Sweet Honey, Bee Mine!
Sweet Honey, Bee Mine! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
In the Box
- 6 Summary/Lose Cards
- 55 Bee Cards (detailed on the Summary Card)
- 100 Honey Discs
Win Conditions
The player with the most Honey Discs at the end of the game wins. Players decide on a number of rounds to play (3 rounds is recommended). Each round player's scores are written down. After a set number of round each player's scores are totaled together. The players compete to get the highest total.
End of Round Conditions
- All players except 1 have be knocked out.
- The numbers on 1 player's captured Bee Cards total 35 or more.
- 1 player captures 3 different types of small Bee Cards (numbers 1-5)
When 1 of the 3 conditions described above occurs a bonus is awarded then 1 round ends.
Setup
Each player takes 1 Summary Card and 15 Honey Discs. Then the Bee Cards are shuffled together so the honey bees are not visible and 5 cards are dealt to each player. Each player looks at the numbers on their cards keeping this information hidden from the other players. The remaining cards are placed in the center of the table to form a face down (bee side down) draw deck.
Begin!
Choosing a Start Player
Each player chooses one card (from their hand of 5), and places it face up in front of themselves with their hand covering the card, so other players can't see which number they have chosen. Then when everyone is ready all plays enthusiastically say, "Sweet Honey, Bee Mine!" together, and simultaneously reveal their hidden card. The revealed numbers on all the player's cards are compared, and the player who revealed the largest number is the start player. In case of a tie the player who most recently enjoyed honey starts.
The cards that were placed in front of the players to determine the start player remain in front of their respective players. These cards are considered captured Bee Cards. Whenever a player captures a honey bee they get stung once. When a player gets stung a second time by the same type of bee then they get knocked out and they can't play until the current round ends, so players should take care not to take a Bee Card with the same number as any of the cards in front of themselves.
- If any player played a 2 or a 3 card* then they should immediately discard one of the 4 cards from their hand to a discard pile in the center of the table. They will start the game with a hand of 3 cards.
*These card's special powers are explained later.
Bees Take Flight
The start player selects 1 card from their hand and places it face down and puts 1, 2 or 3 Honey Discs on top, and passes it to the player to their left. Then immediately draws one replacement card from the draw deck.
Action Choices
Considering the hint (or no hint) on the back of the card, the player who receives the Bee Card can take 1 of the following 2 choices.
- #1: Capture
- #2: Pass Along
#1: Capture
When a player chooses to Capture they flip the Bee Card face up and check which number it is.
Success
At this time if you haven't captured this kind of Bee Card yet (if you don't have the same numbered Bee Card in front of you) then your capture is successful.
Take all the Honey Discs that were on the card and put your new Bee Card face up in front of you next to your others, so that all your Bee Cards are visible.
The player who successfully captured a Bee Card becomes the next start player. Once again, another Bee Card is chosen, Honey Discs are placed and passed to the player to the start player's left, and our honey bees continue flying around.
Failure
If the card you tried to capture is the same as one you've already captured then you have been stung twice by the same type of honey bee, and you get knocked out.
Honey Disc Penalty
First the Honey Discs that were on the Bee Card that was going around is returned to the player who played that Bee Card (the start player). Next the player who was just knocked out must pay, to the center of the table, a number of Honey Discs equal to the number written on the Bee Card that they tried to capture. If the knocked out player has the #1 Bee* in front of them they must instead pay double the number written on the Bee Card.
*This card's special power is explained later.
The player to the knocked out player's left is the next start player, and the remaining players continue the round.
The round continues until one of the End of a Round conditions are met.
#2: Pass Along
A player may choose not to capture a bee and instead pass it along. The player avoids the threat of being knocked out, but the bee steals some Honey Discs on her way by. When a player chooses the Pass Along option they must place on this card the same number of Honey Discs as the start player placed (1,2 or 3) when this Bee Card took flight, and then pass it to the player to their left. Then, with more Honey Discs on the Bee Card, the player to the left choses one of the Action Choices.
*If a player doesn't have enough Honey Discs to place then they can not choose "#2: Pass Along" they must choose "#1: Capture".
If players continue to Pass Along and the Bee Card returns to the start player then the start player may NOT choose Pass Along, and must Capture. If the start player Captures successfully they take all the Honey Discs and they are again the start player. If their Capture fails then they pay the Honey Disc Penalty. However the Honey Discs that were placed on the Bee Card are set in the center of the table.
Honey Discs Award
When a Round End Condition is met then the Honey Discs from the center are given to a player then the round ends. All of the Honey Discs in the center of the table are awarded to one of the following players.
- If all players but 1 were knocked out then the remaining player gets them.
- If one player's total reached 35 then that player gets them.
- If one player collected 3 different small bees then that player gets them.
After the Honey Discs from the center are awarded everyone counts their Honey Discs, and players compare totals. If you're playing multiple rounds then write down everyones score and start over at "Setup". After the set number of rounds, each player totals their Honey Discs earned in each round and the player with the largest total wins.
Card Special Powers
The 3 smallest types of Bee Cards (1,2 & 3) have special powers that take effect when they are captured.
#1 Bee
There is only 1 #1 Bee, so you never have to fear being stung twice by her. However you have to watch out for her! If you have the #1 Bee in front of you, and you fail trying to Capture another Bee Card then the penalty that you must pay to the center of the table is doubled.
#2 Bee & #3 Bee
When you capture a #2 or #3 Bee Card then you will have less cards in your hand. (4 cards to 3 cards) If you choose a #2 or #3 Bee Card during the "Choosing a Start Player" phase then naturally you may choose which card you will discard, but any other time when you capture a #2 or #3 Bee Card then the player who played that card from their hand can look at the backs of your cards and choose one card for you to discard. If you Capture both a #2 Bee Card and a #3 Bee Card then you will only have 2 cards in your hand.