2020Dustin Hendrickson
Mostly reviews and playthroughs. Don't Let It Die is covered on BoardGameVideo.com by 7 reviews, 4 how-to-play guides, 5 recorded sessions, and 2 other videos.
From BoardGameGeek
Lightning strikes a nearby tree. Fire! Your group of Neanderthals must now endure Mother Nature and work together to keep the fire going long enough to learn its mysterious powers and destructive capabilities. You have 14 days to uncover its secrets before a massive flood drowns the valley and extinguishes humanity's one chance at becoming the apex predator and escaping extinction. Don't Let It Die is a cooperative survival game based on early humanity's struggles to cement their place at the top of the food chain. You will gather resources & food, fight deadly predators, and learn the mysteries of fire. Your task is a difficult one, but no matter what happens, remember: you and the fire must survive... Your tribe consists of 4 characters, all taking turns to search for resources, fight off dangerous animals, unlock new discoveries, and working together to keep the fire alive! Designed from the ground up to offer a re-playable, interactive, strategic cooperative experience for 1-4 players. The key to victory lies in your group's ability to adapt to the ever-present and always changing threats of prehistoric life. Should you focus on hunting and foraging to feed your starving tribe? Or should you be more concerned with supplying the dwindling fire with more wood? Perhaps constructing a weapon or tool might ease the stress of gathering resources... These choices and more await you in what will surely be the ultimate test of survival. -description from the designer
Learn to play
Watch it played
Don't Let It Die has 18 videos from 3 creators: 7 reviews, 4 how-to-play guides, 5 playthroughs and 2 other videos. They date from 2018 to December 2025.
To learn the rules, start with "Don't Let It Die - How to play", which runs 17 min. For a quicker teach, "How to Play Don't Let It Die" runs 7 min.
For an opinion before you buy, start with "Ryan and Bethany review Don’t Let It Die!". 3 creators have reviewed it. To see it played, watch "Team Fun Plays Don't Let It Die", one of 5 playthroughs.
If you like it, try One Card Wonders, Buried Beneath and RAID Bosses, also by Dustin Hendrickson, or The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship, which shares several of its mechanics.
2 of 3
2026Nick Ackroyd, Sébastien Bernier-Wong, Jonathan Carnehl, Christopher M. Carter, Julián Galizio, Maisy Hatchard, Dustin Hendrickson, Jackson Lin, Noe Escobar @Noescobar, Darren Reckner, Jeremy Rozenhart, Rob Sparks, Mark Tuck, Julián Tunni
1 - 11 players2 - 30 min
2022Dustin Hendrickson
1 players30 - 60 minMedium weight
2025Matt Leacock
1 - 5 players60 - 150 minHeavy weight
From BoardGameGeek:
Lightning strikes a nearby tree. Fire! Your group of Neanderthals must now endure Mother Nature and work together to keep the fire going long enough to learn its mysterious powers and destructive capabilities. You have 14 days to uncover its secrets before a massive flood drowns the valley and extinguishes humanity's one chance at becoming the apex predator and escaping extinction. Don't Let It Die is a cooperative survival game based on early humanity's struggles to cement their place at the top of the food chain. You will gather resources & food, fight deadly predators, and learn the mysteries of fire. Your task is a difficult one, but no matter what happens, remember: you and the fire must survive... Your tribe consists of 4 characters, all taking turns to search for resources, fight off dangerous animals, unlock new discoveries, and working together to keep the fire alive! Designed from the ground up to offer a re-playable, interactive, strategic cooperative experience for 1-4 players. The key to victory lies in your group's ability to adapt to the ever-present and always changing threats of prehistoric life. Should you focus on hunting and foraging to feed your starving tribe? Or should you be more concerned with supplying the dwindling fire with more wood? Perhaps constructing a weapon or tool might ease the stress of gathering resources... These choices and more await you in what will surely be the ultimate test of survival. -description from the designer
Designer
Dustin Hendrickson
Artist
Samuel Milham
Publisher
Thunk Board Games
Categories
Mechanics
