[Kromm]

The word "history"
Is to human endeavor
As "dessert" to lunch

— Some hack

Want to run a game set way back when? Not in recent times like the French Revolution, imperial Rome, or ancient Sumer, but more like "when it all began"? Then you'll find that despite being the latest from e23, Pyramid #3/56: Prehistory is a blast from the past. If I'm interpreting the cave paintings right:

• Let's start with some Caveman Fundamentals – because if you're going to be roleplaying in the time of early humans, you'll need to know how man was put together! Michele Armellini provides a simple racial template and half a dozen character templates for everything from gatherers through band leaders to shamans (both "real" and mundane).
  
  
• Without money, it's easy to assume that tribes were based on either barter or communal ownership. "Gifting economies" were just as common though . . . and can lead to some fun adventure seeds! In Past Presents and Future, Matt Riggsby expands significantly on what GURPS Low-Tech Companion 1: Philosophers and Kings offers on the subject.
  
  
• You don't have to set the whole campaign in the Ice Age to justify adding dinosaurs, cavemen, or both! As David Pulver shows in this month's Eidetic Memory, you can even surprise your GURPS Dungeon Fantasy players with prehistoric foes! (How, you ask? Magic!) Send your delvers deep into the Caverns of the Chronomancer for an adventure that will go down in the annals of (pre)history.
  
  
• Then again, there's something to be said for an actual "caveman adventure" . . . with a twist! When your tribe is menaced by unknown enemies, your party must venture Where the Snow Bleeds to save themselves – and possibly even the future of the human race.
  
  
• There are endless possibilities for gaming in the lands before time. As a capstone to two full adventures, enjoy a dozen more Prehistoric Plots. These "adventure sketches" will ensure that your adventuring cavemen never want for something exciting to do!
  
  
• Belief in shamanism goes back to the dawn of mankind. The Old Ways shows how to use the Ritual Path magic system (from GURPS Monster Hunters) to represent the rituals, spells, tattoos, and so on that embody these beliefs. Whether you want to play a primitive shaman or are just looking for some great sample spells (and new rules!) for Ritual Path magic, this article is loaded with a ton of crunchy spiritual goodness.
  
  
• The further back you go in time, the more likely it is that a given GURPS skill will be completely unknown. What happens when someone learns it first? In First and Foremost, PK provides simple rules and guidelines for the player who says "I want to play the world's only caveman with Accounting!", or who wants to educate himself on unknown topics without the help of a handy black monolith.
  
  
• And archaeologists have uncovered evidence of our usual features, including a Random Thought Table encouraging spoilers, Odds and Ends that question what a technological campaign frame should look like, and a Murphy's Rules you shouldn't have any trouble following.

— PK & Kromm