the group has fire and time, they can make more. If not, the dark soon closes in. Priorotize fun before realism.
Sometimes, the cave helps. Bioluminescent fungi glow. Insects flash. These light sources are weak, and unreliable but just enough to move by.
Encounters
Most creatures in this game are animals. They don’t want revenge, or treasure. They want to survive or protect what’s theirs. They flee when hurt. They hunt when hungry. They fight when cornered.
The outliers are people. Rivals might be suspicious, curious, or afraid. They grunt and gesture, they might trade or attack.
The Man-Eaters are different. Feral, and violent. They are monsters. No talk. Just teeth.