Bears&Bees
Bears&Bees Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
- 49 honey cards
- 49 research cards
- 5 swarm cards
- 1 reference card
- 35 honey tokens
- 25 swarm tokens
- 26 experience tokens
Game Overview
During the game, the players use research cards to get honey cards which allow them to get honey tokens. Whenever anybody plays a swarm card, the swarm of bees is released, and it will be attracted to the player with the most honey tokens. To win this game, the player must attract 5 swarms of bees.
In each round, all players simultaneously choose a card from their hand, place it face down on the table and then all players reveal their cards at the same time. The card effects mostly depend on the cards played by the opponents to the left and to the right, so all players should follow each other's progress to get what they need.
The effects of the revealed cards are resolved in a certain order. First, the players get honey tokens for their honey cards. Then, the players draw cards for their research cards. And finally, the swarm cards are resolved, and the player with the most honey tokens exchanges all of them for a swarm token.
Setup
Place the reference card in the middle of the table. Place the honey, swarm, and experience tokens into the different piles aside.
Sort the cards into three different decks of honey, research and swarms. The honey cards have a yellow banner on top, the research cards a blue, and the swarm cards a red banner. The back of all cards is identical. Shuffle each deck separately. Place the honey cards to the left of the reference card and the research deck to the right.
Deal one swarm card to each player, and put all unused swarm cards back in the game box (they will not be used during the game). Each player shows everybody their swarm card, takes the amount of cards (see "Taking cards" below) and honey tokens indicated in the bottom-left corner, and then takes the swarm card back to their hand.
Example: With this swarm card, you get 5 honey tokens and 2 cards of your choice. Add this card to your hand — there are 3 cards in your hand now, including the swarm card.
Taking Cards
Each time a player must take a card, they may choose between 2 decks: honey and research. The player may take one card, look at it, and then decide which deck they want to draw the next card from. If any deck runs out of cards, you can't draw cards from it till the end of the game.
There is a hand limit of 9 cards, including the swarm card. A player cannot take another card if they already have 9 cards.
Each player must keep the cards in their hand secret. We recommend that you rearrange the order of the cards in your hand all the time, so other players cannot guess what cards do you have.
If several players need to take cards at the same time, they should compare the numbers in the top-left corners of their cards — the player with the smallest card number takes the cards first.
Playing the Game
Each player chooses one card from their hand and places it in front of them face down without showing it to other players. When everyone is ready, the players simultaneously flip their cards so everyone can see them. The effects of the cards are resolved in order: honey cards first, then research cards, and, finally, the swarm cards.
1. Honey Cards
Take the amount of honey tokens indicated at the top of the card you have played.
Example: After resolving this card, you get 3 honey tokens.
Most of the cards have special conditions, and you may get additional honey, if they will be met. Look at the card of the player to your left: if a symbol at the left side of your card matches the type of the card they have played, take an additional number of honey tokens indicated below the symbol on your card. Then, check what the player to your right has played the same way.
Example: After playing this card, you get 1 honey token. If the player to your left has played the swarm card, you get 3 additional honey tokens. If the player to your right has played a research card, you get 3 more honey tokens.
If the type of the last card you played matches a symbol at the bottom of a card you are going to play during this round, you will get an additional number of honey tokens indicated there.
Example: After playing this card, you get 2 honey tokens. If the last card you played was the research card, you get 2 additional honey tokens.
Some cards grant honey tokens to the players to your right and left (it is indicated on a grey banner at the bottom of the card). If you play such a card, the players to your right and left must take 1 honey token each (for a 2-player game, your opponent gets 2 honey tokens). Because of this effect, a player may get honey even if they played the research or the swarm card.
Example: After playing this card, you get 3 honey tokens. The players to your left and right get 1 honey token each from the honey pile.
The player must take an exact amount of honey tokens indicated on the cards — no more, no less. If the honey tokens run out, use anything as replacement tokens until they are no longer needed.
When all players have taken the honey tokens they had to take, they must pass a honey check. As everyone knows, bears love honey, even if they are scientists. If a player has 8 or more honey tokens, their bear can't stand the temptation and eats all honey! The player must return all their honey tokens into the honey pile, and then take 1 experience token as a sign that they are ready to make amends.
Example: At the beginning of the round, you had 6 honey tokens. After resolving all effects of the cards you ended up with 9 honey tokens. Discard all 9 tokens and take 1 experience token instead.
2. Research Cards
While all the honey cards are resolved simultaneously, the research cards are resolved in ascending order according to the numbers at the top-left corners of the cards.
The number of the research card is shown in the top-left corner.
Draw the amount of cards indicated at the top of the research card you have played, and then draw additional cards for each condition met. Do not forget of the hand limit of 9 cards! If you have drawn the ninth card, you can take no more, even if the card you have played tells you to do so.
Example: After playing this card, draw 2 cards from any of the decks. If the player to your right has played the honey or the swarm card, you must draw one additional card from any deck.
Some of the research cards grant honey tokens to the players to your right and left. After resolving all the research cards, the players must pass the honey check the same way they did after playing the honey cards.
Example: After playing this card, draw 3 cards from any of the decks. The players to your left and right get 1 honey token from the pile. Now, the player to your right has 8 honey tokens. They discard all 8 tokens and take 1 experience token instead.
3. Swarm Cards
The effects of the swarm cards are resolved in ascending order, according to the numbers at the top-left bottom [sic] of the cards. To resolve the effect of the swarm card, count each player's honey and experience tokens. Whoever has the highest sum attracts the swarm: they discard their honey tokens (but not the experience tokens!), and take 1 swarm token from the pile. If there are several players with the highest sum of tokens, the swarm is divided: each of the tied players discards their honey tokens and takes 1 swarm token. The next swarm card (if there are any) is resolved then.
Example: Winnie and Yogi have the same amount of tokens. Winnie discards 5 honey tokens and keeps his experience token, while Yogi discards 6 honey tokens, and both of them get 1 swarm token. Baloo keeps his honey and experience tokens.
If the player has neither honey tokens nor experience tokens, the swarm cannot be attracted to them. However, if they do not have honey tokens, but have a sufficient amount of the experience tokens, the swarm will be attracted, and they will not discard anything for it.
If there is a player who played the swarm card during this round, but after resolving the swarm cards they didn't get the swarm token, they must take 1 honey token or 1 card as compensation (there is reminder for it at the top of the swarm cards). The number of cards must still not exceed 9, and the player must pass the honey check afterward.
Example: Winnie has played the swarm card, but Baloo has more honey and experience tokens, in total. Baloo gets 1 swarm token, and Winnie decides to take 1 research card as compensation.
After resolving the effects of all cards, the players leave the honey and the research cards at the top of their piles, face up. Each player will have a pile of cards in front of them, so they can easily say what card was played during the last round. If the player has played the swarm card, they take it back to their hand and flip the topmost card of their pile face down — it will help them remember that the swarm card was played last.
Round Example
Winnie, Yogi, Baloo, and Cindy are playing "Bears&Bees". Winnie has 7 honey tokens, Yogi has 1 honey token and 1 experience token, Baloo has nothing, and Cindy has 6 honey tokens and 2 experience tokens. Each of them chooses a card, places it face down in front of them and reveals it when everybody else is ready. Yogi and Cindy have played research cards, Baloo has played a honey card, and Winnie has played a swarm card.
The honey cards are resolved first. Baloo did not try to guess what other players were going to play, so he just gets 3 honey tokens, and Winnie and Cindy take 1 honey token from the pile. Winnie has 8 now, and Cindy has 7. Winnie discards all his honey tokens and takes 1 experience token.
The research cards of Cindy and Yogi are resolved now. The number on the Cindy's card is smaller, so her card is resolved first. Cindy was right that Yogi (the player to her left) would play a research card, so she draws 4 cards: 2 for the basic effect, and 2 for the condition met. She draws 1 card from the research deck, then 2 from the honey deck, and then again 1 from the research deck.
Yogi has not guessed what other players were going to play, so he draws 2 cards only, 1 of each kind. However, his card makes the players to his left and right take 1 honey token. Winnie is fine with it, but Cindy has just exceeded her limit, so she discards all 8 honey tokens and takes the experience token.
Finally, the swarm card of Winnie is resolved. Winnie has just 1 honey and 1 experience token, the same as Yogi. Cindy has 3 experience tokens, Baloo has 3 honey tokens. The amount is the same, each of them takes 1 swarm token. Baloo discards all honey tokens, but Cindy keeps her experience tokens and discards nothing. Winnie gets compensation for not getting the swarm token, and decides to take 1 honey token.
Now, Yogi, Baloo and Cindy flip their cards face down and place them on their piles, and Winnie takes the swarm card back to their hand and flips the topmost card of their pile face down.
End of the Game
The game end is triggered either when any player gets the fifth swarm token, or when any of the decks runs out of cards. Complete the current round, the player who then has the highest number of swarm tokens is declared the winner.
In case of a tie, the player with the most experience tokens wins. In case of another tie, the player with the most honey tokens wins. If there is still a tie, the player with the most cards in their hand wins. In case of another tie, you should play once again.