About five thousand years ago, a resilient group of farmers and hunters built a thriving community on the Orkney Islands in northern Scotland. Instead of discarding their empty shells, broken tools, bones, and other debris, they used these materials to form large mounds of earth over hundreds of years. Later generations dug into these middens to create chambers and tunnels that offered protection from the bitter winds and cold winter months.

In Skara Brae , the goal is to gather various resources to feed, clothe, and shelter the growing community of settlers. Players take turns drawing Village cards and deploying their workers to furnish, cook, craft, clean, and trade. At the end of each round, players must maintain their settlers, which likely also creates new midden waste that needs to be cleared. After four rounds, the player with the most victory points wins.