Bear Necessities
Bear Necessities Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Content
- 94 Cards
- 100 Victory Point (VP) tokens (in various denominations)
- 20 Bee tokens
- This rulebook
Setup
- Place the VP and Bee tokens into a nearby shared supply, within easy reach. The token supply is considered infinite. In the unlikely event that you need more tokens, use a suitable replacement. We do not recommend using real bees.
- Shuffle the cards into a face-down deck.
- Pick a random player to be the dealer: they will cut the deck and give each player 5 cards in clockwise order, starting from the player at their left. This is your starting hand.
- Make sure everyone has enough space in front of them to create their personal 4x3 cards tableau and some more space where to keep their VP and Bee tokens. This is your reserve.
(Illustrated example of a 3-player game setup: the shared supply of VP and Bee tokens, the deck, and each player with a 4x3 tableau grid, a hand of cards, and a VP and Bee reserve.)
Game overview
Over 12 rounds, you will draft cards and place them in your 4-column by 3-row grid. When you place a card in your tableau, it first activates itself and then activates all orthogonally adjacent cards.
Activating cards triggers abilities and/or scores you VP.
At the end of each round, the player who scored the least amount of VP in that round takes 1 Bee token from the shared supply. Don't be afraid! Bees can get you a fair amount of points at the end!
After the 12th round, the player with the most VP wins the game.
Round Sequence
- Choose 2 cards. Secretly select 2 cards from your hand, one for your tableau and one for your reserve. Keep them hidden from the other players, who will do the same.
- Reveal, Place and Score. Reveal and place the first chosen card face up in your tableau (see Placing a card) and keep the second face down in your reserve. Count the VP you gained, and take the corresponding tokens from the shared supply, adding them to your reserve. Everyone does this simultaneously.
- Bee time. The player who gained the fewest VP this round, takes 1 Bee token from the shared supply and adds it to their personal reserve. If more players are tied last, each of them takes 1 Bee token.
- Pass the cards. Pass your remaining cards to the player on your left, then add the card you previously placed in your reserve (2) to the new hand you received from the player on your right.
- Deal new cards when needed. After placing 4 cards (i.e. at the end of the 4th and 8th rounds), you will have no cards left in your hand. At the end of that round, decide whether to keep in hand or discard the card currently in your reserve. Once everyone has made their decision, the dealer cuts the deck and deals cards until everyone has 5 cards in hand again.
Placing a card
Placement rules
- Each card after the first must be placed orthogonally adjacent to at least one other card.
- At the end of the game, after the 12th round, your tableau must be a grid of 4x3 cards and you may never add a 5th column or a 4th row.
Activations
When placing a card in your tableau, you first activate that card, then activate each orthogonally adjacent card in the order of your choice.
Example
The player places the Berries in their tableau and activates a total of 3 cards to gain 11 VP:
- Berries = 4 VP
- Eagle = 4 VP
- Dog = 3 VP
Note that the Berries card must be activated first, as it is the one being placed in the tableau. The order in which the Eagle and the Dog are activated is decided by the player.
(The example tableau also shows the Lighthouse and Fisherbear cards. The Lighthouse note reads: count the card only once when you activate its effect.)
End of the game
After 12 rounds, when all players have completed their 4x3 tableau, the game ends.
Turn your Bee tokens into VP
Some cards show a Bee Hive multiplier symbol: count how many of them are in your tableau and multiply that number by the amount of Bee tokens you have in your reserve. Take that many VP tokens from the shared supply.
Count now your VP: the player with the most of them is the winner. If there is a tie, the tied players share the victory.
Bear tip: Later in the game, if you have trouble keeping track of your score, you may place the VP tokens on each card after counting them.
Example
The player scored 121 VP and collected 6 Bee tokens throughout the game. In their tableau there are 4 Bee Hive symbols (the Rubber Duck has 2!), so they multiply those by the 6 Bee tokens, earning an additional 24 VP that they take from the shared supply. The player's final score is 145 (121+24).
Colors and types of cards
Each card comes in one of 4 colors: red, blue, green, and yellow. This color is shown on both the front and back, and each card also has a matching icon to help colorblind players:
- City / Red
- Water / Blue
- Mountain / Green
- Desert / Yellow
In addition to their color, cards also have one, or even two, of the following 5 types, which are used in various effects:
- Bearfolk
- Building
- Item
- Plant
- Animal
Goal Cards
Some cards show a Goal symbol. Every time you activate a card showing this symbol (including the first time you place it in your tableau), check if you meet its requirements next to the Goal symbol:
- If you don't meet the requirements, only apply the effect above the line.
- If you do meet the requirements, only apply the effect under the line, ignoring the VP above it.
Important: A completed Goal scores you points only when you activate its card. If by placing a card in your tableau you complete a specific Goal but do not activate the card showing it, you do not score it.
Example (Bearlet card: "Goal: 10 VP if you have at least 6 Bee tokens"): scoring a non-complete Goal gives the 2 VP above the line; scoring a complete Goal gives the 10 VP under the line.
Effects Clarifications
- Cards are considered to be adjacent only if they are orthogonally adjacent.
- A card activates its adjacent neighbors only when it is placed in your tableau.
- Cards like the Eagle, Backpack, Collector, etc... count for their own effects.
- Cards like the Banker, Treasure Hunter, etc... score you VP for cards showing a Goal symbol that can be completed, even if you have not completed those Goals.
- Weather Forecast cards refer to the card you keep in your reserve for the next round.
Card anatomy
A card shows: its card type(s), its color symbol, a Goal symbol (if any), its Bee Hive symbol(s) (if any), its card name, and its card effect.
Other Symbols
- VP = Victory Point
- Bee = Bee token
- Card = Card
- Color = Color
- Row (horizontal double arrow)
- Column (vertical double arrow)
- Right (arrow)
- Goal = Goal (card)
- Bee Hive = Bee Hive