Doggerland
- Players
- 1-4
- Best withThe player count this game plays best at.
- 3 players
- Play timeHow long a full game runs once everyone knows the rules.
- 120 min
- AgeThe minimum age printed by the publisher.
- 14+
- ComplexityHow demanding the rules are, from 1 (very light) to 5 (very heavy).
- 3.3 / 5
- Year
- 2023
About the game
Doggerland puts players in charge of a prehistoric clan around 15,000 BCE, living on the now-vanished landmass that once connected Britain to mainland Europe. Across six to eight seasons, players grow their population, craft tools, paint cave murals, raise megaliths, and manage the constant threat of scarce resources and harsh seasonal change. Each round, players secretly program a sequence of actions before carrying them out, adapting to a modular, ever-changing territory shaped by resource depletion and rival clans. Leaders and shamans provide unique bonuses and powerful magical actions, adding asymmetry to each clan's strategy. The clan that best balances expansion, survival, and cultural achievement over the seasons wins.
Hobbli's Notes
Hobbli's editorial team admires how Doggerland turns prehistoric survival into a satisfying action-programming euro game, where resource scarcity and migration pressure create constant meaningful tension. The modular map keeps each game's geography fresh, and the leader/shaman asymmetry adds a nice layer of variability between clans. It's a weighty, systems-heavy design that rewards planning ahead, so it's best suited to gamers already comfortable with action-programming euros. The prehistoric setting is a refreshing change from the usual medieval or sci-fi euro themes.
What we like
- Action-programming system creates satisfying tension around anticipating resource scarcity.
- Modular territory tiles keep the map fresh across different games.
- Leader and shaman roles add meaningful asymmetric strategy to each clan.
- Distinctive prehistoric setting offers a fresh change from typical euro themes.
Keep in mind
- High complexity and two-hour playtime demand real commitment.
- Significant downtime while planning simultaneous action sequences.
- Steep learning curve may deter players new to action-programming euros.
Who it's for
Best for heavy-euro gamers aged 14 and up who enjoy action-programming and resource management, in groups of one to four.
