Caveman Curling

About this board game

Caveman Curling is a 2–6-player dexterity game that recreates a prehistoric version of curling in about 20 minutes. On an icy lake, players compete individually or as members of two clans in a match of Kairn, aiming to place their stones closest to the center of the target.

Each turn gives a player two actions. First, they launch a stone across the game board by flicking it with a finger toward the target at the opposite end. They can then use one of several tools to influence the stone’s position or help it remain in place.

• A small or large hammer moves the stone according to the size of the hammer.
• A totem is placed on top of the stone. If it falls off, the player may shoot that stone again on a later turn.

After the stones have been played, scoring depends on distance from the target’s center. If a player or clan has one or more stones closer to the center than the opposing clan, they score points. The first individual or clan to collect six points wins.

The game was originally designed and self-published as Kairn in 2010, with 200 copies produced by Daniel Quodbach. Blackrock Editions and Scorpion Masque later produced 1,000 copies of Kairn for release at Essen in 2011. Although the editions have significant production differences, their gameplay is almost identical. Caveman Curling was scheduled for mass production in January 2012 and release in late February 2012, bringing this unusual prehistoric take on curling to a wider audience.